Detroit, MI

Thompson: Detroit mayor’s race remains unpredictable

Published

11 months ago

February 2, 2025

Thompson: Detroit mayor’s race remains unpredictable

Bankole Thompson
| The Detroit News

With no clear frontrunner and no fundraising advantage demonstrated by any of the candidates currently in the race, the battle for the next Detroit mayor is tough to forecast.

Mayor Mike Duggan’s decision not to seek reelection and to instead run for governor has left the seat wide open for anyone who has the political skills, fundraising ability and a powerful, convincing message to capture the votes of Detroiters.

So far, the candidates in the race have yet to demonstrate that.

First-term Detroit City Council member Fred Durhal III became the latest entry into what is expected to be a chaotic race. Durhal joins council President Mary Sheffield, former council member Saunteel Jenkins and attorney Todd Perkins.

But Durhal being in the mix doesn’t shake up the race or add significantly to the campaign. He has been an elected official for a significant part of his life, including as a lawmaker in Lansing. Aside from that there is nothing to distinguish him from the other existing candidates.

His announcement last week wasn’t compelling. Like a typical politician, he said all of the right things about Detroit needing to be a world-class city and what that requires. But it was typical political platitudes. There was nothing game changing in the speech.

What a candidate determined to win ought to do is draw the battle lines, explain where the current administration is lacking and discuss in detail what Detroiters need from their elected officials. The Duggan administration has improved parts of the city, but its most vulnerable population has basically been a spectator to the economic recovery.

The divide between overwhelming support for downtown at the expense of the rest of the neighborhoods remains a thorny issue.

Businessman Dennis Archer Jr. has been mentioned lately as a potential candidate. As the son of former mayor Dennis Archer and someone who could net corporate support, he would be a high-profile candidate if he joins the race. But Archer would have a lot of explaining to do on the campaign trail.

That includes his views on the issues of poverty and economic inequality, particularly since he has not taken many public positions on controversial issues that have shaped the Duggan era, such as the $600 million over taxation of homeowners. He would face perhaps more scrutiny as a well-connected entrepreneur who is viewed favorably by some business leaders.

Another issue that is being overlooked is how the policies of President Donald Trump could impact Detroit. Candidates cannot avoid Trump. They have to show Detroiters that they are willing to take on the president and protect their communities from some of the adverse policies of the administration.

X (formerly Twitter): @BankoleDetNews

bankole@bankolethompson.com

Bankole Thompson’s columns appear on Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit man accused of fatally shooting two men in Tennessee

Published

5 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Detroit man accused of fatally shooting two men in Tennessee

A Detroit man suspected of fatally shooting two men on a Tennessee highway in November was arrested Monday in Michigan, authorities said.

Dashonn Moten, 28, of Detroit was indicted on 17 criminal counts, including two counts each of first-degree murder and felony murder, Knoxville, Tennessee, police said in a social media post.

Moten is accused of killing Troy Hutchison, 33, of Atlanta and Rodrell Jeter, 25, of Detroit during an incident on the morning of Nov. 16 on Interstate 640 in Knoxville.

Moten also faces one count of attempted murder related to a third victim, a 22-year-old Detroit man, who was critically injured in the shooting, authorities said.

Detectives believe the victims were traveling from Detroit to Atlanta in a light-color Ford Bronco with a Michigan license plate, according to a press release issued in November. At that time, police were unsure of a motive or the relationship between the suspect and the victims.

Two days after the shooting, the Bronco was found abandoned in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, police said.

Moten was identified as a suspect based on an investigation that included dozen of interviews, a review of cellphone records and anonymous tips, authorities said.

U.S. Marshals took him into custody Monday in the Detroit area, according to authorities. He is expected to be extradited to Knox County.

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

@max_detroitnews

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Detroit, MI

Detroit man arrested following manhunt for double murder in Tennessee

Published

17 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Detroit man arrested following manhunt for double murder in Tennessee

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – A 28-year-old man from Detroit has been arrested for the murder of two people in Tennessee.

Troy Hutchinson and Rodrell Jeter were shot and killed Nov. 16, 2025, outside Nashville, Tennessee. A third man was hospitalized with critical injuries.

Police believe four men were traveling from Detroit to Atlanta in a Ford Bronco when the fourth man opened fire on the victims before leaving in the vehicle. The Bronco was found abandoned in Kentucky, just south of Cincinnati in Ohio.

Jeter and the man who was hospitalized were both from Detroit, while Hutchinson is from Atlanta.

A motive for the shooting remains unknown.

In late November, police identified the suspect as Dashonn Moten. He was indicted on 17 counts, including two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and two counts of felony murder.

After nearly two months, Moten was arrested Friday, Jan. 10, in Sterling Heights and is awaiting extradition to Tennessee for his arraignment.

If convicted, Moten faces possible execution.

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Detroit, MI

Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Thompson: The new year brings a promising future for Detroit students

Detroit Public Schools Community District often gets a bad rap due to declining enrollment issues or longstanding challenges that led to the historic takeover of the school system before voters returned it to an elected board.

And in many cases, that is the lens through which the school system’s performance is examined and viewed across the state. But there are hidden stories of progress within a school system that is still struggling to define itself and to give young Detroiters hope for a meaningful future.

I saw that first-hand last week at Denby High School, part of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, on the city’s east side, where hundreds of young Black and Brown male students gathered in the basketball gym for the annual policing and prosperity forum.

The annual event initiated and led by tenacious Detroiter Sharlonda Buckman, the district’s assistant superintendent for family and community engagement, is one of the hidden jewels of the public school system and brings together male students from various high schools to discuss their interaction with law enforcement. On the panel were senior and junior police officers from the Detroit Police Department, as well as the district’s public safety chief, Labrit Jackson, all of whom took hard questions from the students about how to navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system.

Before the start of the forum, I met three students: 17-year-old Justin Montgomery, 17-year-old Exavier Ward and 16-year-old Wesley Lewis, all students of Denby.

The three of them live on the east side and are serious and determined students who believe they have an obligation to be worthy ambassadors of their communities.

“I just got a scholarship from Cleary University for track and field and cross country and I just signed the papers so I can be committed,” Ward told me. “I am excited for the new year and I’m ready to live my adult life.”

His parents are also joyful about his future because, “out of all of my siblings, I’m going to be the first one to go to college. I want to major in cybersecurity,” he says.

Montgomery is scouting Oakland University or Central Michigan University and is also interested in a trades school. He’s keeping his options open.

“I have been here for a while and I’m ready to get out of high school. The experience has been good for me,” he says.

For Lewis, graduating in 2027 will make him the first in his family to be committed to college. That alone keeps him upbeat for the new year as he prepares for the challenges and the pressures of being an 11th grade student.

“I’m really ready to go to college. I’m looking at Kentucky State University, Wayne State University and Michigan State University,” he says. “I probably would major in music in college because I currently play the piano. But sometimes I get nervous about college because I feel like it is going to be harder than high school.”

These impressive young men speak to the vitality of the school system and the need to continue to nurture and support them.

The forum on policing and prosperity reinforces that need.

“This forum is so important because we give the students an opportunity to have a voice and talk about the things that are important to them and how they interact with law enforcement,” says Marty Bulger, the district’s senior director of male mentoring.

“Even a more dynamic piece is the fact that because the city has seen a reduction in violent crime, we believe as we reach our young people, we will continue to see a decline. These young men are our future leaders.”

X (formerly Twitter): @BankoleDetNews

bankole@bankolethompson.com

Bankole Thompson’s columns appear on Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.

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