Latest / Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals / Detroit Council President Reveals the Cost of Service - Ep. 188 w/ James Tate

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Detroit Council President Reveals the Cost of Service - Ep. 188 w/ James Tate · Black Fridays: Business Growth for Entrepreneurs, Creators & Professionals

0:00
[SPEAKER_02]: If you understand government, you'll make your mind up about your politics, but I don't want you to do is just take yourself out of the process, because taking yourself out of the process, doesn't make anything better.
0:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I would argue that it makes it worse for you, certainly, but because I need you and your support, your vote to make my life better, you're making it worse for all of us when you take yourself out of the process.
0:20
[SPEAKER_02]: These are lies out here.
0:21
[SPEAKER_02]: There's no lag.
0:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, there's a throwaway life where we can mess up about five or six times and you may be that that one No, you got to get it every time because when you don't people get hurt Emotionally physically and then now you have to start thinking Why didn't we do what we should have done in the first place and then probably more twenty four thousand dollars is an annual median income That is Welfly low.
0:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and you're just literally Surviving.
0:49
[SPEAKER_02]: You're not thriving
1:10
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1:13
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1:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Now let's go ahead and get back into the episode.
1:54
[SPEAKER_01]: With update Black Friday family, welcome back to another installment of the Black Friday's podcast.
1:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Before we get into today's episode, hit that like button, subscribe, drop a comment.
2:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Make sure as you send the video to family friends and loved ones, and we keep this thing going.
2:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Now that I got that business out of the way, we are welcoming back somebody to the podcast who is out here fighting for the traders each and every day, and they even got a promotion since the last time that we have seen now, we want to welcome back the Trade City Council President, Mr. James State, how you doing today?
2:24
[SPEAKER_02]: the crowd roar.
2:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm doing well, brother.
2:27
[SPEAKER_02]: How are you?
2:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Thanks for having me, too.
2:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
2:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
2:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the last time that we asked spoke, you had an open invitation to a podcast.
2:34
[SPEAKER_01]: So I appreciate you using it to be able to bless us today.
2:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, sir.
2:38
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I love just connecting with folks, especially being able to connect with folks outside of the political world.
2:44
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, they only see you as council president or council member or a politician,
2:54
[SPEAKER_02]: And I think people failed to realize that.
2:55
[SPEAKER_02]: So these type of opportunities give people a chance to kind of, you know, see beyond just what they think they know of me.
3:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, absolutely.
3:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And as I mentioned, you got that promotion since the last time that we talked with, I couldn't say not name, but I'm not knew what's going to happen.
3:11
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, I've congratulations to you first and foremost.
3:14
[SPEAKER_02]: He has been now, you know, now council president last term, I was council president pro Tim, if those who, you know, may not be aware council president pro Tim, just mean basing like vice president.
3:24
[SPEAKER_02]: And now to be in the position of a president that it's a lot, you know, it's an honor.
3:30
[SPEAKER_02]: Let me say that.
3:30
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, after 17 years, being on council last.
3:34
[SPEAKER_02]: This last election I ran unopposed you know fifth election.
3:39
[SPEAKER_02]: No, the Lord has blessed me, you know, and I've done my best to make sure that I've fulfilled You know the the Requirements of being a blessed individual in favor.
3:51
[SPEAKER_02]: I have no doubt in my mind that's the case because I have friends who
3:55
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I grew up with family members, even, who I love and adore, but, um, you know, they haven't had the level of of of opportunity and if you want to call that success slash achievement.
4:08
[SPEAKER_02]: And so with that being said, I know that I have a huge responsibility to make sure that I do my all, you know, so there's many days, um, like tonight, I'm going to go home.
4:17
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to probably be about nine o'clock.
4:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, but it's gonna be a nine, you know, a whole full day's worth of just grinding it out.
4:24
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, the problem with that is, you know, you, you, you know, end up, you know, trying to go to sleep.
4:29
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, thinking about me now, you wake up in the morning, you're thinking about what you're doing.
4:33
[SPEAKER_02]: So you're always in that constant driving my wife and I, we don't have any children.
4:37
[SPEAKER_02]: So it gives us all this time to just feel in the days with just work, work, work.
4:42
[SPEAKER_02]: And, um, trying to get away from that.
4:45
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, but when you're doing, you know, service for the people, there's always a demand.
4:49
[SPEAKER_02]: And my wife, she's also in, uh, she's a nursing, uh, she's a, you know, phenomenal, just brilliant individual.
4:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Still working on DEI, right?
4:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
4:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
4:57
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, federal government and others try to strip us away, right, strip it away from us and about, you know, from the fabric of what we do, you know, she's plugging along.
5:05
[SPEAKER_02]: She's still working as a consultant in finding contracts and working with organizations that,
5:10
[SPEAKER_02]: I brave enough to want equality.
5:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Like how's that brave?
5:14
[SPEAKER_02]: That should be normal.
5:15
[SPEAKER_00]: Exactly.
5:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
5:17
[SPEAKER_01]: And what have been some of the biggest changes from going from a city council member to a city council president, pro-town to city council president.
5:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, well, that's the president.
5:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Now you are the one who is supposed to be negotiating on behalf of the body.
5:31
[SPEAKER_02]: I can't just think so.
5:32
[SPEAKER_02]: My opically, you know, is the district one representative, you know, you're in a district.
5:36
[SPEAKER_02]: You like, this is my district.
5:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And he just poured everything into it.
5:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It doesn't stop me from doing that, but I've got it now broadened even more so as the council president, because while I'm still the council representative for city council district one, the furthest north west and proud of the city, I'm the only council president that they have, so I'm now popping into my colleagues events on the east side south west, you know, on the west side as well, which I did in the past, but now much more cognizant about him because I know what it brings, not so much for James Tate, but the council president.
6:07
[SPEAKER_02]: And so I always look at it from the position,
6:10
[SPEAKER_02]: What do you expect from the person who sits in that seat?
6:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you looking for someone to be fair?
6:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Check a little for somebody be hard working check.
6:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Are you looking for that person be compassionate?
6:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, and empathetic check check.
6:24
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm trying to do all the things intelligent
6:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, check.
6:27
[SPEAKER_02]: I got to do it right.
6:28
[SPEAKER_02]: So all those things those boxes and I mean it just constantly keeps you busy one thing I've recognized is that when you are the council president and you're the only you get so many more requests for everything Which is again, it's a major major blessing a major blessing, but it also you know stretches you Because you're trying to figure out how to do everything satisfied everybody not disappoint anyone and be as impactful as you can's and you
6:55
[SPEAKER_02]: is many days you go home thinking, man, maybe I could have done one more thing, you know, or, you know, I'm glad that I'm in a position where I'm able to say, no to something, you know.
7:06
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's a balance.
7:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, but this is a lot more work.
7:09
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll be honest with you.
7:10
[SPEAKER_02]: In just a lot more engaging colleagues on issues on the front end, as opposed to being one of the individuals that vote.
7:17
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, a lot of the information comes to me first and I have to disseminate it to my colleagues and figure out how we get all in the same page as best as possible.
7:26
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know me well.
7:26
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to agree, but at least that we have the same facts.
7:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I'll just speak.
7:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, I guess it's all encompassing and because I know how hard you go for your district district one I'm curious as to how do you Divya your responsibility as president and your district at the same time
7:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I mean, it's definitely, you know, spending place is a challenge, but I have stayed committed to my district meetings that I've, I hold every month.
7:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So every month, I still host three community meetings every first and third Thursday over at the Motor City job house, shout out to the job house, I lost my ground river.
8:01
[SPEAKER_02]: And then every fourth Saturday of the month, we have was called the district one month and meeting and we moved that around the district.
8:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And to me, I think that's the secret sauce.
8:08
[SPEAKER_02]: where people get an opportunity to see me again out of the element of just being at a city council table.
8:13
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, it takes away that ivory tower mentality that some people have about elected officials.
8:18
[SPEAKER_02]: And I'm, you know, they see me in servant mode.
8:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm walking around with the microphone note you sit down.
8:23
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm bringing the much to you.
8:25
[SPEAKER_02]: I make sure that you're as comfortable as possible.
8:27
[SPEAKER_02]: We also make sure to be bringing information.
8:29
[SPEAKER_02]: To the community that you won't find anywhere else in it as a matter of fact We started another meeting.
8:34
[SPEAKER_02]: This one was strictly for young girl folks.
8:36
[SPEAKER_02]: It's between the ages of 18 and 40.
8:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, it's called next voice
8:41
[SPEAKER_02]: we invite a younger folks to the table to learn about government.
8:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Not about politics, we don't want them to know, you know, start going into, you know, Republican versus Democrat, and if you understand government, you'll make your mind up about your politics.
8:56
[SPEAKER_02]: But I don't want you to do is just take yourself out of the process.
8:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, because taking yourself out of the process, doesn't make anything better.
9:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I would argue that it makes it worse for you, certainly, but because I need you and your support, you'll vote to make my life better.
9:10
[SPEAKER_02]: You're making it worse for all of us when you take it self out of the process.
9:13
[SPEAKER_02]: So we started that back in October.
9:16
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm trying to figure out how do we make sure we maintain.
9:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Because you know, 18 and 40, there's a lot of distractions.
9:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I like to gray here like myself.
9:22
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you find a thing and you continue to do that thing.
9:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Young folks, distractions, and you have to constantly reinvent the meeting, reinvent the message, the relationship, and so that's what we are right now, just don't we can to make sure we can continue what we started in, you know, 40-year-old folks who show up in the room, that's up.
9:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Pretty good pretty good meeting.
9:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, especially younger people.
9:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.
9:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, so that being that's it like I say it's a balance But it's one that I'm still navigating.
9:53
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm learning six months in you know and a four-year term So you know, I do ask folks for grace because there are some things that I have missed in the past that I've gone to
10:03
[SPEAKER_01]: But because I am city council president, I've got to share myself in the position of council president citywide for sure and speaking of younger people, you last time we talked to you, you introduced us to your initiative, protect your crown and you recently went on high school tour, I believe last month.
10:21
[SPEAKER_01]: So could you tell us a little bit about that?
10:33
[SPEAKER_02]: career in government.
10:35
[SPEAKER_02]: the high school tour took that even to a whole other level.
10:39
[SPEAKER_02]: To have at each school, we did eight schools.
10:41
[SPEAKER_02]: So let me back up for a little bit.
10:43
[SPEAKER_02]: So last year, we did a tour of coffee shops.
10:46
[SPEAKER_02]: So seven coffee shops, citywide, one in each district, and we talked to residents and provided them with information on mental health resources, awareness, just having that conversation.
10:58
[SPEAKER_02]: While we were there, represented from Detroit Public Schools, community districts,
11:04
[SPEAKER_02]: We want to vouch to the high schools, okay?
11:07
[SPEAKER_02]: So we ended up doing the tour of eight different high schools this year.
11:11
[SPEAKER_02]: And I mean, it was, it was a lot of work and a very short period of time.
11:15
[SPEAKER_02]: Because again, just as you got to keep the interest of 18 to 40, can you imagine trying to keep the interest of high school students?
11:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, from ninth grade to senior.
11:25
[SPEAKER_02]: And each of the session was about an hour and a half to two hours.
11:30
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's a long time.
11:34
[SPEAKER_02]: We told the school, do not force anybody to show up.
11:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Those who show up to the program in that we had on that day, we wanted them to be there because they wanted to actually get something from it.
11:47
[SPEAKER_02]: And each school had about, you know, 35 to 40 students each, which was awesome, eight different schools.
11:53
[SPEAKER_02]: And when I tell you there was not hits laying on the table,
11:56
[SPEAKER_02]: They were not earphones or earphones on the ears.
12:02
[SPEAKER_02]: They were locked in.
12:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Everybody raised their hand because some people just don't like, you know, being a scene, you know, that's a whole part of what we were talking about.
12:08
[SPEAKER_02]: You don't have to just follow what everybody does.
12:10
[SPEAKER_02]: But also, if you feel like being an individual on that day and you know, hurting nobody, be who you are, be who you are.
12:17
[SPEAKER_02]: And to have the young folks talk to us, communicate, share,
12:24
[SPEAKER_02]: But then when everything is over and we said, okay, thank you all, we appreciate it.
12:28
[SPEAKER_02]: They're not leaving.
12:30
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, they're sticking around having more conversations.
12:32
[SPEAKER_02]: Saying thank you, I appreciate.
12:34
[SPEAKER_02]: We went through breathing exercises.
12:35
[SPEAKER_02]: We introduced them to opportunities for free, mental health therapy, giving them the law on the fact that if you are 14 and up, 14 is the age of consent, if you will, if you are looking for mental health therapy.
12:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, I didn't know that, right?
12:54
[SPEAKER_02]: We want you to consult with your parents sometime, unfortunately, the parent is the problem.
12:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
12:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And they won't consent to it.
13:00
[SPEAKER_02]: So we're providing them with those kind of opportunities in that access.
13:03
[SPEAKER_02]: So this was, when I tell you, this was without it out, the most fulfilling thing, taking up a notch, not a lie, not how, how, how, how, how, how, how, probably or anything like that.
13:14
[SPEAKER_02]: It, it's just rewarding.
13:15
[SPEAKER_02]: We don't continue to do it.
13:16
[SPEAKER_02]: We've been invited.
13:17
[SPEAKER_02]: to go to the middle schools next year.
13:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
13:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Um, so that's going to be a time.
13:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
13:22
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, so we certainly won't be doing it.
13:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to have a little school.
13:27
[SPEAKER_02]: And we've got to figure out how to tweak it a bit, but you know, I'm I'm very, very, um, confident that we'll find that way.
13:36
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I don't, I don't want us to look in the peers if we are, you know, government coming to you.
13:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I try to look at it as if I was that age, what I want?
13:43
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, how would I want someone to approach me?
13:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And so far so good, we're going to continue to do it.
13:48
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, this is going to always be something that is a part of my life.
13:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Certainly, as long as I'm in elected office, protect your crown, mental health awareness, and advocacy is going to be, you know, on the list.
13:59
[SPEAKER_01]: And when you get to know the school, you're probably going to get some of the most outlandish answers you ever got.
14:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, I probably want to be more outlandish than, you know, something that I came up with when I was a kid.
14:07
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, I tried to remind you, you know, that these these young folks are.
14:12
[SPEAKER_02]: They have different distractions different, you know, technology.
14:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, it's the same stuff.
14:17
[SPEAKER_02]: We talk about these team takeovers.
14:19
[SPEAKER_02]: They, you know, at nausea and, you know, they're not great, you know, for business community when they go bad, but,
14:26
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, I remind folks, you know, so I'm 51, born in 1974, my era was the 90s, right?
14:34
[SPEAKER_02]: So the 90s went down.
14:35
[SPEAKER_02]: We would clog up Jefferson going into Belau.
14:39
[SPEAKER_02]: We would clog up seven mile.
14:42
[SPEAKER_02]: All we were doing just, I mean, we didn't phone numbers.
14:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
14:44
[SPEAKER_02]: We just kicking in with our boys, meeting new people, but we are young people that like to be around other young people.
14:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Right of course malls you know before they because I was gonna say that that was my my team take Also with fair it would be in their family.
14:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, so so yeah, I ain't go to his life I'm playing y'all
15:06
[SPEAKER_02]: That's what we did, it's not strange, it's just the matter of how do you keep down the destructive behavior, how do you keep the group think, you know, or the the packed mentality when things go bad.
15:21
[SPEAKER_02]: When things are great, maybe we want you to enjoy yourself.
15:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, that's why I'm so thankful that the mayors had came up with this occupied summer program, so every Friday during the summer, it's, you got option.
15:33
[SPEAKER_01]: If you're a young person, you got
15:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you're a parent, you have an option.
15:36
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, if some parents, you know, they say, well, there's nothing to do.
15:39
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, now you have an option.
15:41
[SPEAKER_02]: Transportation may always be an issue.
15:43
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got to figure it out.
15:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Can't solve everything each time for everybody, but we're trying to reduce the barriers to just being a kid in this family life.
15:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, for sure.
15:54
[SPEAKER_01]: And, um,
15:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, yeah, thinking I'm still thinking about them all days back in the day that was that was a good time Hop on the bus.
16:00
[SPEAKER_01]: I could be on that green field driving off in front lane or nerf lane Man, I had a couple dollars in my pocket.
16:05
[SPEAKER_01]: You can tell me nothing.
16:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes, sir, and and you be there all day long.
16:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, they long and and then buy nothing
16:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Didn't think they're all they want and nobody worried about because they knew, you know, you're going to be all right, right, you're going to be all it's time to have changed a bit, we have to acknowledge that, um, but I think, you know, the, the basics of being a human and being a human child, young person, all that is, it's the same is you don't want to be around older folks.
16:31
[SPEAKER_02]: You want to be around your peers.
16:33
[SPEAKER_02]: You want to stand out.
16:34
[SPEAKER_02]: You want to look fly.
16:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
16:36
[SPEAKER_02]: You want to get a follow number too.
16:38
[SPEAKER_02]: You want to feel good about yourself, right?
16:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Hasn't changed.
16:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just it looks different now with social media, right?
16:43
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, um, and and other, you know, tech that our younger folks have, but nothing's different.
16:48
[SPEAKER_01]: I think the interesting part to me about takeovers is D.
16:52
[SPEAKER_01]: basically the community organizing of it all because they're talking about this somewhere on social media whether it's Instagram, anything Facebook, but TikTok, whatever, and arranging to link up and meet up and then you got a group of people.
17:04
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm sure talking to a group of people to a group of people.
17:06
[SPEAKER_01]: That's community organization.
17:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it is.
17:08
[SPEAKER_01]: And so that's what I was about.
17:10
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, they always say that about the dope boys, right?
17:11
[SPEAKER_02]: It's the only harness that energy that could be doing so much positive.
17:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
17:15
[SPEAKER_01]: And a lot of these sounds folks again.
17:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's, it's not negative to be able to be an influencer and brain people out.
17:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
17:23
[SPEAKER_02]: So all you did was put a flyer on social media.
17:25
[SPEAKER_02]: That's huge.
17:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
17:26
[SPEAKER_02]: How do you turn that into something?
17:28
[SPEAKER_02]: That is not negative.
17:29
[SPEAKER_02]: And the takeovers themselves to me are not negative.
17:34
[SPEAKER_02]: all the by-self alone.
17:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Isn't it a destructive behavior you got?
17:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
17:37
[SPEAKER_02]: That's when it becomes a challenge.
17:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Right.
17:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And for us in government, we have to figure out how do we strike that balance.
17:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
17:44
[SPEAKER_02]: How do we strike that balance of, okay, the area has swollen into a thousand young people.
17:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, do you like try to be all hands off?
17:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, we'll just allow them and when things finally jump off, that's when we'll, you know, we'll jump in.
17:59
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
18:00
[SPEAKER_02]: At that point, you got a thousand, you know, young folks, and some of them again have their group mentality with things go bad.
18:06
[SPEAKER_02]: We just don't jump in.
18:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
18:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Filmmet versus trying to keep the group down to, instead of a thousand, maybe 500, you know, which means that you're going to have to interact.
18:16
[SPEAKER_02]: And you got to move them and do all those things.
18:17
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's a balancing act.
18:19
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's almost like, you know, none of that, you know, as horrible as that is, there were many attacks on the World Trade Center, but it takes one to destroy the whole thing, right?
18:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's how we have to look at it.
18:32
[SPEAKER_02]: These are lives out here.
18:34
[SPEAKER_02]: There's no like, well, there's a throwaway life, but we can mess up about five or six times.
18:37
[SPEAKER_02]: And you may be that, that once, no, you got to get it every time because when you don't, people get hurt.
18:44
[SPEAKER_02]: emotionally, physically, and then now you have to start thinking, why didn't we do what we should have done in the first place?
18:52
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
18:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So you're going to get criticized either way, but, you know, we sometimes err on the side of caution and you look, create some more, uh, thanks from, from folks, yeah, then, then some time needs to be, but, you know, you know, you're going to get criticized either way, but, you know, we sometimes err on the side of caution and, you know, create some more, uh,
19:03
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it's like it says a balancing that we've got to figure out how to, you know, allow people to have their freedoms.
19:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
19:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Also, how do we make sure we keep say people say, especially our young folks in those scenarios.
19:14
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, before we get into my fair part of Black Friday, they've got to ask you, what about the adult takeover?
19:19
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like, open and day.
19:20
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like, that's
19:21
[SPEAKER_01]: That'd be the don't take on everybody want to talk about that.
19:23
[SPEAKER_01]: They want to talk about the things.
19:25
[SPEAKER_02]: They're so funny.
19:26
[SPEAKER_02]: You said it because that's what the young folks will say.
19:28
[SPEAKER_02]: So what we talked about to take over is during the Protective Crown High School Tour and it was like, yeah, you know, y'all Talk about us.
19:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, ground folks.
19:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, get together all the time and then they say patrers.
19:39
[SPEAKER_02]: They all drink in doing all this stuff.
19:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, we see on the news is shooting's at the clubs and they had a point.
19:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, but that's the whole thing, right?
19:48
[SPEAKER_02]: That's the whole part of it.
19:49
[SPEAKER_02]: We know what happens in these environments.
19:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
19:52
[SPEAKER_02]: So we don't want you to be in that space because.
19:55
[SPEAKER_02]: When it, as an adult, you make a conscious decision to do something, you should now, at that point, weigh the repercussions.
20:02
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
20:03
[SPEAKER_02]: As a young person, it's up to us to make sure that you're learning those repercussions, but you don't have to learn it the hard way.
20:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Right.
20:10
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, it's like me, I, you know, my folks are extremely strict on me when I was growing up, and I couldn't stand it.
20:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, I'm very thankful.
20:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I think they could have been a little bit more relaxed, you know, but at the end of the day, I could have been like some other friends who had, you know, very relaxed parents, more absent parents, and their situation didn't turn out like mine, and just see it like that.
20:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Again, bless your family.
20:34
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, for sure.
20:35
[SPEAKER_01]: So I want to reintroduce you to my favorite part of Black Friday with just Freestyle Friday.
20:39
[SPEAKER_01]: So,
20:46
[SPEAKER_01]: I heard that protect your crown bars, but you ain't right for us last time, but I want to know not to tune in.
20:51
[SPEAKER_01]: You don't love what up in your seat.
20:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Are we going to get something?
20:54
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to get some bars or I'm going to sit on your seat.
20:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Let me sit on your seat.
21:00
[SPEAKER_02]: So that's protect your crown.
21:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I got
21:04
[SPEAKER_01]: It's something coming.
21:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me just say this.
21:06
[SPEAKER_02]: So actually, so the funny thing here is because I wanted to be honest with you, we actually have two songs.
21:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, okay.
21:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, one of them is a Detroit anthem and it's called the best thing yet.
21:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, and then we have another one called step away and that's a mental health song, but it's actually a dance song.
21:22
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, so we've got music that's coming.
21:25
[SPEAKER_01]: You got a hustle to it.
21:26
[SPEAKER_02]: It's got to be back for, okay, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right, all right,
21:47
[SPEAKER_01]: What is a aspect of the city or a gym of the city that you haven't got in the chance to explore yet?
21:53
[SPEAKER_01]: If it's something that you haven't checked off your Detroit bucket list just yet.
21:57
[SPEAKER_02]: So I would say, because I write my bike, you know, I'm always looking for new trails, new spaces.
22:03
[SPEAKER_02]: So I've done the whole river walk and I've done the quinter cut.
22:08
[SPEAKER_02]: We just opened up some new sections of the Jolo's Greenway.
22:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay, that's what I'm looking for to this year.
22:13
[SPEAKER_02]: Have a had a chance to do that just yet.
22:15
[SPEAKER_02]: So I would say the Jolo's Greenway, I mean, is the parts that I have written in the past, beautiful.
22:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, it's, it's a transformational project.
22:24
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, free Wi-Fi, it's increasing property values in the areas where it's located I'm mad because we don't have an installation on a portion in the district that I represent.
22:35
[SPEAKER_02]: I would love for that to be the case because it'd be a whole lot of easy for me to just write my bike moon and get on that green way and travel all around.
22:41
[SPEAKER_02]: But.
22:42
[SPEAKER_02]: just to have that asset in the city of Detroit and also it's means going to go through multiple municipalities.
22:47
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, so Dearborn, Highland Park, Warren Detroit, it is going to be huge when it's finally completed, but I still got a couple more stretches that we unveiled this year, but I need to ride on.
23:00
[SPEAKER_01]: So that's what I would say.
23:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, and then what kind of bike are you riding on?
23:04
[SPEAKER_02]: $300 with something like, I am not one of them kind of dudes.
23:08
[SPEAKER_02]: It's been all this money.
23:10
[SPEAKER_02]: No, sir.
23:11
[SPEAKER_02]: No, sir.
23:11
[SPEAKER_02]: I got other stuff.
23:12
[SPEAKER_02]: I need to see my money.
23:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, I look these bikes on my man.
23:14
[SPEAKER_01]: $6,000 for a bike, $5,500 for a bike, $300.
23:20
[SPEAKER_01]: That's my.
23:21
[SPEAKER_02]: And it was a hundred and fifty to buy and fifty dollars to put together and then I put a little, you know, actually the things on it with new pedals and stuff, but okay, now I don't need all that crazy stuff.
23:32
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
23:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Speaking of spending money, what's something that you would say you've played or what's on your wife would say you've splurged on, because my wife get on me about buying shoes and Jordan's and I get all her about buying accessories, but what would you say you've splurged on?
23:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I would say I splurge, unfortunately, on sweets.
23:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay, I can't resist.
23:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I can't resist.
23:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I got sweet potatoes and stations in the neighborhood, right here.
23:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
23:56
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm at first and third Friday, I'm over at the Java House and mama make all those good sweets.
24:02
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, we got a whole lot of little bakeries and things like that's my,
24:07
[SPEAKER_02]: you know my challenge.
24:08
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm a I'm a pumpkin spice guy too.
24:10
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay.
24:10
[SPEAKER_02]: When the fall comes, I'm finding all the pumpkins by this.
24:13
[SPEAKER_02]: People laugh at me.
24:15
[SPEAKER_01]: You know that's my thing.
24:17
[SPEAKER_01]: That's okay.
24:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
24:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I got to work on it.
24:18
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why I got to get on it.
24:20
[SPEAKER_02]: But that's my splurge.
24:22
[SPEAKER_02]: That's my splurge.
24:22
[SPEAKER_02]: And Detroit style peasants.
24:23
[SPEAKER_02]: That's okay.
24:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Okay.
24:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Not bad.
24:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Not bad choices.
24:27
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean bad, but not bad.
24:28
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
24:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
24:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Good.
24:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Good.
24:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Not bad.
24:33
[SPEAKER_01]: and then is there something new about district one that you would want people to know about since the last time that we saw you.
24:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, actually we just opened it.
24:42
[SPEAKER_02]: So we got a couple of things.
24:43
[SPEAKER_02]: One, so a lot of people may remember, well, you may not remember, because the last folks don't play golf in the movie, so those who used to play golf or do play golf, there was a rogo golf course.
24:54
[SPEAKER_02]: uh... for many years roguel has sat there i mean at one point in time it was exclusive only to white um... jewish first uh... not whites didn't allow only jewish and then it opened up to other folks you know black people included and then unfortunately because of the the high water table over there it became
25:14
[SPEAKER_02]: not as well maintained and the Rouge River started just closing off some of the holes so instead of being as I got 16 holes it was only 9 because it was always water log so we ended up as a city selling it sold it to a church church said you know they got all the juice they could get out of it and they couldn't really make it happen
25:31
[SPEAKER_02]: We purchased it back as the city, and now we're developing it into a nature park.
25:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Wow.
25:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So we're going to be having on Thursday the ribbon cutting of the nature park first phase over at Rogale.
25:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And I had an opportunity to get again riding my bike along some of the trails and it's beautiful.
25:50
[SPEAKER_02]: And I love it.
25:51
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, can't wait until the, you know, the additional phases happen because it gives you just a whole another perspective of Detroit.
25:57
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, takes you out of what you see on the day-to-day basis, and that's why I try to tell folks all the time.
26:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Find ways to kind of shake your system.
26:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know, where it gives you another experience and you don't have to always travel far.
26:09
[SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes you can just travel, you know, on the other side of town.
26:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Yep.
26:12
[SPEAKER_02]: Sometimes you can just go outside in the backyard and just sit.
26:16
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, because all you're doing is in-house all day long or in the space, go outside, just listen to the birds, you know, four o'clock in the morning, five o'clock in the morning, whatever time, just pause.
26:27
[SPEAKER_02]: So I would say that and then yesterday,
26:30
[SPEAKER_02]: we just had a ribbon cutting for a mixed use facility.
26:35
[SPEAKER_02]: So for those who lived in the grandma rose their area, you know, we used to call it, we called it the old eye hop.
26:41
[SPEAKER_02]: And then burned down after the eye hop, it was a Coney Island, it didn't burn down and it was kind of just stayed in that situation for years.
26:49
[SPEAKER_02]: So we finally cut the ribbon on it.
26:50
[SPEAKER_02]: It's, you have housing up top, seeing your housing and at the bottom, we actually have restaurant.
26:58
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, so we have food options, we have dining options there, so to have that now in an old space.
27:02
[SPEAKER_02]: So we're talking about two different spaces that were used for two different things in the past.
27:07
[SPEAKER_02]: They've now been repurposed and provided benefit for the community.
27:10
[SPEAKER_02]: So those are two very, very new things.
27:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And we got other stuff.
27:14
[SPEAKER_02]: Those are ones that are like the top of the brain because literally this week, ribbon cutting yesterday and another one coming on Thursday.
27:19
[SPEAKER_01]: So, and we're not talking about downtown.
27:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and that's the thing that I never tell people it looks different.
27:25
[SPEAKER_02]: So when we start talking about downtown downtown has the skyscrapers, it has the riverfront, it has the stadiums, you know, all these other opportunities.
27:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And you have, you know, the the the spaces where, you know, the the job centers are, right?
27:39
[SPEAKER_02]: It looks a certain kind of way.
27:40
[SPEAKER_02]: And if you go to any downtown,
27:42
[SPEAKER_02]: it looks that way.
27:43
[SPEAKER_02]: But how do we invest in a neighborhood?
27:45
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not going to look like it does downtown.
27:47
[SPEAKER_02]: What it looks like are the parts that we have that are renovated now that you feel comfortable walking around on some for some day and night, right?
27:55
[SPEAKER_02]: What it looks like are now no longer seeing these vacant dilapidated structures that used to be homes, but now there's structures that are just littering the neighborhood.
28:04
[SPEAKER_02]: We flatten those.
28:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Still need to figure out how to spring something
28:08
[SPEAKER_02]: But in the meantime, we now allow for at least a more open landscape, so you're not looking at that mess and fearful of something bad lurking inside.
28:18
[SPEAKER_02]: That's what the investment looks like in our neighborhood, our neighborhood looks like, you know, job opportunities and training opportunities that are not sexy at all, you know, unless you're that person who's receiving it.
28:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And now you're going from being unemployed to now making $70,000 a year.
28:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Like the program that we have in Brighmore will be put a million dollars into a workforce development program.
28:41
[SPEAKER_02]: And we're starting to see the fruits of that, you know, come about starting two years ago.
28:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And now, he's folks are going through training and in Brighmore, $24,000 is an annual median income.
28:52
[SPEAKER_02]: That is, woefully low, and you're just literally surviving, you're not thriving.
29:00
[SPEAKER_02]: to be able to increase your income, increase your value and your worth, out there that's tremendous.
29:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And also, potentially, potentially, change the trajectory of the lives of your children.
29:12
[SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, in many situations, when you live in poverty, your children don't live in poverty.
29:17
[SPEAKER_02]: their children and let's something shakes up that system and we've got now something that has been able to change the direction of those families.
29:26
[SPEAKER_02]: While we try to develop a neighborhood that has been underserved underdeveloped, so we can't just go in and just boom.
29:35
[SPEAKER_01]: make all this development happen in Breitmore.
29:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, without getting the residents physically more resilient and able to participate in whatever comes.
29:44
[SPEAKER_02]: It doesn't have a strong commercial core door in Breitmore.
29:48
[SPEAKER_02]: It has, you know, we need more density since there's a lot of vacancy there.
29:54
[SPEAKER_02]: We have Blake.
29:55
[SPEAKER_02]: So we got to get more eyeballs.
29:56
[SPEAKER_02]: We got to get more, we got to have a lot of things over in the neighborhood.
30:04
[SPEAKER_02]: increase people's opportunities for an increase in comes through training and once we do that now we can start talking about other stuff because if we just go in and we just build and develop which you know a lot of people want to do there's a lot of opportunity we end up pushing out the people who have been holding it down for all these years and
30:21
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, same on us, if that's our only focus, we got to take here to people who've been there.
30:26
[SPEAKER_01]: For sure.
30:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And I got a follow-up question to that, but I'm a first.
30:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you for participating in freestyle Friday.
30:31
[SPEAKER_01]: And we all wait for the new savings that you got coming out to be able to get the actual bars.
30:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But thank you for engaging in the questions.
30:38
[SPEAKER_01]: And a follow-up to what you're just talking about in terms of the neighborhoods.
30:41
[SPEAKER_01]: And
30:42
[SPEAKER_01]: being able to have an experience in your own neighborhood and outside of downtown.
30:46
[SPEAKER_01]: When I grew up in, so I grew up in District 1, off of a school craft fair in Greenfield.
30:50
[SPEAKER_01]: And so back then, I would be able to go to a mammoth in that area and be able to do shopping.
30:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I can get my school clothes, all that type of stuff in.
30:59
[SPEAKER_01]: So that was a retail district in retail hub.
31:03
[SPEAKER_01]: So mammoth has been decommissioned since the last time that we talked, it's gone, there's no more.
31:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So what are the plans if any right now for that space?
31:11
[SPEAKER_02]: So I'm glad you asked that question.
31:13
[SPEAKER_02]: So we're still in litigation with it.
31:15
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, this was a situation where we had to as a city finally laid down the gauntlet and say, OK, what you're going to do?
31:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Because you let it sit for 20 years and just sat there.
31:25
[SPEAKER_02]: So we put some money together and no, some people going to complain and they say, you use.
31:29
[SPEAKER_02]: ARPA dollars to demolish has been yeah because it now has again a chance to transform that entire area and start a new.
31:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So we have flattened it and now we're looking to get the compensation back from the previous owners of this establishment.
31:43
[SPEAKER_02]: We don't have any at this moment designs at this point because it is still in litigation but once we get out of that space free and clear we now know we have an option that could be you know
31:56
[SPEAKER_02]: of potential gain change in that neighborhood, make sure that mammoth or that space, you know, again, it was close for 20 years.
32:02
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, down the neighborhood, just bringing it down, no forward momentum whatsoever.
32:08
[SPEAKER_02]: You've got a lot of businesses that, you know, some people in the neighborhood will go, yeah, it's got to go somewhere, but why's got to be here?
32:13
[SPEAKER_02]: And so now we have that corner of Greenfield and Graham River as a tremendous opportunity for us to either, you know, housing or some entertainment
32:25
[SPEAKER_02]: but the thing that I'm even more concerned about right now is all the vacant abandoned apartment complexes among Greenfield.
32:34
[SPEAKER_02]: That's where my mind is.
32:35
[SPEAKER_02]: And so this year, during our budget process, I had commitments from the mayor's team and their office about focusing on identifying how do we solve that issue?
32:47
[SPEAKER_02]: We have a big housing crisis in the city of Detroit with a big sea housing crisis.
32:54
[SPEAKER_02]: We're often talking about, you know, these new spaces, new spaces.
32:58
[SPEAKER_02]: We've got spaces already.
32:59
[SPEAKER_02]: How do we get them reactivated?
33:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Because when you think about where they were 40, 50 years ago, many of these places look beautiful.
33:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, like some, unfortunately, like some of our school buildings were beautiful.
33:11
[SPEAKER_02]: And then over the years in the neglect,
33:15
[SPEAKER_02]: evangelism, all these things take hold, poor management, all of that, and then next thing you know, it shut down and has no prospects for opening and then building next to it.
33:27
[SPEAKER_02]: It is a victim of the next door neighbor because now it's, you know, the negative things that we're happening over there now starting to spill over and so on.
33:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Then becomes like a domino.
33:38
[SPEAKER_02]: And that's what we see on Greenfield.
33:41
[SPEAKER_02]: My next
33:42
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm not going to say next, because we're working on it right now.
33:44
[SPEAKER_02]: But my commitment is to improving that situation, providing more housing for our residents affordable, accessible housing, but do so in a mass in an area that's going to really make a difference.
33:55
[SPEAKER_02]: So there's one thing to do here there, but to be able to do it along one stretch, yeah, man, you act.
34:01
[SPEAKER_02]: It creates that density we're looking for.
34:04
[SPEAKER_02]: It creates an opportunity for all the businesses and that area now to have new customers' clients.
34:11
[SPEAKER_02]: It also now creates an opportunity for that major space that we have a green field in Grand River to now look at, wow, we have a community that can support this major thing that we're looking at doing so.
34:25
[SPEAKER_02]: That's one of the big pushes, how do we get these vacant,
34:30
[SPEAKER_02]: abandon apartment buildings.
34:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, I keep out and not as high, you know rent, uh, luxury apartments or anything like that, but make them afford people need space and speaking of where so I think about I'm in district seven now.
34:43
[SPEAKER_01]: And so I think along stretches of jewelry road tire men, you see exactly that like a bandent or.
34:52
[SPEAKER_01]: decrepit like apartment buildings that people have to, some people are still like they're occupied and people are living in them.
34:58
[SPEAKER_01]: How, and I know a big initiative from the mayor's office is affordable housing and figuring out how can we get people places to live at an affordable rate.
35:06
[SPEAKER_01]: But I guess my question is how do you make the business case in terms of the population?
35:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Because you can
35:14
[SPEAKER_01]: does the population justify the cause to be able to want to create more housing for folks and then for the people who may not necessarily have the best housing situations, how do we make sure that they can't be able to be in position to occupy those spaces once they have been developed.
35:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you just talked about, I mean, you just outlined a challenge that we have with every development that we're thinking about doing, especially when it comes to housing.
35:39
[SPEAKER_02]: It costs.
35:40
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
35:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, the cost of developing housing, whether you talk about a single family dwelling, which is just crazy how much that costs the labor and the materials.
35:50
[SPEAKER_02]: But then even when you talk about a multifamily unit, same thing, the costs are the costs no matter what.
35:56
[SPEAKER_02]: It's just one cost more than the other.
35:57
[SPEAKER_02]: And especially when you start talking about doing it in mass, it really is a challenge.
36:03
[SPEAKER_02]: And unfortunately, while incomes have increased over the years in the city of Detroit, it's still not at the level that we need them to be.
36:11
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, to match up with the inflation of rent and all those other
36:19
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why you often hear about us with these tax abations.
36:22
[SPEAKER_02]: People yell at us about it, you're giving money to the rich.
36:26
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, it's not so much giving money to the rich.
36:27
[SPEAKER_02]: What happens is that we don't have any stake in this project.
36:31
[SPEAKER_02]: they can just go market rate.
36:33
[SPEAKER_02]: And next thing you know that you that that apartment complex that could have been you know, at least have some level of affordability that we can preserve somewhere in there.
36:44
[SPEAKER_02]: It's all market rate.
36:45
[SPEAKER_02]: And I will tell you people a snapping market rate up like crazy in a city of Detroit.
36:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, if you go down, what work?
36:52
[SPEAKER_02]: If you're a man town or downtown, all of these places where people are panese, high rent, they're occupied, yeah, they're full.
37:02
[SPEAKER_02]: So I don't want anyone to get in this mindset, well, you know, if you just say, no, they'll do it anyway.
37:08
[SPEAKER_02]: They're not going to do it because they know they're going to get their money anyway, but if we're able to
37:13
[SPEAKER_02]: have some level of influence, it gives us a chance to say, okay, at least 20% of your units must be affordable at this rate.
37:24
[SPEAKER_02]: And we've been able to do that, but the only way to do that is we've got to put some money into the project.
37:29
[SPEAKER_02]: And that helps us solve at least a piece of the issue, but it's done get us all the way.
37:33
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, some even say, well, why doesn't the city just develop its own housing?
37:39
[SPEAKER_02]: somewhere down the line, we may be able to do that, but right now, I mean, again, we talk about that cost.
37:44
[SPEAKER_02]: And we're able to provide a reduction in taxes for entity versus shelling out millions of dollars on the front end.
37:55
[SPEAKER_02]: The reduction of property taxes is going to win out issue when out every time because you make that up somewhere else.
38:00
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, we just don't have millions of dollars just to shell out on GP on these various projects as well meaning in this impactful as they are.
38:08
[SPEAKER_02]: We have a finite amount of funds that we have to exhaust and they go to a lot of big ticket items.
38:15
[SPEAKER_02]: It goes to public safety.
38:18
[SPEAKER_02]: It goes to department of public works, you know, with these, um,
38:22
[SPEAKER_02]: with the streets and improving the roads, it goes into our bus system, which is as challenging as it is.
38:30
[SPEAKER_02]: We put $20 million into it last year, $20 more than we did the previous year, and it's still not where it needs to be.
38:36
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why I'm hopeful that the folks are, you know, paying attention.
38:39
[SPEAKER_02]: That's why we have the next voice group to walk them through with government looks like.
38:43
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's not just everything's bad.
38:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm just going to turn my back to it.
38:51
[SPEAKER_02]: right for Wayne County residents.
38:53
[SPEAKER_02]: This message is going to allow for all the counties in Wayne to pull put in some money into a pot and help increase the service for a mass transit in Wayne County.
39:06
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, we've got our partners in Oakland County, get working on one, folks in McCone County,
39:17
[SPEAKER_02]: a mass transit system like they have in DC yeah some other places where you're not just riding the bus because you have to ride the bus right you're forced to you're riding the bus because you just feel like it and it's less expensive and it gives me what I need to go
39:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Right now, we don't have that kind of a system.
39:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Even if you are going from D dot to smart, you still are not getting that experience that you want or that you receive in some of those other places.
39:44
[SPEAKER_02]: I remember I went on a work study tour in Philly last year.
39:50
[SPEAKER_02]: Philly is very similar to us in many different ways.
39:53
[SPEAKER_02]: But the bus system I was talking to folks that were on the bus and they were...
39:57
[SPEAKER_02]: They were ecstatic about just riding the bus and it wasn't so much they were ecstatic about it was just like no big deal Yeah, and it wasn't because they were forced to It's they made a choice unconscious tour choice to go from this out of town to that side of town park the car and You know get to and from and that's how that's what I want for the city of Detroit
40:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, beautiful and speaking of city trade and then resources for folks.
40:23
[SPEAKER_01]: There's a wellness day that's coming up in July So could you last know a little bit more about that?
40:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Yep, so you know I'm been big on mental health You know for the last couple of years and and working on my physical health as I mentioned earlier I like those sweet That's my problem.
40:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I also like riding my bike as well.
40:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah
40:39
[SPEAKER_02]: And what really is made me think even more so about my health is, you know, I'm someone who continues to teetor back and forth with high blood pressure.
40:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Medication, lifestyle change, you know, food, you know, choices.
40:54
[SPEAKER_02]: All those things get tweaked a bit, but my blood pressure just won't.
40:57
[SPEAKER_02]: get stabilized in the way that I want to.
40:59
[SPEAKER_02]: So you know, still popping the pills at the, you know, the dark gives me, um, and trying to do other things as well.
41:05
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, but I'm, again, blessed to be in a situation where it's been ingrained in me that, you know, it's a black man.
41:11
[SPEAKER_02]: You still have to go and take care of yourself.
41:13
[SPEAKER_02]: So as you take care of your mental health, you got to also take care of your physical health.
41:17
[SPEAKER_02]: So you're an entire health.
41:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, and so I've been working with, um, African American male.
41:25
[SPEAKER_02]: agency to improve and increase the outcomes of black men and in our health.
41:31
[SPEAKER_02]: And so we're going to be part and we're up in July 18th over at Renaissance High School.
41:36
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be free health screening.
41:38
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be a pavilion for seniors.
41:40
[SPEAKER_02]: It's going to be a kids zone as well.
41:42
[SPEAKER_02]: We want the entire family to come out while we are talking about black men.
41:46
[SPEAKER_02]: and focusing on black men's health, it's really for the entire family because as that black male is taken care of themselves, not it can be the best them for their family, right?
41:55
[SPEAKER_02]: You know what I mean?
41:56
[SPEAKER_02]: They can be the best them for whatever they're trying to do.
41:59
[SPEAKER_02]: So yeah, bye.
42:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Health overall health is extremely important in many of our men Unfortunately, we you know ignore or if that thing is just tweaking the day I had to go away tomorrow And then don't go away and then don't go away and next thing you know it just becomes who you are And it's not a big deal because you've been dealing with it for like three years now and it's just yeah That's just my bag.
42:19
[SPEAKER_02]: You know me.
42:19
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, that's that's a warning sign Go back that thing check that right, but we don't do that.
42:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know because we're man
42:26
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, we got to break that stigma mentally for the mental health aspect of it and just overall physical health.
42:32
[SPEAKER_02]: We got to break that stigma.
42:32
[SPEAKER_02]: I had a brother that will work to my office.
42:34
[SPEAKER_02]: Let's do real again.
42:37
[SPEAKER_02]: a warmhearted compassionate.
42:39
[SPEAKER_02]: You name it all the things that you would like for a model citizen to be and he had not been to a physician in 15 years.
42:48
[SPEAKER_01]: You know what I mean?
42:49
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like, bro, you marry now.
42:52
[SPEAKER_01]: You now have to make sure that you are here for your wife.
42:56
[SPEAKER_02]: Right, you know, this is not just about you didn't have any kids at the time, but I'm like you got to make sure that you're here for her and be the best you did you can be for her right and I need you to know if it's as well.
43:06
[SPEAKER_02]: So, you know, he did go, you know, after prodding him a couple of times and he said, man, why don't you do this earlier.
43:12
[SPEAKER_02]: I said, yeah, so when you go back, you know, you have an appointment, so I got to check in on him.
43:17
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, because I might even invite him out on the 18th.
43:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Please come back, please go back to the doctor.
43:24
[SPEAKER_01]: And so for people who want to be able to continue to follow what it is that you got going on, they want to participate in the wellness day, working to people find you with the links, with all that information.
43:36
[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
43:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So, Councilman Tate, Jr.
43:38
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it is.
43:40
[SPEAKER_02]: I got all my hands.
43:42
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
43:42
[SPEAKER_02]: We don't put much about them.
43:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
43:44
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
43:45
[SPEAKER_02]: But James Tate just put it in the search bars, council member Tate, I think we've got a couple of different handles to pin on with a platform you're on, but we'll make sure we get all the information.
43:57
[SPEAKER_02]: We just get all this.
43:58
[SPEAKER_02]: What does it get?
43:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
43:59
[SPEAKER_02]: Councilman Tate, three one three.
44:01
[SPEAKER_02]: That's it.
44:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Councilman Tate, three one three.
44:03
[SPEAKER_01]: As you can see.
44:04
[SPEAKER_02]: They got me running.
44:05
[SPEAKER_02]: I got a whole team to operate the social media and they're doing a tremendous job, but we want to make sure we stay connected.
44:11
[SPEAKER_02]: But we still do the old school way too, right?
44:14
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, there's some folks who just, you know, are dying here, a voice on the phone.
44:18
[SPEAKER_02]: You can always call the phone number three one three two two four 10 27 as well or drop us an email.
44:24
[SPEAKER_01]: social media same thing, but we just want to stay connected.
44:27
[SPEAKER_01]: Perfect.
44:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And then what's next?
44:28
[SPEAKER_01]: What's in the crystal ball for for you?
44:30
[SPEAKER_01]: I know you're playing on getting out on your bike this summer for city council.
44:33
[SPEAKER_01]: What what can you share with us that's on the right?
44:36
[SPEAKER_02]: So for me personally, I definitely want to get more recreation option.
44:39
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't want to vacation and I want time all the way time off.
44:43
[SPEAKER_02]: I can just kind of like,
44:44
[SPEAKER_02]: move just like not think about any of the heaviness and come back, you know, regenerate it.
44:49
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know, and ready for the next task.
44:51
[SPEAKER_02]: So in August, you know, a plan on taking just a few days off.
44:57
[SPEAKER_02]: And then getting back on the grind, you know, it's really, this is what I think I'm here to do on this earth.
45:02
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, sometimes people try to figure out, you know,
45:04
[SPEAKER_02]: What is, you know, what is the meaning of my life?
45:06
[SPEAKER_02]: What is my pathway?
45:07
[SPEAKER_02]: I believe that I've found it.
45:09
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't think I'm done by any means, but I think that service is what I do.
45:14
[SPEAKER_02]: And I no matter what I do, I can't run away from it.
45:16
[SPEAKER_01]: And don't want to either.
45:17
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I want to do it right here in a city of Detroit.
45:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Love it, love it no better city to be in at all, at all, at all.
45:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So, constantly, we gracefully appreciate you for pulling back up on the podcast and we going to keep your open invitation open.
45:30
[SPEAKER_01]: So, feel free to pull back up on this, but continue to be appreciative of your dedication to the city and then even your willingness to elevate in your role and responsibility for the sake of not only your community, but the city as well, we appreciate it.
45:46
[SPEAKER_02]: No, thank you.
45:47
[SPEAKER_02]: I appreciate having like I said it's this platform.
45:49
[SPEAKER_02]: We didn't talk about the latest vote.
45:51
[SPEAKER_02]: We did take it as a whole opportunity for folks to find out here that about that.
45:55
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it's important to learn more about the individuals who the people put in in these positions.
46:01
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and so I thank you.
46:03
[SPEAKER_02]: Denzin for this opportunity, brother.
46:04
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you.
46:04
[SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.
46:05
[SPEAKER_01]: And everybody watching listening, we're going to tap in with y'all shown.
46:08
[SPEAKER_01]: Peace.