Detroit, MI
Welcome to Detroit, Lions fans — take your trash when you go
“The bums will pick it up.”
I’ve been fuming about this since December, when a playoff-crazed Lions tailgater chose those words to explain why his family was leaving their trash on a grassy strip of public property close to my home.
My wife and I live on the edge of downtown, less than a mile from Ford Field. We first moved to Detroit in 2006, leaving twice for career opportunities, but always coming back, and always living in the vicinity of downtown.
We love the easy access to concerts, sports and events, and feel joyful about the bigger, steadier crowds of people who live, work and visit the core city. It’s just fun.
Sometimes, when the Red Wings or Pistons are at home, I go for a run along Woodward just to immerse myself a little bit in the pregame excitement. I have, in particular, long enjoyed the loyalty and enthusiasm of you long-suffering Lions supporters, and am happy for you now, despite being a lifelong Chiefs fan.
These crowds make great people watching, and it’s easy to get caught up in the spirit.
As the new Lions season begins, I welcome tailgaters back to our neighborhood. I’m merely asking that you treat it as you would like your own neighborhood treated.
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The hard work of being poor
Living where I do, fans and concertgoers aren’t the only people I watch. I also see how difficult it is to be poor — much more work than simply picking up after yourself ― to wait for the bus in predawn cold or midsummer heat, to pull a little cart home from the grocery store over icy streets, to curl up on a corner of sidewalk to get some sleep.
I don’t judge. My birth family was far from well off, and some of us, including me, have experienced the ravages of substance abuse. In the “bums” our Lions fan expects to clean up his mess, I see people still awaiting the unbidden grace that lifted me.
When you are poor, for any reason, the heat is more oppressive, the cold is colder, the distance is farther.
So when I see people trudging to work in the dark, I think about how much work it is to be poor, just as when I see folks schleping empty cans and bottles for return. And that does happen, so at one level, the tailgater was right – the bottle bill works as an incentive that cuts down on at least some kinds of litter.
But that doesn’t make it right to leave a mess — which included this family’s paper plates and napkins — because you think Detroit is your garbage dump, or that the less fortunate should clean up after you.
It may be that this Lions fan — I think this is common — doesn’t come into the city very often, and has an outdated conception. When I moved here in 2006, just after Super Bowl XL led to a hurried makeup job, litter was common. Streetlights were out. Bike riding was frustrating because of broken glass in the street.
That’s changed for a variety of reasons, but it boils down to investment and sustained effort, along with a much-needed step-up in city services that made it possible for longtime residents to hold the line against disrepair.
No city is pristine, but significant parts of Detroit proper are undeniably neater than they were 20 years ago.
That Detroit of two decades ago showed its poverty more sharply wasn’t an excuse to act like a pig back then, and it sure isn’t an excuse for littering now.
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Let’s not disrespect Detroit
I, perhaps unfairly, assume our littering Lion lives in some nondescript suburb that would barely exist were it not for the brawn and innovation of Detroit. It’s Dee-troit basketball, not Birmingham Hoops. He cheers for the Detroit Lions, not the Warren Kittens or the Southfield Whatevers, and no doubt takes pride in saying he is a Detroit Lions fan now that they are succeeding.
So he and his family — he had elementary-school age children with him — would do well to be polite visitors. I merely ask that they pick up after themselves, and maybe not teach the next generation to disrespect Detroit.
I’ll do the same if I ever have reason to park my vehicle on some suburban street, pitch a tent and have a little party.
Randy Essex is an editor at the Detroit Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters and we may publish it online and in print.
4Warn Weather – The dangerous heat that gripped Metro Detroit Wednesday will ease, but having slightly lower temperatures does not mean that Southeast Michigan is in the clear.
The 4Warn Weather Alert remains in effect Thursday, as a thick plume of wildfire smoke from Canada settles into the region, bringing some of the poorest air quality this season.
While the Heat Advisory was allowed to expire Wednesday evening, the Air Quality Alert continues through Thursday, and for many communities, the smoke will pose the greatest health concern.
Unlike some air quality events driven by ozone or lighter smoke high in the atmosphere, this smoke is expected to settle close to the ground.
The result is unhealthy air pollution for the general population, with some neighborhoods potentially reaching very unhealthy and hazardous levels for a time, especially late Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
A few storms beating the odds Wednesday night
Although most of Southeast Michigan will stay dry Wednesday night, a few isolated thunderstorms developed Wednesday evening along the advancing cold front. Just enough instability developed for a handful of storms to briefly become severe.
The National Weather Service issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for portions of Oakland, Genesee and Shiawassee counties, with radar indicating the potential for wind gusts up to 60 mph and hail up to quarter-size.
Quarter-sized hail was reported in Holly at 7:19 p.m.
The Storm Prediction Center noted the overall severe weather threat remained isolated.
Overnight, attention turns back to the arrival of dense Canadian wildfire smoke, which is expected to become the dominant weather story through Thursday.
Smoke thickens late Wednesday night
The cold front opened the door for dense Canadian wildfire smoke to pour into Southeast Michigan on Wednesday.
The thickest smoke is expected overnight into Thursday morning, when cooler temperatures and a stable atmosphere trap the smoke close to the surface.
Visibility may be reduced at times; skies will appear hazy, and many people may notice the smell of smoke even indoors.
Those with asthma, COPD, heart disease, children, older adults, and pregnant women should avoid prolonged outdoor activity.
However, even healthy adults may experience irritated eyes and throats, coughing, headaches, or shortness of breath during periods of heavier smoke.
If possible:
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Limit strenuous outdoor activity.
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Keep windows closed.
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Run your air conditioning on recirculate if available.
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Change air filters.
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Consider wearing a properly fitted N95 mask if you must spend extended time outdoors in smoky conditions.
Still hot Thursday
Even though the oppressive humidity backs off behind the front, Thursday will not feel cool.
Afternoon highs climb back into the lower 90s, with “feels like” temperatures generally remaining in the lower 90s as well.
That is noticeably more tolerable than Wednesday’s triple-digit heat indices, but it is still hot enough to require frequent hydration and breaks if you are spending time outside.
The combination of heat and smoky air may make outdoor conditions especially taxing, even if temperatures are not as high.
Rain chances return
Thursday stays dry before moisture begins returning on Friday.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms become possible Friday afternoon and continue at times into Saturday as the next weather system approaches the Great Lakes.
Not everyone will see rain, but several opportunities for showers and thunderstorms develop through the weekend.
By Sunday and early next week, temperatures settle closer to normal with highs generally in the lower to mid-80s, along with periodic chances for additional showers and thunderstorms into Tuesday.
While the cooler weather will be welcome, air quality should also gradually improve as the weather pattern becomes more active and winds help disperse lingering smoke.
The wildfire smoke will lead to more vibrant and redder sunsets and sunrises. Share your weather and nature photos with Local 4 at MIPics.
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The Detroit Red Wings announced on Wednesday that Steve Yzerman is stepping down from his role as GM and executive vice president.
Yzerman will continue working with the organization as a senior advisor to Red Wings governor and CEO Chris Ilitch.
The Red Wings are now searching for a new head of hockey operations.
“Steve’s lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization,” Ilitch said in a statement. “We are thankful for Steve’s hard work and dedication as General Manager and are grateful knowing Steve will remain where he belongs – here with the Red Wings family.”
Yzerman returned to Detroit in April 2019 after a successful front office career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, replacing longtime GM Ken Holland.
“I am sincerely grateful to Chris and the entire Ilitch family,” Yzerman said in a statement. “This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as General Manager. I’ve appreciated every experience throughout the years, and I’m extremely proud to remain part of this great franchise.”
As the Red Wings commence their search for Yzerman’s replacement, Yzerman will remain in his current role to facilitate the day-to-day of hockey operations until a replacement is named. The organization says it will consider both internal and external candidates for the role.
“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization,” Ilitch said. “I’m looking forward to bringing in new leadership to build the championship-caliber organization Hockeytown deserves.”
“My commitment to the Red Wings and this community will never waver, and I look forward to supporting the organization in whatever role is needed to achieve our collective goals,” Yzerman said. “I want to thank our passionate fanbase for their support, as they are what makes Detroit and the entire state of Michigan a very special place in the hockey world.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
DETROIT ― The crowd wasn’t large ― a smattering of about 40 or so people at Detroit’s historic Palmer Park just north of downtown on a warm and muggy summer evening.
The people who did show up were there because they feared something precious could be lost: the relationships between therapists and the people who trust them with their deepest wounds.
This is what democracy often looks like. A tent. Some speakers. Livestreaming on social media. And waning sunlight seemingly trying to figure out whether to set in fiery red-orange or fade behind rainclouds.
It was my pleasure to witness this moment firsthand because we live in a new era ― a period when the most powerful leaders in our government increasingly move to trample on our First Amendment rights. This was the second time within the past 30 days that I have found myself covering the debate surrounding Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s planned reimbursement policy changes affecting limited licensed mental health clinicians.
I’ve written previously about the policy itself. This time, though, something else captured my attention.
It was the people.
Last Friday night’s rally was organized by Caitlin Fleming, a mental health therapist and co-founder of Healer’s Choice, who demonstrated the kind of leadership that rarely makes headlines but often changes communities. She listened as much as she spoke. She created space for others to tell their stories. She reminded those gathered that advocacy is less about anger and more about refusing to become invisible.
At one point, Fleming shared that she lost her former husband to suicide.
Her words carried weight, especially because only days earlier I had written about losing my aunt Geraldine and how grief leaves permanent marks on those left behind. Mental illness, suicide and trauma are not abstract policy debates. Nearly every family carries a story. Every interruption in care has a human face.
That reality echoed through the entire evening.
Mars DeWitt, a limited licensed clinician who previously worked as a teacher, reminded us that change has happened before in Detroit. After addressing the audience, DeWitt told me that they watched the fight for teacher pay, recalling Detroit educators’ successful efforts to improve salaries. “So, I know it’s possible for therapists to fight back in a similar way.… Detroit is one of those inspiring cities in the world because we know how to fight back.”
Their words were less criticism than a declaration of home.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, connected the issue to another community she knows well: veterans.
“Every interruption in treatment increases the risk that a patient, including veterans, falls through the cracks,” she said. “Our veterans should not have to retell their trauma, rebuild our trust or start the therapeutic process from the beginning due to an insurance billing policy.”
Jess Riley of the National Association of Social Workers-Michigan added sobering context. Twenty-five Michigan counties have no psychiatrists. Ten neither have a psychiatrist or psychologist. The Upper Peninsula has no child psychiatrists and no pediatric psychiatric beds.
Whatever one’s position on reimbursement policy, those numbers reveal a behavioral work force already stretched dangerously thin.
Fleming also reminded the audience that communities of color are especially vulnerable to changes in insurance coverage policy because they understand what generational trauma in health care looks like. She cited historical abuses such as the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis. She emphasized that clinical supervision should not be a sign that therapists are somehow viewed as inadequate.
“We want people to be supervised not because they are not quality therapists; it’s the human experience. We should always be working in teams.
Notably, Fleming said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has not publicly released data estimating how many patients may lose access to their current therapists under the proposed policy. She said representatives from BCBS Michigan were invited to the forum but did not participate.
Regardless of where this debate ultimately ends, something encouraging happened last Friday evening.
Citizens assembled peacefully. They exercised their First Amendment rights. They shared data, personal stories and deeply held convictions. They urged elected officials to listen. They asked a powerful institution to explain itself.
That is not something to fear.
It is something to celebrate.
That’s because healthy democracies depend on citizens who care enough to show up – even if there are only 40 of them standing together in a Detroit park at the end of a long week, refusing to believe their voices don’t matter.
Byron McCauley is a regional columnist for USA Today Co. in Michigan. Email: bmccauley@usatodayco.com; call (513) 504-8915.
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