Detroit, MI
Detroit area businesses, schools join general strike against ICE
Democrats demand ‘masks off, body cameras on’ from ICE operatives
Democrats are refusing to vote on any legislation that funds ICE after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Small businesses throughout metro Detroit closed on Friday, Jan. 30, as part of a national shutdown general strike to protest Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a series of high-profile killings by the agency in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, the City Bird and Nest shops in midtown, Drifter Coffee in Ferndale, and Sidetrack Bookshop in downtown Royal Oak are among those participating in the campaign encouraging participants to avoid school, work, and shopping.
“ICE has no place in our communities, and we stand with the people of Minnesota and everywhere who are being targeted by this terror,” Sidetrack Bookshop on Washington Avenue said in a Facebook post announcing its closure.
Protests are also scheduled Friday throughout Michigan, including in Detroit, Dearborn, Novi, and Ferndale.
Students at Rochester High School staged a walkout Friday morning; Cass Technical High School students in Detroit planned one for the afternoon.
The actions follow ICE officers’ killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. The agency was involved in the killings of at least six others last year, according to a tally compiled by the liberal American Prospect magazine and based on news articles.
“Every day, ICE, Border Patrol and other enforcers of Trump’s racist agenda are going into our communities to kidnap our neighbors and sow fear,” the national shutdown organizing website reads. “It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!”
Other businesses that have announced closures in southeast Michigan include:
- Lost and Found Vintage in Royal Oak
- Full Measure Brewing Company in Detroit
- Library Street Collective in Detroit
- Beara Bakes in Ypsilanti
- Gutman Gallery in Ann Arbor
Businesses are showing support through various means. Detroit café Trinosophes announced on social media that it would open for an evening concert with proceeds going toward the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota.
Others said they would remain open but issued anti-ICE statements. Detroit and Oak Park pizzeria Pie Sci wrote on Facebook that it does not support “the harm caused by current immigration enforcement practices” but will remain open.
“As a small, independent business, closing our doors — even for a single day — would have consequences for only our people,” the post said. “We pay our team a living wage, offer health benefits, paid time off, earned sick time and 401k match. Staying open is what allows us to do that.”
Detroit, MI
MSU Gaining Traction in Recruitment of Detroit-Area Athlete
Michigan State is looking to the Motor City for its next commitment.
Multiple reports on Saturday indicated that the Spartans have set up an official visit with Martin Luther King (Mich.) athlete Don Spillers III. The visit to East Lansing is set for May 29-31 and will be the first in a string of official visits for Spillers. He’s also got reported trips to Illinois (June 5-7) and Louisville (June 12-14) scheduled.
Fast Facts on Spillers
Spillers, listed at 6’2″ and 195 pounds, is a 3-star recruit ranked 848th overall in the class of 2027 on the 247Sports Composite. He’s listed as an athlete on 247Sports, but as a wide receiver on Rivals. It looked like MSU and Courtney Hawkins wanted him as a receiver for a while, but safety seems to be the spot where Michigan State wants him now. That would make his position coach James Adams.
The Spartans seem to be considered in the lead right now. MSU has two expert predictions in its favor submitted on Rivals, one of which was submitted as recently as Friday. Rivals’ RPM metric has Michigan State at the very top, holding a comfortable lead at 94.2%. Besides Illinois and Louisville, Spillers’ other notable offers include Michigan, Maryland, Missouri, Pitt, and Purdue.
More Info, Potential Fit at MSU
Next weekend will not be the first time Spillers will be on campus. He visited East Lansing while spring practices were going on and also showed up at MSU a few times during the Jonathan Smith era. The retentions of both Hawkins and Adams by new head coach Pat Fitzgerald have allowed mutual interest to remain.
If Spillers ends up committing to the Spartans as a safety, he’d be the second player at the position to join the 2027 recruiting class. The first was 3-star St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) prospect Ty’ire Clark. He committed back on April 4 and is ranked 1,280th overall in the class.
There should be room for multiple safeties in the 2027 recruiting class. Michigan State has three players at the spot whose eligibility is expected to expire after this fall: Nikai Martinez, Aveon Grose, and Michael Richard.
A few other names are also on MSU’s recruiting board. The Spartans have three predictions in their favor for Dakota (Mich.) prospect Elijah Goins. He’s ranked 973rd overall in the class of ’27 in the Rivals Industry Rankings and has a reported official visit scheduled with Michigan State for June 19-21.
Follow
Detroit, MI
Metro Detroit veterans charity pleads for end to donation bin vandalism across metro area
CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Officials with the Veterans and America First Foundation are speaking out after for their donation bins were vandalized.
The organization, based in Clinton Township, collects clothing donations through bins placed throughout metro Detroit to support veterans and others in need with clothes, food and housing.
Bins located on West Vernor Highway near Military Street in Detroit were among the latest to be hit.
Paul Dehem, director and founder of Veterans and America First Foundation, learned about the damage on Saturday after Aiman Kawas, who is in charge of servicing the bins, discovered they had been damaged.
Dehem said the vandalism occurred within a narrow window.
“It happened sometime between Wednesday and Friday,” Dehem said.
WXYZ
“It’s just disheartening,” Dehem said.
Kawas said the West Vernor Highway incident is far from isolated.
“I was disappointed, of course this is not our first time being vandalized,” Kawas said.
WXYZ
“We have lost over 70 bins to vandalism or theft, the actual bin disappears… they take it completely,” Kawas said.
Jason Beddow, director of development for Veterans and America First Foundation, said each bin costs about $1,000 to replace.
“The vets are missing out on their charity and donations from those bins and it’s just a real shame,” Beddow said.
WXYZ
Meanwhile, Dehem said he hopes those responsible will consider who is truly harmed by the destruction.
“We have a mission and it’s for the veterans,” Dehem said. “It’s not for profit, we’re just trying to make things work and help people.”
Anyone with information about who is vandalizing the bins, or surveillance video, is asked to contact Detroit police.
————————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Detroit, MI
Detroit teen charged, will be tried as adult in downtown shooting
A 17-year-old has been charged in a nonfatal ‘teen takeover’ shooting.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged 17‑year‑old Ramon Javon Perez Smith of Detroit in connection with the non‑fatal shooting of a 14‑year‑old Detroit male. Prosecutor Kym Worthy confirmed that Smith will be tried as an adult.
Smith is charged with assault with intent to murder, assault with intent to do great bodily harm, felonious assault, carrying a concealed weapon, and three counts of felony firearm.
He was arraigned Saturday and given a $500,000 cash bond, along with a GPS tether, house arrest, and an order barring contact with the victim or any witnesses. A bond re‑determination hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026, before Judge McConico.
Another teen was also charged in the shooting that happened in downtown Detroit during the “teen takeover” event.
The preliminary hearing for a 16-year old from Detroit was held Tuesday on charges of carrying a concealed weapon. He received a $4,000 bond with house arrest.
He was also ordered not to possess any firearms or illegal substances. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for July 2.
Detroit police were called to the 1300 block of Farmer Street around 9:37 p.m. on May 17, after reports of a shooting. Officers arrived to find the teenage victim with a gunshot wound to the chest. Medics transported him to a nearby hospital where he received emergency treatment and is expected to survive.
According to investigators, Smith was involved in a physical altercation with a group that included the victim. Prosecutors allege that Smith pulled out a handgun and fired multiple shots into the group, hitting the 14‑year‑old before fleeing the scene. Detroit police arrested Smith shortly afterward.
“We are thankful that the 14‑year‑old victim received immediate medical care and will survive this traumatic event,” Prosecutor Worthy said in the release.
mjohnson@detroitnews.com
-
Augusta, GA6 minutes agoAugusta honors fallen service members during Memorial Day ceremony
-
Washington, D.C12 minutes agoCompany that turns light posts into EV chargers among 3 to win energy grant from DC
-
Cleveland, OH18 minutes ago2 hospitalized after Cleveland house fire, 6 displaced
-
Austin, TX23 minutes agoTransfer Receiver DeAndre Moore Jr.’s Keys to Raising NFL Draft Stock
-
Alabama30 minutes agoAlabama Baseball Earns #7 National Seed
-
Alaska36 minutes ago
Crash closes Seward Highway near Portage, police say
-
Arizona42 minutes agoWhat to Expect When Ole Miss Baseball Takes On Arizona State
-
Arkansas48 minutes agoState gobbler harvest highest in 20 years | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette