Tasherre Risay - Day 31: Daytwa City in HD

So, my brother Tasherre Risay has been running a series on his Vlog through his website: TasherreD'Enajetic.com and on this particular entry he takes us on a ride through downtown Detroit by means of the People Mover and a little footwork. Gotta love it!

Black Milk & Danny Brown - Black and Brown Official Video

Serious heat from Detroit's own Danny Brown and Black Milk. The entire album is awesome. 
You should buy it off their SoundCloud

R.I.P. Gerard Smith of TV On The Radio Dies

I was literally getting ready to head downtown to meet friends for drinks and walk over to legendary Detroit club St. Andrews what promised to be another amazing set by Brooklyn kings TV On The Radio...

Then, in my Facebook feed I see an announcement from the venue's page telling me that Gerard Smith, bassist in the group, has passed away and that the show has been canceled.

Smith (pictured below) has reportedly lost his battle with lung cancer this morning.  Our condolences to the band and Smith's family and friends.  Hopefully, these events will inspire this amazing act to take their careers to the highest of levels...

Gerard Smith

 TV On The Radio (Smith is second from the left)

 

Click HERE for the band's website

New Pistons Owner, Tom Gores

 

This is the new face of our Piston's organization. Seems like an ambitious type probably along the lines of a Dan Gilbert, but hopefully without the shameless publicity shams.

Go get em, Tom. You have your work cut out for you.

oh... and...

the man can can't dance

 

Here's an interview with Gores from Channel 7 here in Detroit

Big Sean - Hometown

A Homage To Detroit

Beautiful film by Stephen McGee

A Homage to Detroit from Stephen McGee on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/stephenmcgee

Palmer Park Prep Innovation!

It is so good to see teachers getting their due.


I saw a recent issue of Education Week with a Detroit school on the cover and thought, "Here we go again."

To my surprise and delight, it was highlighting the innovative Palmer Park Preparatory Academy in Detroit.  The school's teachers in charge structure is what garnered the attention, and frankly, who knows how to run a school best than the people that run them?


Read the DET News story here: Teachers in charge at Detroit's Palmer Park Prep
And here is the ED Week article: Teacher-Led School Innovates With Student Regrouping

New Cobo Renovations Revealed!

This all looks great.  Glass facades, Dallas Cowboy sized exterior televisions, beautiful views that apparently were worthless in Cobo's original conception... 

But, wait.  What about the struggling city services?  The police, fire, emergency, garbage, snow removal and street sweeping services that make a city livable.  

Look at it like this: why would you live in a beautiful, historic, two story colonial when you can't even get your trash picked up on a regular basis, and when you called the police to report on a fight happening on your the street, they and the EMS sent to respond to the battered victim take over thirty minutes to respond?

I love what is being proposed here, and I think it will bring a lot of positives to our city.  However, I'm wondering why the REAL issues are not being addressed.  The kind of issues that keep good, law abiding, hard working, prideful people out of the city.  The quality of life issues that are the real deal breaker when it comes to settling in a new area - let alone taking the financial/health risk of moving into Detroit.

Look, I'm more of a Detroit slappy than anyone I know, however, its not hard to tell when things are going a little ass backwards.  I would be happy if Bing and the rest of the city government at least popped their heads into and addressed these quality of life issues while proceeding with the current plans at hand.  At least make some effort to curbing the MASSIVE and DOMINATING factors that are keeping good people out of the city:

1. Quality of life services

2. Schools

3. Emergency response systems

4. Police vigilance in tough areas 

And here's a novel thought: The city needs money, yes? Great, why don't we fine and fine and fine and fine the careless, self-centered and "speculating" property owners in the city that take no pride in ownership and allow their buildings, homes, and lots to be polluted, trashed and remain dilapidated.  Why don't we ticket and fine people disturbing the peace at all hours of the night, and ticket those who find it appropriate to walk the streets and impede traffic.

Where there is a feeling of lawlessness there will be lawless behavior.  We need to retrain citizens that do not know how to fall in line and do what is right.  And yes, I am aware of the fact that some will never come around, and yes I am in full support of sacrificing for the greater good.  We have to be able to make the hard decisions.  The time is now, people.

At any rate, here is the video and a bullet list from DET News on what is included in the renovations:

"The $221 million renovation project also includes:

• The creation of a new three-story glass atrium "signature space" for Cobo Center that links the main floor of Cobo with a new entrance. The glass atrium surrounds most of the building, allowing for a view of the Detroit River and linking the facility to the city's RiverWalk.
• Major renovation to Cobo's primary façade facing downtown, which will include a high-tech, computer-generated "media mesh" billboard announcing current and future conventions and other bookings.
• Reconfiguration of meeting and breakout rooms along Cobo's south side, the area facing the Detroit River. Most of the exterior walls of the meeting and breakout rooms will be replaced by high-efficiency glass walls.
• Twenty percent increase in parking spaces.
• Construction of an additional loading dock ramp to street level.
• Additional electrical provision capabilities in exhibition areas."

Midtown drives remaking of Detroit | detnews.com | The Detroit News

 Exciting things happening for Midtown Detroit. Great opportunities for these employees...

I wish there was some kind of an incentive program for those of us that don't work at these 3 companies... Check out the DET News article below!

Midtown drives remaking of Detroit | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Robocop Statue in Detroit

so the people of Metro-Detroit have raised $50,000+ for a RoboCop statue in six days... Is this a way to inspire others to create positive initiatives for Detroit or is it a mark of how sad we are as a society that we can dramatically supply funds for a whimsical statue and leave soup kitchens, homeless shelters and other community initiatives hanging?

 

Saw Dr Dog Last Night

One of my favorite bands. On a hot april night in Ann Arbor, mi they came and rocked. I got some videos of Stanger (the new single), The Old Days (their best live song and best in general), From and Hang on (the two songs that put them in the upper echelon of current bands). Of course, these are all my opinion but you can take a look for yourself below!

Phoenix - Lasso @ Clutch Cargos in Pontiac, Mi (Live Video)

A little video I took last week

pop: Detroit City Council is Cancer!!!

Now, we've all seen some funny things happen in the more (ahem) inbred small towns in rural America, but I would never suspect something this childish and ignorant could happen in a major city council meeting. Maybe out in the sticks but not here. This is Barbara Rose-Collins singing "Onward Christian Soldier" (Separation of Church and State, anyone??) at a Detroit city council meeting. Worst part is, others join in! Someone please help us.