D1 2022 Year-End Review

This year has been a very special one for District 1. After two years of seeing each other virtually, we returned back in-person. Seeing each and every one of your faces every month has been a pleasure. We’ve had a chance to discuss some major issues impacting District 1 and began planning for the future of the district. Thank you for your presence and participation. You make District 1 the special place it is by coming out, making your voices heard, and uplifting your community. Beginning in September, we came back in-person with more than 100 attendees! We’ve had more than 1,500 attendees this year to our monthly meetings.

TRANSFORMATION

rosa

What happens when two best friends put their business-savvy minds together to think of something new for a neighborhood they both hold dear? Rosa. Rosa is a new coffee shop in the Grandmont Rosedale community owned by Charity Dean and Heather Zygmontowicz.The coffee shop is named after Charity’s great-grandmother, Rosa Malone, who was was a long-standing member of the Grandmont community and a pioneer being the second Black family to have a house in the neighborhood. Rosa opened in June of 2022, offering fresh coffee, tea, sandwiches, and baked goods. Rosa is located at 19180 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI 48219.

TRANSFORMATION

FANESs

Detroit is well know for it’s artistry with creatives who’ve worked all over the world. While most think of art as paintings, sculptures, or photography Janessa Davis has given old Redford a new way of looking at art. Faness (pronounced “fi-nesse”) serves not only as a professional nail art gallery but an opportunity for Davis to showcase other members of the art community via pop-ups and community events. Faness is located at 2200 Grand River Avenue, Detroit, MI 48219.

The Fun Litter Pickup Club started in 2017 as an opportunity for residents of Grandmont Rosedale to participate in beautifying their community. Founder Mary Madigan said she grew tired of seeing the constant littering as she walked through her neighborhood. She believed she could make a difference with the help of some of her neighbors, and alas the Rosedale Park Fun Litter Pickup Club was born. The group has more than twenty members who collectively make a fun time out of keeping Northwest Detroit clean and beautiful. Since 2017, they have collected over 200 bags of trash. They meet the second Saturday of the month from March through November. They welcome new members and encourage others to keep the streets in D1 clean and beautiful so we can all enjoy the place we live.

A Girl Like Me Inc. is a non-profit started by Tyra Moore. Tyra was just 15 when she gave birth to her first child and overcame many obstacles being a young teenage mother. Tyra created A Girl Like Me with the mission to educate and encourage Girls, Teens, Teen Moms, and Young Moms between the ages of 11 to 25 to make healthy life choices. The organization provides mentoring services, resources for housing, and opportunities to receive free baby and feminine products. This year Tyra reached a major milestone with the help of our amazing District 1 community; together D1 voted for her organization to become the winner of the 2022 Essence and Pine Sol “Build Your Legacy” national competition and win a $10,000 grant.The grant award allowed her to purchase a new property in D1 that will serve as the organization’s headquarters.Tyra’s organization is an amazing example of the great things happening in District 1 and we are proud to call her one of our own.

Removing Blight

Neighbors were having major challenges with overgrown vegetation and debris in the backyard of a home located in the 17700 block of Lenore. It hadn’t been cut in 3 years. Mother Shawn Edwards and her son Stevie Edwards reside at the home, but are not the homeowners. The property owner received multiple citations by BSEED and is awaiting a hearing with the Department of Administrative Hearings. Our office received several complaints concerning the overgrowth.

Typically, we would go through several city department to resolve this issue, but in this case an immediate response was necessary. In an effort to reach an immediate solution, our office contacted John George of Blight Busters and requested assistance. When speaking with Ms. Edwards she said, “I am so appreciative of the help Councilman James Tate and Community Liaison Lynn McNeal gave us in having Blight Busters cut and clear out our overgrown backyard. It let me know how invested they are in our community because they went above and beyond to bring resources to a family that needed help and support.” It should also be noted that Lynn has kept in contact with Ms. Edwards son and has began mentoring him.

Citadel of praise Gas on god

On Sunday, October 23rd, Citadel of Praise, led by Senior Pastor Spencer T. Ellis, partnered with five gas stations located near the church to provide a total amount of $25,000 in free gas to grateful drivers. With hundreds of vehicles lining up at the pumps as early as 6:30 am, it was clear that the blessing of free gas was needed and appreciated.

The goal was simple. As Pastor Spencer Ellis noted: “We want to have an impact, not just spiritually, but naturally. If we can make a dent, that’s what we intend to do.”

Citadel of Praise is located in the Brightmoor neighborhood within District 1. Outreach activities like this bring attention to the community’s needs while providing immediate assistance during an unpredictable economy. Members of the Citadel of Praise church family as well as volunteers helped pump gas, offered prayer to those who requested it, and engaged participants on the importance of voting during the three-hour event. Free COVID vaccinations and boosters were available in partnership with the Detroit Health Department to the community.

This year, more than 600 families were blessed with up to $40 in free gas per vehicle thanks to Citadel of Praise’s Gas on God outreach event.

7-2DAY

The day of events fell on July 2nd tying into the 7-2 Day name. The first cleanup of the day started right in District 1 on Puritan and Greenfield with other activities pushing along Puritan Ave. into City Council District 2. By all accounts, “7-2 Day” proved to be a HUGE success due to the vision of event organizers and the dedication of several dozen volunteers. “7-2 Day” allowed community members to showcase pride in their neighborhood through assigned neighborhood cleanups, free little library installations, business spotlights, face painting for children, live music, food trucks and a robust panel discussion focused on connecting and uniting the several neighborhoods along Puritan. Congratulations to our own team member Jerjuan Howard, the Umoja Debate Team and partnering organizers for sponsoring such an impactful community outreach event! We are very much looking forward to an even larger 7-2 Day 2023.

Task force on black male engagement

The office of Pro Tem James Tate has led the Detroit Task Force on Black Male Engagement since 2014 with the “Man of the Month” feature highlighting Black men performing exceptional work in the city of Detroit. We hope these spotlights not only inform of the great things these men are doing but also inspire others. Here’s what some of our previous Man of the Month honorees have been up to since they were featured.

A lot has changed since Raphael Mostyn’s August 2020 Man of The Month nomination. One thing that has remained true is the pride that he has in the city of Detroit. By remaining tied to the city he is better able to connect with his program’s participants

Since last summer about 130 students have been serviced through Mostyn Community Development. This past summer over 50% of the organization’s participants secured paid internships. This summer MCD hosted “College Experience Camp”. This camp included a week-long stay at the University of Michigan’s Ann Arbor campus, where students participated skill-building activities including college readiness, hygiene lessons, life skills, financial literacy skills, and more.

All students are referred straight from the Michigan Disabilities Department. What makes this program even more special is that during the pandemic, it was the first program to lead virtual programming for students with disabilities.

“Getting back on pace with what the schools have going on post-pandemic has had his challenges”, said Raphael. Some adjustments have been made to re-motivate students and get them back into the feel of being in person.

Since we last spoke, the Spare Time Program launched. It uses bowling as a mentoring vehicle. The program focuses on community engagement, team building, math competency, and recreation.

What has changed?

On a personal level, since his nomination Raphael and his wife welcomed their third child. They now have a 2-year old, 4-year old and 5 month old. We appreciate this brother!

Raphael Mostyn Founder/CEO of Mostyn Community Developmenttraining for participants with disabilities ages 14-26. (August 2020 Man of the Month)

If we could describe Timothy Paule in one word, it would be consistent. Paule started his mission with the intent to combat blight, environmental injustice, to beautify and educate. Since our February 2021 Man of the Month highlight, he has taken it to an entirely new level.

Through Partnership with Detroit Land Bank Detroit Hives now has 25 locations! “Depression is a product of environmental injustice so we built something to combat it. Detroit Hives now has product in 6 retail stores!”

What has changed: In the summer of 2019, a resolution was passed declaring the city of Detroit a Bee city. The resolution called for environmental protection for bees and native pollination.

2020 - Michigan State Representative Jewell Jones sponsored a resolution recognizing July 19th in accordance with National Urban Bee Keeping Day

2021 - Comerica Park partnership is awarded to Detroit Hives

2022 - Acquired Eminem’s childhood site that will serve as botanical garden for people in the Osborn Community

On a personal level, Timothy Paule is soon to be a married man. You can say he got stung by the lovebug. His partner-in-crime in business and life is Nicole Lindsey. Well wishes of continued success and congratulation to Detroit Hive’s Timothy and Lindsey.

What are you most proud of?

“The ability to create and persevere; having a social, environmental, and financial impact on Detroit”, Timothy shared.

Timothy Paule Co-Founder of Detroit Hives in 2016. (February 2021 Man of the Month)

A number of things have changed, and a lot of things have remained the same since Curtis Lipscomb was our May 2019 Man of The Month.

Lipscomb is still the Executive Director of LGBT Detroit and still active in the community.

A HUGE shift took place when the global pandemic hit. Like the rest of us, Lipscomb and LGBT Detroit had to completely revamp how they engaged people. This meant thinking outside of the box to not only keep their audience but also grow it.

The pandemic gave the organization a new perspective on technology and how to use it as a tool. With technology the organization was able to expand and increase it’s digital reach.

On a more personal level, Lipscomb is expecting his first grandchild in 2023! We appreciate all the work that Curtis Lipscomb is continuing to do in the city of Detroit.

Curtis Lipscomb Founder of LGBT Detroit. (May 2019 Man of the Month)

greenspace reimagined

In 2022 we had the opportunity to discuss some unique plans coming to two of our largest greenspaces in District 1. We look forward to continuing to expand on these plans and conversations in 2023 with your help.

eliza howell

This year, Eliza Howell saw many events thanks to the city of Detroit’s partnership with Sidewalk Detroit. Sidewalk Detroit focuses on public engagement to uplift and empower residents to activate public land spaces via event productions and public art programming. The highlight event this year of Sidewalk Detroit was held at our very own Eliza Howell. We are thankful for their collaboration and look forward to the future as we began to discuss the next steps in the plans to improve Eliza Howell. These plans include improving the stormwater system, reconstructing pavement sections and resurfacing, and adding pavement markings/bike lanes. Construction is set to start in the Spring of 2023. We appreciate your participation in conversations on the construction process and are excited for the community to reap the benefits of the park’s transformation.

rogell park

We acquired Rogell Park in late 2018 with the hopes of adding additional green space to the city of Detroit and for District 1 residents. The Rogell Park Project has been a journey, and in 2022 we made some landmark discoveries that will allow us to move forward with construction plans in 2023. The outpour of support from the community surrounding Rogell Park has been tremendous. We appreciate the continued support as we move forward with making the vision for Rogell a reality.

neighborhood beautification program AWARDEES

In November, the city announced the neighborhood beautification program grant recipients awarding $500$1,500 to Detroit-based neighborhood associations, block clubs, faith-based organizations and nonprofits that currently own the property in Detroit who demonstrated their intent to help improve and beautify their blocks. The program was created to support three types of projects: clean-up activities, community gardens, and public spaces and activities. Six D1 groups won! We look forward to their transformational efforts.