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‘It’s like a cover for criminals’: Neighborhood event causes controversy on Detroit’s east side

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‘It’s like a cover for criminals’: Neighborhood event causes controversy on Detroit’s east side


DETROIT – Some neighbors in a community on Detroit’s east side said they’ve been cleaning up vacant lots on their block for several years. They claim the city will not let them hold community gatherings on the vacant lots they’ve voluntarily maintained near their homes.

It’s a unique controversy brewing in that community. Some neighbors said they began moving and maintaining overgrown lots near their homes.

They said they were tired of seeing neglected conditions and took matters into their own hands.

“When you go up to the corner, and you can’t see around the corner, that’s not safe,” said Basil Dennis.

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Some families near Newport Street and Mack Avenue said vacant lots had been a longtime nuisance.

“You get frustrated,” said Linda Dennis-Goss. “These weeds, trees, whatever, is like a forest. It’s like a cover for criminals.”

The siblings said they didn’t know who owned the empty plots of land. They claim neighbors have been mowing tall grass and weeds, along the street, for several years.

“We found out you can’t wait for nobody to do what you need done when you can do it yourself,” Dennis-Goss said.

However, it’s what Dennis-Goss said happened recently, during what they described as a community gathering, that has them most concerned.

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“Detroit police told us that you can’t have it on here,” Dennis-Goss said. “It had got the attention of the Mayor. We had to shut it down.”

Dennis-Goss said neighbors were hosting a birthday party on the lot when three Detroit police officers showed up and ordered them to shut it down or risk citations.

The party was advertised on social media, with organizers saying attendees could pay for food.

“The flier stated $30 for adults, $10 for children,” Dennis-Goss said. “I think the city believed we were charging people to come onto the lot. We were not charging people.”

According to staff with the City of Detroit Mayor’s Office, the Detroit Land Bank Authority owns the empty lots.

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A spokesperson with the Detroit Police Department said the recent gathering on the lot was unauthorized, so the crowd was asked to move.

Police said the organizers failed to get proper permits for the party.

“You only have a few people trying to maintain this lot,” Dennis-Goss said. It’s a lot of work.”

The neighbors on Newport Street said they didn’t see any harm in holding a community event on a space they claim has been ignored for so long.

Workers with the mayor’s office said while the Detroit Land Bank Authority owns the lot, city crews are cutting and maintaining the grounds.

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Applications for Black Part events can be made available by Neighborhood Police Officers or found online by clicking here.

Copyright 2023 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.



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Detroit, MI

GM doubles leased space in Detroit Hudson’s building to 4 floors

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GM doubles leased space in Detroit Hudson’s building to 4 floors


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Excitement is growing inside General Motors for the company to relocate from its current world headquarters at the Renaissance Center along the Detroit River to the new Hudson’s Detroit building on Woodward — so much so that the company will now double the space it planned to occupy at the new location, sources said.

GM confirmed to the Detroit Free Press on Monday that it plans to lease four floors in the Hudson’s building, rather than the original plan to take up two floors, when it moves into the building either late next year or early 2026.

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“It’s good news that we’re taking up more space in the building for our employees,” a person familiar with the plans told the Free Press. The person asked to not be named because they are not authorized to share this information publicly. “There’s a lot of excitement around it and a lot of folks and teams have raised their hands to say they want to be down there.”

The overall $1.4 billion Hudson’s project is two new side-by-side buildings: A 49-story skyscraper and a wider 12-story “office block.” A total of 1.5 million square feet of space is planned. The developer is Dan Gilbert’s real estate firm Bedrock.

The person familiar with the project said the plans call for a restaurant on the top floor of the office block. GM will now occupy floors 8 through 11. The new world headquarters at the Hudson’s site will be home to GM’s key support corporate staff employees with functions such as communications and accounting, as well as the top executives, the person said. GM salaried employees have been working under a hybrid system since earlier this year under which they are required to be in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

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As the Detroit Free Press reported in April, the Hudson’s skyscraper tower is expected to contain a 210-room ultraluxury Edition Hotel and about 97 condominiums and apartments. Commercial real estate brochures show each floor in the office tower next door is just under 50,000 rentable square feet. That means, based on standard office space allocation, a 50,000-square-foot office could fit about 285 to 300 people if allowing for 150-175 square feet per person, according to Zippia.com. The number would vary depending on the office layout, desired density and any communal areas such as conference rooms included in the space. 

GM spokesman Kevin Kelly confirmed GM’s expansion to four floors, but declined to say how many GM employees will be assigned to the building or other details. In Michigan, GM employs 51,400 people, Kelly said.

In a statement to the Free Press on Tuesday, Kelly said, “GM is proud to call Detroit our global corporate headquarters, as it has since 1911. Hudson’s Detroit is a modern office location that fits the evolving needs of our workforce, and our employees have shared how excited they are about the new location. We now have the opportunity to bring even more people downtown and will expand our HQ offices to about double the size originally planned.”

GM announced it would relocate its world headquarters in April. It will be the anchor tenant at Hudson’s Detroit and have a 15-year lease.

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GM bought its five towers at the RenCen for pennies on the dollar in 1996 without needing a mortgage. In moving, GM walks away from unneeded office space, but it takes on the cost of rent. GM has not provided its operating costs, such as taxes, utilities and janitorial expenses at the RenCen. GM President Mark Reuss said in April that GM would incur costs in the move, but declined to provide specifics or say how much rent GM will pay. 

On Monday, GM released its plans for the RenCen once it relocates. It said the tallest tower would stay standing while two others would be demolished to then remake the iconic complex. The RenCen office space has struggled to stay filled after COVID-19 when many workers went remote and stayed that way. The cost to revamp the complex is $1.6 billion, including $250 million GM seeks in public support.

The development on the Hudson’s site broke ground in December 2017. It is the former site of the landmark J.L. Hudson Co. department store, which closed in 1983 and was imploded in 1998.

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. Read more on General Motors and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. Staff reporter J.C. Reindl contributed to this article.

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Detroit, MI

Lions Are 10.5-Point Favorite Against Bears

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Lions Are 10.5-Point Favorite Against Bears


The Detroit Lions are 10.5-point betting favorites to defeat the Chicago Bears in Week 13.

Last season, the two teams split the games played, with each team winning at home.

Lions center Frank Ragnow expressed it would be nice if he could enjoy Thanksgiving, and that would occur if the NFC North leaders could end their seven-game losing streak playing on the holiday.

“Usually, in the past years it’s been like don’t really want to talk to my family, all upset about everything. So I’d really like to enjoy Thanksgiving. And put on a show for the crowd cause it’s a unique environment and we don’t take it for granted,” Ragnow said. “It’s a special, special game and it’d be really nice to get a W.”

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Dan Campbell indicated the Bears will rely on their defense and sees the many challenges Matt Eberflus’ squad presents.

Lions Not Afraid to Play Emmanuel Moseley All Over Secondary

“This is a tough out. This team plays hard, they’re physical, got a lot of really good players. Offensively, quarterbacks’ playing better, has gotten better, really, every week, these last two weeks playing pretty good ball, efficient,” said Campbell. “He’s got weapons with (DJ) Moore out there and he’s got (wideout Keenan Allen) 13 in the slot and then the rookie, (Cole) Kmet, tight end, O-line is – they’ve been banged up, but they’re back and they’re doing a pretty good job.”

Detroit’s fourth-year head coach expects the Bears to try and find success rushing the football out on the perimeter.

“They’re going to try to run it, get (D’Andre) Swift on the perimeter. Swift’s doing a good job, he’s been a good asset for them,” said Campbell. “And then defensively, it’s kind of the anchor of this team, always has been. This D-line, (Montez) Sweat, those guys up front really bring it.

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“Man, the backers, (T.J.) Edwards flies and hits, (Tremaine) Edmunds, (Jaylon) Johnson’s playing outstanding out on the perimeter,” Campbell continued. “They’ve got (Kevin) Byard who’s playing really well. So, just a ton of good players, run-and-hit defense, good special teams crew and this is going to be a hell of a test. This is going to be a hell of a test.”

Game odds refresh periodically, and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.



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Detroit, MI

Pistons vs. Raptors final score: Jaden Ivey buzzer beater gets Detroit the win

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Pistons vs. Raptors final score: Jaden Ivey buzzer beater gets Detroit the win


One thing was for certain: the Detroit Pistons were not going to let an offense rebound dictate the outcome of this game. With the score tied at 100 and the clock sitting at 22 seconds, the Pistons gave Jaden Ivey the ball and asked him to win the game. Ivey obliged by hitting a an off-ballance baseline push shot over Ochai Agbaji to give the Pistons the 102-100 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Ivey was the clear star of the game for Detroit. Starting at point guard for the sidelined Cade Cunningham, Ivey scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and dished eight assists. He played smart basketball under control and was the only reason Detroit was in the game to begin with.

After hitting shots early and taking a quick 14-point lead, the Pistons offense abandoned them, and their defensive and rebounding deficiencies were on clear display. Toronto was able to snake past defenders and get second-chance opportunities as the defense struggled to rotate, box out and snare long rebounds.

The game was mostly back-and-forth in the second half with the Pistons spending most of that time trailing anywhere from one to six points. Never too far away but not really able to get over the hump. In truth, among two struggling offenses — Detroit hit 44% from the floor and 32% from deep compared to 39% and 28% for Toronto — the Pistons probably out-executed the Raptors by a hair. But it doesn’t matter if you can’t hit your first shot when you get three to four attempts so many times down the floor.

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Toronto saw 25 of its 100 points come as second-chance points. I can’t remember a time when a team saw a full quarter of their offensive output come via second-chance points, but I saw it tonight. The Raptors had a 23 to 6 offensive rebound advantage. It was repulsive to watch as a Pistons fan.

Detroit, simply, is a pretty small team, and that gets exacerbated when you’re facing a range long-limbed team like Toronto who entered tonight as the NBA’s best offensive rebounding team. Missing Cade Cunningham doesn’t make it any easier as it meant the Pistons were starting Malik Beasley and Tim Hardaway Jr. on the wings. That’s great if those two veterans are scorching from distance. Tonight, the duo combined to shoot 5-of-19 from deep, mostly courtesy of a horrid 3-of-14 night from Beasley.

The good news for Detroit is, well, the Raptors are not a very good team. Scottie Barnes was the best player on either team with 31 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. The other Raps subsided on putbacks and some timely threes. The second piece of good news for the Pistons is that when they want to, they can defend.

It was a relief to see JB Bickerstaff mostly lean into a defensive lineup in crunch time with both Isaiah Stewart and Ausar Thompson on the floor. It was Ausar’s first NBA action since last March after battling a blood clot issue. Ausar played 16 minutes in total. His first NBA bucket of the season? A corner three, of course. Hey, the shot looked pretty clean.

His second of two baskets was more consequential. Stewart contested a Barnes driving layup and pushed the ball up the floor to Ausar who was able to make a running layup in transition on the other end. The score gave Detroit its first lead since 67-65 with just under 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter.

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RJ Barrett was able to answer with a 3 on the other end, but Stewart had a another solid contest of a Davion Mitchell layup attempt. The Pistons again pushed the ball and found a driving Ivey, who was able to knife into the lane and tie the score at 98.

The Pistons were again able to deny the Raptors attempting to score at the rim on the next possession down the floor and in a scrum, the Detroit was able to find Malik Beasley who pushed the ball and found Beef Stew who had snuck beyond the defense for a running layup to put Detroit up 100-98.

Scottie Barnes took the ball right to Tobias Harris on the ensuing possession and use his strength and length to muscle up a clean look at the rim to tied the score at 100. That left 22 seconds for Ivey to work his magic.

It was a fitting end for Ivey, who deserves good things to happen after the great start to this season he’s had and the season he survived last year. Detroit has plenty of issues to clean up. Beating a four-win Toronto team who has yet to win on the road at all this season is no panacea. But a win is a win and Detroit needed one after losing three straight.

Detroit’s eighth win of the season means the team could lose its next 31 games and still be ahead of last season’s pace.

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