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CAVA Opens Second Michigan Spot in Downtown Detroit
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A new CAVA site will start serving customers at 636 Woodward Avenue in Detroit on Friday, September 26. This marks the chain’s first venture into Detroit, with a 3,000-square-foot space ready to welcome diners, as per Yahoo.
The Detroit site features dine-in seating, as well as quick pickup spots for online orders. Diners may mix and match ingredients for bowls and pitas, creating up to 17 billion different meal options. Just this month, they added chicken shawarma to their menu.
“We were delighted by the way the Canton community embraced our first Michigan restaurant this summer,” said Jeff Gaul, Chief Development Officer of CAVA. “As we grow across the Midwest, we’re excited to welcome Detroit to our table to experience the bold flavors of our high-quality meals and Mediterranean hospitality while living out our mission to bring heart, health, and humanity to food.”
With 400 sites across 28 states and Washington, D.C., CAVA aims to reach 1,000 spots within seven years. Their push into Michigan shows their commitment to Midwest growth.
The site kicked off with a Community Day on September 24. This event backed Food Rescue US – Detroit, with CAVA matching local gifts up to $1,000. Such matching efforts have topped $1 million in hunger relief since 2019.
Staff training meals went straight to local groups instead of waste bins. This smart practice started nationwide in fall 2023 as CAVA opened more sites.
The site will run with 25 to 40 staff members. Each gets perks like paid leave, health care, early wages, free food, and mental wellness support.
Doors will open from 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day. More Michigan sites are in the works for this year.
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Kristina Perez
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Detroit Is One of the Least-Friendly Cities in America?
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So the other day, this list drops about the friendliest cities in America, according to residents. Top two? San Diego and Raleigh. Not exactly shocking—both are sunshine-and-craft-beer capitals, golden retrievers on patios, surfboards and smiles.
Then came the follow-up. And this one hit different.
The Least Friendly Cities in America, ranked:
- Wichita, Kansas – lowest friendliness score in the country. (Apparently, Dorothy and Toto can come home, but don’t bring flying monkeys near those sunflower fields.)
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- San Bernardino, California (and the whole Inland Empire)
- Detroit, Michigan
- Los Angeles, California (including Anaheim, home of Disneyland)
- Sacramento, California
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Seattle, Washington
And there it is. Detroit. Number four.
Now, if you don’t live here, maybe you nod along. Headlines about crime. Gritty reputation. The whole “ruin porn” thing photographers couldn’t get enough of a decade ago. But if you do live here? You just shake your head. Because this list clearly doesn’t know what it’s talking about.
Eastern Market on a Saturday
Let’s start with Eastern Market. Any Detroiter knows it’s not just about buying tomatoes and fresh basil. It’s the pulse of the city on a Saturday morning. You’ve got vendors hollering prices, saxophones blasting jazz outside Shed 3, kids chowing down on fresh popcorn.
And here’s the kicker: people talk to you. Not fake, “Hi there, welcome to our great city!” tourist talk. Real talk. “Those peaches? Don’t wait, they’ll go soft by Tuesday.” “Try the hot sauce from that guy—burns good.” That’s friendliness in its purest form. Honest. Direct. Human.
Hanging at Our Joints
Now wander into a Detroit bar. Let’s say Nemo’s in Corktown or the Cadieux Café on the east side. Nobody’s going to hug you at the door or offer a guided tour of the specials. But order a beer, sit a minute, and you’ll be talking Lions football with the person on the next stool like you’ve known each other since the Silverdome days.
That’s Detroit friendliness. Not sugar-coated, not Instagram-filtered. The bartender remembers your order by the second round. A mechanic on Michigan Ave will tell you, “Don’t replace that part yet—you can get another year out of it.” That’s real care. You just have to earn it.
Blunt ≠ Unfriendly
Detroiters get mislabeled because we’re blunt. We don’t do small talk about the clouds rolling in. We’re more likely to say, “That shirt’s terrible, man. Anyway, you watching the Wings tonight?” That honesty gets mistaken for coldness. But here? Bluntness is friendliness. We don’t waste your time.
People confuse “not fake” with “not friendly.” In Detroit, if you get a smile, it means something. If you get advice, you can trust it. If you get roasted a little, congratulations—you’re in.
The Real Vibe
The truth is, Detroit friendliness doesn’t live on the surface. It’s under the hood, like a rebuilt engine. It’s your neighbor snow-blowing your driveway while you’re still pulling your boots on. It’s strangers high-fiving you on Woodward after a Lions win. It’s the cook at Lafayette Coney who sees you struggling with the menu and says, “First time? Sit down, I got you.”
This city doesn’t hand out courtesy smiles like party favors. But you better believe if your car breaks down on I-94, three Detroiters will pull over before AAA even answers your call.
Final Word
So yeah, throw Detroit on the “least friendly” list if you’re grading on southern drawls and small talk. That’s not who we are. We’re not Disneyland. We’re not surf-and-sunshine. We’re Detroit. We’re Eastern Market, late-night coneys, neighborhood bars where you’ve got to earn your seat.
Stock Photo
We’re blunt, raw, real. And if that’s “unfriendly” to the rest of the country? Then maybe they’re just not ready for the Detroit vibe.
Because here’s the thing: if you spend one honest weekend here, you’ll get it. And once you do, you’ll never call Detroit unfriendly again.
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Jim O’Brien
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Megachurch’s role in Rev. Kinloch’s $1.3M suburban home draws scrutiny amid Detroit mayoral race – Detroit Metro Times
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The Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr., senior pastor of a megachurch and a candidate for Detroit mayor, quietly lived in a $1.3 million home in the far-flung suburbs for most of the past 12 years.
Now records shared with Metro Times raise serious questions about how he acquired the opulent home, his church’s central role in the purchase, and his lavish lifestyle.
During the campaign, Kinloch has highlighted his position as senior pastor of Triumph Church, which has more than 40,000 members and seven locations, including two in Detroit with long-delinquent water bills.
Triumph Church bought the 5,177-square-foot house in Oakland Township in April 2013 for $841,600, financing the purchase with a $631,200 mortgage, which Kinloch signed on behalf of the church, according to the deed and mortgage records. That left roughly $210,000 to be covered in cash.
Nine months later, in January 2014, the church sold the property to Kinloch for the same price, and he also financed his purchase with a $631,200 mortgage, leaving $210,000 to be paid in advance, according to deeds and mortgage records. Triumph Church officials declined to say who paid the remaining $210,000 when Kinloch acquired the house.
State law requires nonprofit officers to act in the church’s best interests and scrutinize insider transactions. Federal tax law forbids “private inurement,” or unreasonable personal benefits to insiders.
In the same month they bought the house, Kinloch and his wife Robin Kinloch secured another $84,000 mortgage for the home, records show. Then in March 2023, the Kinlochs opened a $725,000 revolving-credit mortgage.
In 2016, two years after Triumph Church sold the house to Kinloch, its church on Joy Road in Detroit began falling behind on its water bills. The delinquency reached more than $60,000 in 2020.
Metro Times obtained the deeds and mortgage records from Highland Park activist Robert Davis, who on Thursday requested an investigation by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office and the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office. Davis points out that state law allows a church to buy a house for the pastor to live in, but the church must remain the owner.
Davis also alleges that the sale to Kinloch and the subsequent mortgages amounted to an unlawful inurement because a tax-exempt group — the church — improperly gave a private financial benefit to an insider — Kinloch.
“As evidenced by the number of personal loans and mortgages Solomon Kinloch Jr. and his wife, have been able to procure and secure as a result of their personal ownership of the home located at 5629 Mystic Lane in Oakland Township, Solomon Kinloch Jr. has substantially benefited financially from Triumph Church’s sale of the Oakland Township property home to him,” Davis wrote in the complaint. “Solomon Kinloch Jr.’s and Triumph Church’s unlawful real estate transactions have now put Triumph Church’s 501(c)(3) tax exempt status in serious jeopardy.”
Davis also questions how Kinloch managed to secure three mortgages that together exceed the value of the home. Davis argues the $725,000 revolving-credit line appears out of step with typical loan-to-value (LTV) limits. Using the $1.3 market value and an assumed $450,000 balance on the 2014 mortgage, Davis said an 80% combined LTV would cap available credit near $558,000, or about $200,000 less than the recorded credit limit. Davis points to Bankrate, which says “homeowners can never borrow the full amount of their equity – they must leave around 20% of it in the home.”
The Kinlochs secured the revolving-credit mortgage through Community Financial in Plymouth, which did not respond to Metro Times’s questions about the loan.
Metro Times asked the Kinloch campaign and church leaders about the sale and mortgages, but they would not answer most questions.
It’s also unclear if Kinloch notified the lenders that he had multiple liens against him. Between 2006 and 2022, at least nine liens were placed against Kinloch, most of which were for delinquent taxes. Those liens totaled more than $168,000, according to The Detroit News in February.
That matters because lenders and federal law typically require borrowers to disclose liens. Mortgage applicants must list debts and judgments on the loan applications, and making false statements to a bank to secure money from a lender is a federal crime.
Dan Lijana, spokesman for Kinloch’s campaign, noted that banks search for liens, and if there were any, “the purchase would not have been completed.” But public records show that Kinloch had five liens for delinquent state income taxes, totalling more than $53,000, from 2011 to 2022.
Dora Brown, who is the church’s chief financial officer, appears on the warranty deed for the house, but she didn’t return messages seeking comment.
Davis says the house and the questionable financial transactions are important to the race because Kinloch often refers to his leadership of the church on the campaign trail. He says the pattern of debt and transactions raises serious questions about transparency and accountability.
“He’s made the church a centerpiece of this campaign,” Davis says. “He also said he would continue to serve as the senior pastor while serving as mayor. His track record as the head of that church is relevant. So all the business dealings and transactions are relevant. He’s made them relevant.”
For most of the past three decades, Kinloch has lived in Oakland County. In March 2024, he registered to vote in Detroit and moved into a downtown condo with his brother, Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch. He later relocated to another apartment in the same complex in the Greektown area, where he says he now lives.
Kinloch finished second in the August primary with 17.4% of the vote, far behind Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, who won with 50.8%. Sheffield and Kinloch advanced to the general election on Nov. 4.
Sheffield has also nearly doubled Kinloch’s fundraising. Between July 21 and Aug. 25, she raised more than $206,000, compared to his $116,000.
The home purchase and mortgages are the latest controversy dogging Kinloch’s campaign. In late July, the Detroit Free Press reported that Kinloch pleaded guilty to assaulting his first wife after threatening her with a butcher knife and beating her with its handle, according to police.
While his campaign and church leaders dodged many questions, Lijana said the focus should be on affordable housing in Detroit.
“If we want to talk about housing in this race, let’s talk about the housing affordability crisis that’s exploded over the last 12 years in Detroit or the poverty rate, the highest it’s been since 2017.”
In his complaint to authorities, Davis said he hopes legal action is taken against Kinloch and the church.
“I pray that both the Michigan Attorney General’s Office and Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office open independent investigations to determine whether Solomon Kinloch Jr.’s and Triumph Church’s suspicious and questionable real estate transaction pertaining to the home located at 5629 Mystic Lane in Oakland Township, MI violated any applicable civil and/or penal laws codified in the State of Michigan or the IRS Code governing 501(c)(3) tax-exempt church and religious organizations,” Davis wrote.
The Michigan Attorney General’s Office confirmed it received Davis’s complaint but declined to comment “at this time.”
Metro Times is awaiting a response from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.
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Steve Neavling
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Powwow returns to downtown Detroit after 30 years – Detroit Metro Times
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For the first time in three decades, a powwow is coming back to downtown Detroit.
The North American Indian Association of Detroit (NAIA) is organizing the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Pow-Wow at Hart Plaza from noon to 6 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13 in collaboration with Southeastern Michigan Indians Inc., American Indian Health and Family Services, and the Detroit Indigenous People’s Alliance.
Travis Schuyler, program director of NAIA of Detroit, describes the return as both a revival of tradition and a homecoming for indigenous people who once marched in parades down Woodward Avenue and celebrated at Hart Plaza.
“The Native community hasn’t had the opportunity to do something like this for 30 years,” Schuyler tells Metro Times. “Now that we have a chance to do it, some of us are emotional, and some of us feel nostalgic. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate who we are and come together like we used to and invite the public to come.”
Organizers say the event is more than a performance. Powwows are social gatherings rooted in Native tradition that bring together dancers in regalia, drum groups, and community members to honor ancestors, share culture, celebrate resilience, and enjoy indigenous food.
It’s also a chance for non-indigenous people to learn more about Native cultures.
“This is open to the public. There is no fee to get in,” Schuyler says. “Just come and hang out and experience Native culture as it should be represented. This is an opportunity for people who don’t know about the Native cultures to engage with us and disregard negative stereotypes.”
A powwow typically begins with a Grand Entry, where dancers gather to the sound of drums and songs. Dancers wear regalia that reflects family history and tribal identity, often decorated with beadwork, feathers, and fabric designs passed down for generations. Drum circles are considered the heartbeat of the powwow and provide the rhythm for traditional and contemporary songs.
The event includes contest dancing and will also include Hawaiian indigenous people who plan to highlight their culture.
In addition to interacting with participants, visitors can browse food and craft vendors.
Detroit City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero and her team initiated and coordinated the event.
“Before Detroit was “Detroit”, it was Waawiyaataanong,” Santiago-Romero said in a statement. “Detroit is on quite literally the ancestral and contemporary homeland of the Anishinaabe, or the Three Fires Confederacy. It’s important that we acknowledge this truth, which is why my office sought to work alongside our Indigenous community to bring Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration back downtown for the first time in three decades. The event will pay tribute to the original stewards of this land and celebrate the rich culture of our Indigenous community.”
For many indigenous people, the event marks a long-awaited opportunity to reconnect in the heart of the city.
“There are a lot of people who are excited about this, and emotions are running high because a lot of the individuals who were involved in these in the past are no longer here,” Schuyler says. “This is also to acknowledge and honor them for all they did for us. We want to pay it forward to our next generation.”
Schuyler says he hopes it will open a new chapter for Native traditions in Detroit.
“We are incredibly optimistic about the future of this event and are already looking forward to building on this success next year,” Schuyler says.
Santiago-Romero said events like this are important because they embrace diversity.
“I hope that this event will help to build and strengthen ties across communities to create a more inclusive Detroit, where all those who call this land home are seen, heard, and respected,” Santiago-Romero said.
Michigan is home to a vibrant Native community whose roots long predate statehood. The Anishinaabe people, including the Odawa (Ottawa), Ojibwe (Chippewa), and Potawatomi nations, have lived around the Great Lakes for centuries, with villages, trade networks, and sacred sites across what is now Michigan.
Downtown Detroit’s first powwow in 30 years is planned for Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 13. Credit: North American Indian Association of Detroit Their presence is reflected in place names, from Washtenaw to Saginaw, and in Detroit itself, which was once a key gathering and trading place and was named Waawiyatanong before French colonizers arrived in 1701.
Today, Michigan has a dozen federally recognized tribes, including the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Bay Mills Indian Community, Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (Gun Lake Tribe), and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, among others.
In addition, many Native people from other tribal nations have made Detroit their home, especially during the 20th century when federal relocation programs encouraged families to move from reservations to cities.
That history helped shape organizations like the North American Indian Association, which has been a cornerstone of Detroit’s Native community for decades.
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Steve Neavling
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Detroit contractor suspended over allegations of using contaminated dirt at demo sites
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Overview:
Results show 33 of 41 properties — more than 80% — handled by Gayanga Co. failed to meet state residential standards.
A Detroit demolition contractor has been suspended from city work after investigators said it used contaminated dirt to backfill dozens of residential properties.
The city’s Office of Inspector General announced Thursday that Gayanga Co. LLC and its owner, Brian McKinney, are barred from receiving new contracts or performing demolition work while an investigation is underway. The interim suspension, effective immediately, will last up to 90 days or until the inspector general decides whether the company should be formally debarred.
The OIG launched its probe on June 5 after receiving allegations that Gayanga had been hauling soil from the redevelopment of Northland Mall in Southfield to Detroit neighborhoods. The agency ordered testing of dirt at various Gayanga sites across the city. Results showed 33 of 41 properties — or more than 80% — failed to meet state residential standards, according to the OIG.
The allegations first surfaced publicly in a story written by reporter Charlie LeDuff for the website Michigan Enjoyer, which did not name Gayanga but raised concerns that soil from Northland had been ending up in Detroit demolitions for about two years.
City records show Gayanga has performed more than 2,400 demolitions in Detroit, earning nearly $64 million in contracts. That makes the firm one of the city’s largest demolition contractors.
The suspension is the latest controversy surrounding Detroit’s massive demolition program, which has resulted in penalties for other companies.
The inspector general’s office said it could not provide further details because the investigation remains open.
LeDuff has been raising questions about soil used by Detroit contractors for at least a decade.
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Steve Neavling
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Toxic Legacy: How Lead in Schools Is Silently Harming Black Kids
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Dionna Brown was two weeks shy of her 15th birthday when her world turned upside-down. An outstanding public high school student in Flint, Michigan, with a report card most of her peers would envy, she suddenly began to struggle in the classroom for no obvious reason.
“I was in AP and honors classes — straight-A student,” she recalls. “Then all of a sudden, I couldn’t remember things. I couldn’t concentrate.”
Rushed to the hospital, doctors pinpointed the problem: tests revealed elevated levels of lead, a potent neurotoxin, in Brown’s blood. In high enough concentrations, lead can cause permanent brain damage, lower IQ, learning disabilities — and even death.
Without knowing it, Brown became one of the many young victims of the Flint water crisis. But her story is being repeated in cities across the country.
For generations, America’s crumbling infrastructure has quietly poisoned its most vulnerable populations. From peeling paint in public housing to unsafe water pipes beneath city streets, lead has lingered long before and after its federal ban in 1978.
But while the government has taken action against lead exposure in homes, experts say its impact in our schools remains overlooked.
In January, the issue made headlines again when a child attending a Milwaukee public school tested positive for elevated lead blood levels. The discovery triggered emergency inspections and forced at least four other schools in the district to close temporarily.
Subsequent data found that children in cities like Cleveland, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Chicago also face disproportionately high levels of lead exposure in schools. Cleveland topped the list, with nearly 9% of children under the age of six showing signs of elevated lead levels in their blood.
“Once a child is exposed to lead, the impacts are irreversible,” says Dr. Denae King, Associate Director of the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University. “There’s not a lot you can do to undo that damage — and it’s still happening.”
These cities share more than aging infrastructure: they also serve large Black K-12 student populations, often in racially segregated neighborhoods. And even Flint, whose water crisis made national news, still hasn’t fully established safe drinking water for its children.
While Milwaukee’s crisis may feel like the beginning for some, the poisoning of Black communities by lead — especially in schools — began long before 2025.
Today, Brown, now the National Youth Director of Young, Gifted, & Green, a non-profit organization, has spent years fighting for environmental justice. But what still haunts her the most is how little has changed.
“That was over a decade ago,” she says. “And we’re still here. Kids are still being poisoned in our schools and communities.”
Schools Built to Fail?
Nationwide, more than 38% of public K-12 schools were built before 1970, well before the government banned the use of lead-based paint. Many of the schools were built to serve Black students in underfunded, segregated neighborhoods, and these aging buildings often contain lead service lines, contaminating the water that flows into cafeteria faucets and hallway water fountains.
According to a 2022 study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Black children face higher levels of early lead exposure. The report found that exposure was linked to significantly lower standardized test scores in fourth-grade reading and math compared to their white peers.
“Most of the Black kids we’re talking about attend schools built before the ban,” King says. “That means many of them are still walking into buildings that are not only failing structurally, but failing them academically, too.”
The Educational Cost
King explains that the root of the lead crisis in schools often begins underground, with lead service lines — city-owned pipes that deliver water from municipal systems to homes, businesses, and schools.
“Most cities still have lead service lines,” she says. “So it’s no surprise students are being exposed. She adds that even if a school updates its internal plumbing, “students remain at risk” if city pipes aren’t upgraded.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even low levels of lead exposure in children can cause irreversible damage, including reduced IQ, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and behavioral problems.
“The data is very consistent when we think about learning and cognitive ability with lead exposure in children ages zero to six,” King adds. “By the time you get to first or third grade, you start to see the results of that early exposure.”
Just as striking as the exposure itself is the uneven response.
In wealthier districts, King says, active parent-teacher organizations (PTOs), can quickly raise money for water filtration systems. Unfortunately, that’s not the case in predominantly Black or low-income communities, where PTOs and other resources are underfunded or absent altogether.
Who Should Be Held Accountable?
Cleveland, Ohio, currently leads the nation in childhood lead exposure, with more than 8% of children younger than age 6 testing positive for elevated blood lead levels. The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) serves a student population that is 64% Black.
When asked about lead in students’ blood, CMSD told Word In Black they’re “concerned” about the health hazard and will “continue to strongly support the work done by the City of Cleveland and the Lead Safe Coalition to identify and remediate lead in our neighborhoods.”
While the school district did not directly address the problem, Dr. David Margolius, the city’s director of public health, says school systems aren’t entirely to blame.
“This is the fault of the generations of disinvestment in housing and public infrastructure in poor communities — which leads to exposure in the first place,” he says.
However, both King and Brown say the problem is nuanced.
“There are different levels of accountability that include the municipality and homeowners,” King says. “But on the school side, they are responsible for ensuring their campuses are safe. You send your child to school expecting they’ll be protected, not poisoned.”
She also adds that parents are often left in the dark.
“Many parents have shared that they are concerned that their children are not learning at the same level as other students in their classes,” she says. “And I am surprised that schools don’t do a better job of educating parents about the risk of lead exposure and that they don’t provide wraparound services once a child has been exposed.”
Brown agrees: “Schools still have a responsibility. Kids spend 8-plus hours in school buildings every day.”
Moreover, federal programs intended to address the crisis have faltered. While the Biden administration’s Infrastructure and Jobs Act was designed to fund the replacement of lead service lines, access to the resources remains inconsistent across cities, often leaving underfunded and de facto segregated school districts behind.
“There’s no agency that owns the problem,” Margolius adds. “There’s no one taking ownership for how to fix this at the federal level. That’s the real issue.”
Making matters worse, the CDC recently laid off its entire childhood lead poisoning prevention staff, shifting responsibility to the newly formed Administration for a Healthy America under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Experts are concerned about whether the federal government is prepared to meet a crisis of this scale.
Communities as First Responders
Houston offers a glimpse of what’s possible. There, the Bullard Center and community groups are training parents and neighborhood leaders to identify lead hazards and demand answers from school officials.
King also encouraged students to write letters to the district. She said systems have begun to respond.
Community groups “did all the education themselves,” she says. “We trained them on what lead looks like, how it’s affecting their children, and then they got out there and educated others. The community stepped up where the system failed.”
Back in Cleveland, Margolius hopes to see a similar momentum, but on a national level.
“Keeping these stories alive in the media and community discussions is essential. Without sustained attention, the crisis will quietly continue.”
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Quintessa Williams, Word in Black
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Mayoral candidate Kinloch’s megachurch owes Detroit nearly $30K in delinquent water bills
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Detroit mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch’s megachurch owes nearly $30,000 in delinquent water bills in Detroit, raising questions about whether voters should trust him to manage a city with a $3 billion budget, according to public records.
Kinloch, 52, is the senior pastor of Triumph Church, a Detroit-based megachurch with more than 40,000 members and seven locations, including two in the city.
The church’s financial troubles stand in stark contrast to Kinloch’s opulent lifestyle, which includes a $1.3 million, 5,100-square-foot home in the suburbs. He rented an apartment in Detroit to qualify as a candidate.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department’s (DWSD) records show Triumph Church at 15801 Joy Rd. owed $19,784 as of Aug. 18. Another site, at 2760 E. Grand Blvd., owed $9,873 as of May 2025.
Those debts are part of a larger pattern. The Joy Road location owed more than $51,000 in September 2024 and over $60,000 in June 2000. With few exceptions, records show the church has been delinquent since April 2016. The East Grand Boulevard church has been behind since at least January 2024. The city redacted earlier records for reasons that remain unclear.
Since 2013, the city has shut off water to tens of thousands of residents, but it does not appear that service was ever interrupted at Kinloch’s churches.
To catch up on the bills, the two Detroit churches are now on a payment plan, spending about $7,000 a month combined. Roughly $1,300 of that goes toward paying down the debt. At that rate, it would take nearly two years for the churches to pay off what they owe.
Metro Times obtained the records from Highland Park activist Robert Davis, who sued the city and DWSD for access to some of the information. Davis also filed a lawsuit against Southfield and City Clerk Janet Jackson on Tuesday for failing to disclose whether Kinloch’s suburban church has unpaid bills. Jackson could not be reached for comment.
Despite the delinquent water bills, Triumph Church spent more than $583,000 on events at Huntington Place in Detroit from July 2021 to July 2025.
In a written response early Wednesday, Triumph Church Chief of Staff Ralph Godbee, the former Detroit police chief, said the church is making good on its payment plan.
“Triumph Church, along with 35k residents, non-profits, commercial and industrial customers are on the same plan,” Godbee said. “The church is current on this plan.”
Godbee added, “As a nonprofit entity that works from a zero based budgeting standpoint, we have a fiduciary responsibility to take advantage of programs such as the affordability plan so that we can allocate our resources in the most efficient and effective way possible. To do otherwise would be irresponsible.”
Kinloch’s campaign did not respond to questions about why the churches are behind on their bills or why voters should trust him to run Detroit’s budget.
But Godbee said the high water bills that residents and businesses are burdened with are a concern to Kinloch.
“Pastor Kinloch understands firsthand the strain caused by soaring water costs and, as mayor, will put measures in place to help Detroiters address the burden of excessive fees —particularly those driven by the drainage tax,” Godbee said.
He added that Triumph Church has a long history of helping the community.
“The role of the church has always been to uplift and empower our community,” Godbee said. “For more than 105 years, our church has served as a beacon for Detroit. Under Pastor Kinloch’s leadership, that impact has grown tremendously. As it pertains to special Triumph Church services they are self-supporting through private donations and sponsorships and the events pay for themselves. At a time when regular Detroiter’s feel left out of the access to downtown Detroit, these services minister to tens of thousands of people.”
According to Godbee, Triumph Church in Southfield is up to date on its water bills.
Davis argues the delinquent payments in Detroit raise serious questions.
“It’s concerning if the house of worship that he leads is not as financially solvent as one may think based upon what is advertised,” Davis said. “If Mr. Kinloch is having difficulty leading his fine religious institution, then how can he lead a multi-billion-dollar corporation that is the city of Detroit?”
At the same time, Davis praised some of the church’s work.
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for Triumph Church’s outreach,” Davis says. “I think many churches in Detroit should learn more about community outreach. But it is concerning that there is a pattern of delinquency of paying the financial obligations of their church.”
The delinquent bills are the latest controversy dogging Kinloch’s campaign. In late July, the Detroit Free Press reported that Kinloch pleaded guilty to assaulting his first wife after threatening her with a butcher knife and beating her with its handle, according to police.
He has also faced questions about residency. For most of the past three decades, Kinloch has lived in Oakland County. In March 2024, he registered to vote in Detroit and moved into a downtown condo with his brother, Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch. He later relocated to another apartment in the same complex in the Greektown area.
Metro Times recently revealed that his brother never served a 30-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to his third drunk driving offense in 2003.
Kinloch finished second in the August primary with 17.4% of the vote, far behind Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, who won with 50.8%. Sheffield and Kinloch advanced to the general election on Nov. 4.
Sheffield has also nearly doubled Kinloch’s fundraising. Between July 21 and Aug. 25, she raised more than $206,000, compared to his $116,000.
On Wednesday, former City Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins, who came in third in the primary, endorsed Sheffield.
Mayor Mike Duggan opted not to run for reelection and is instead campaigning for governor as an independent in 2026.
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Steve Neavling
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Detroit’s multimillion-dollar streetscape project a pain for small businesses
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Mexicantown is set for a radical transformation when its $5.4 million construction project finally wraps up. A rendering printed on a sign near El Zocalo restaurant imagines a diverse array of Detroiters enjoying a pedestrian-friendly plaza with lush new landscaping and lights strung overhead — “like Greektown,” one of the waitresses explains on a recent visit. In the past few weeks, workers have begun laying down brickwork for the plaza’s unique curbless design, which features a light brick sidewalk and a darker brick parking lane.
But for now, the typically bustling Bagley Street thoroughfare is all torn up. Shoppers have to navigate around workers, orange barrels, construction equipment, and the unfinished brickwork, with some pathways completely cut off. On a recent weekend, cars had to shuffle to enter a shared parking lot behind Evie’s Tamales, and the intersection of Bagley and 24th Street was a pit of mud covered in snow.
Mexicantown’s makeover is part of a larger $80 million bond-funded project to transform commercial corridors around the city with new pedestrian crossings, bike lanes, lighting, plants, and decorations. In a city where the government has been accused of steering development to its whiter, corporate-dominated downtown at the detriment of its other neighborhoods, the projects are a welcome investment to many residents — tangible proof of Mayor Mike Duggan’s campaign promise that “every neighborhood has a future.”
But some Mexicantown business owners say they’re frustrated with how the city has handled the project so far. Construction was originally supposed to start in May, but the community objected on the grounds that it would interfere with the neighborhood’s biggest festival, Cinco de Mayo, and all the end-of-the-school-year field trips to the area around that time. Then, due to a number of delays, including rainy weather in the spring and summer, the project didn’t really get underway until August, and has since disrupted Día de Muertos festivities.
“October is [usually] my second-busiest month of the year, after Cinco de Mayo,” Gloria Rosas Baiocco, co-owner of Xochi’s Gift Shop, says. “But I definitely saw the hit in October.”
As with its other streetscape projects, the city has tried to help businesses weather the construction by designating parking lots and erecting special signage reminding passersby that the businesses are still open. The city held feedback meetings before ground broke, and has distributed postcards with the government liaison’s phone number. A website, detroitmi.gov/streetscapes, offers updates and other information.
“They’ve been working every day, and things are progressing very fast,” Baiocco says, noting that the city even recently sent a crew to make a video promoting her store to post on social media. Still, Baiocco feels like there was a disconnect between what the city promised and the reality outside her door.
“They made things seem like they were going to be a little bit more organized than they were,” she says.
Baiocco says she believes the hurt is compounded by nearby construction projects on Vernor Highway and Clark Street going on right now. Caitlin Malloy Marcon, the city’s deputy director of the Department of Public Works, agrees that perhaps it would have been better to stagger the different Mexicantown projects.
“I guess hindsight is 20/20, and we should have included that as part of the community engagement, to ask if they’d rather endure construction over multiple years as opposed to one,” she says. “But it was always the plan to do them at the same time. Whether or not we would do it the same way if we started all over again, I can’t speak to that, but that could be part of the community engagement moving forward.”
Credit: Lee DeVito The frustration expressed by the Mexicantown business owners echoes those of others impacted by the city’s other streetscape projects. Businesses and residents along the historic Livernois Avenue of Fashion staged a protest in August, saying the $17 million streetscape project is choking off the community. The Avenue of Fashion is the highest concentration of Black-owned businesses in the city. (In response, the city announced a loan program to help businesses stay afloat, but some business owners were hesitant to spend money after losing money.)
On Grand River Avenue, chef Maxcel Hardy, one of the city’s most celebrated Black chefs, says the $8 million construction project was “the nail in the coffin” that caused him to close his restaurant, River Bistro, in September. Earlier this month, the nearby Town Hall Caffe’ started a crowdfunding campaign to stay afloat.
Diana Cooley, owner of Evie’s Tamales, says construction has caused her to cut her hours. “My customers got used to driving up to the front of the door,” she says. “We’re here at 4 o’clock in the morning, so we get all the construction guys or people that are trying to get to work. Now there’s no place for anyone to park.”
The city says it hopes to “significantly complete” the project this year, and will return in the spring to finish the landscaping. But Cooley is skeptical that construction will be completed anytime soon.
“Now we’re going into Christmas, and Christmastime is for tamales, and that’s what my specialty is,” she says. “That’s my busiest time of the year.”
Fernando Garcia, a truck driver from the community who stopped in to Evie’s to order breakfast before heading out on a job, says he’s glad to see the investment, but concerned about who the future of these neighborhoods belongs to.
“This kind of thing is excellent for the community,” he says. “But when you’ve got people coming in with money and they’re buying these houses and the properties for cheap … they’re bringing up the rents, man. It’s like, come on, you know what you’re doing. You’re pushing out people. What kind of community are you going to have left? You’re going to call it Mexicantown without Mexicans or Latinos?”
Raquel Lozano, owner of El Popo Market, agrees business has slowed down during construction. She’s also looking forward to the completed project — she says it’s the biggest investment she’s seen in Mexicantown since she moved here from Mexico more than 20 years ago.
“Some people complain, but I say every change is hard,” she says. “Every change in your life is hard.”
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This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2019.
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Detroit's Strategic Neighborhood Fund Is A Catalyst For Growth –
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Detroit’s Trumbullplex seeks donations to keep DIY performance space alive
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For more than three decades, the Trumbullplex collective has offered Detroit a rare kind of community space with concerts and events on a donation basis, including free programs for DJs and artists, and perpetually affordable housing in the Woodbridge neighborhood.
Now the collective is asking the community to give back.
Facing urgent repairs before the winter sets in, Trumbullplex is trying to raise $25,000 through a GoFundMe and other efforts. So far, they’ve raised about $6,600 and chipped in their own $7,000 to replace a boiler, an expense that has wiped out their savings.
But much more is needed for electric work, a furnace, and a broken garage door. Electrical upgrades will cost another $7,500, while other repairs could run tens of thousands of dollars. Eventually the group will need to replace its roof at an estimated cost of $70,000.
“With the problems, it has been impossible for Trumbullplex to host any big events,” Lulu, a collective member who asked that her last name not be used, tells Metro Times. “We haven’t been doing any gatherings unless we know there are going to be a small number of people, but certainly we can’t have concerts or parties because we have electricity issues.”
The Trumbullplex owns a pair of Victorian-era houses and a performance space at 4210 Trumbull. Founded in 1993, the space has deep roots in punk and anarchist culture, with a mission of resisting gentrification and providing accessible space for creativity and community. Its programs include Homie Hangz, a free DJ workshop that provides lessons, industry-standard equipment, and community support.
“Hundreds of people have come through the Homie Hangz,” Lulu said. “There are dozens or more who have learned how to DJ here and be present in the community and do gigs.”
For Lulu and mother members, the most important part of Trumbullplex is the space that brings people together.
“Our main focus is the community gathering space because that is something everybody uses,” Lulu says. “We always prioritize that space over any space on the property, including the space we live in.”
The Trumbullplex in Detroit is raising money to hold more events and concerts. Credit: Steve Neavling The collective is planning more free or donation-based events, including movie nights, game nights, dance classes, yoga, and community panels. But first, they need to stabilize the space.
Lulu says this is the first fundraiser since she joined the collective about four years ago.
“That’s a really big goal,” Lulu says of the $25,000 fundraising target. “We don’t usually ask people for money.”
In addition to donations, Trumbullplex is encouraging musicians, artists, and venues to hold benefit shows and consider donating equipment that was damaged this summer.
“If anyone wanted to donate a portion of the proceeds to Trumbullplex or if any venues wanted to give a space to throw a benefit or show, that would be helpful,” Lulu said.
Despite the financial hurdles, the collective remains committed to its mission.
“Everyone is welcome,” Lulu says. “We want to save this space.”
Donations can be made through the Trumbullplex GoFundMe page.
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Steve Neavling
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Trump administration’s war on public schools comes to Detroit with unpublicized education chief visit
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U.S. Department of Education
Linda McMahon is on a 50-state “Returning Education to the States Tour.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon is visiting Renaissance High School in Detroit on Monday, raising alarms among teachers who say the Trump administration’s education agenda threatens the future of public schools.
McMahon, the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive whom President Donald Trump tasked with dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, is on a 50-state “Returning Education to the States Tour.” Since August, she has been on the road promoting “school choice” and the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, often spotlighting charter schools.
During her tour in Oklahoma in August, McMahon joined Gov. Kevin Stitt for an anti-DEI bill signing.
“That same commitment to students is reflected in the state’s new law ending DEI mandates — ensuring education is grounded in merit, not radical ideology,” McMahon said. “It was encouraging to be in the Sooner State to support this important step toward state-driven education reform.”
Joining McMahon at Renaissance High School at about 2 p.m. is Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, a Republican whose refusal to pass a budget has left schools statewide facing layoffs and uncertainty.
McMahon’s stop at Renaissance High School was not announced to the public, unlike her openly publicized appearances at Hillsdale College and a Republican Party barbecue in Midland later Monday. That’s likely no accident because some of her visits have drawn protests from parents concerned about her plans to eradicate the department, cut federal education spending, and roll back civil rights enforcement.
“The superintendent just made the board aware that there was a request for a visit but I’m not sure what is supposed to take place other than a tour,” Detroit Public Schools Community District school board member Monique Bryant tells Metro Times. “We are all pretty much in agreement that it was worth approving the visit and moving forward.”
She adds, “We’re all hoping there’s just an interest in touring some of the great schools we have in the district. But as a board member, I have my concerns, and like all the teachers and administrators, I am very cautious.”
Board member Bishop Corletta Vaughn says the district vetted the visit carefully.
“We had concerns when the invitation came,” Vaughn says. “It was thoroughly vetted to make sure it was benign and that there is nothing egregious taking place under the table. There is nothing we have been able to vet that has caused alarm. We have a strong team there in case something goes awry.”
Teachers in the district were less diplomatic. Two educators who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation say they are frustrated that McMahon was being welcomed with open arms.
“We’re all really concerned about what she’s doing here,” one teacher tells Metro Times. “No one has said anything to us, other than she’s coming.”
Another teacher was more blunt: “It’s a slap in the face to public school teachers. Why would you accept an invitation from someone who wants to destroy schools? It’s offensive and demeaning.”
McMahon’s visit comes as the Trump administration pushes to slash billions from public education, while converting federal funds into block grants that critics say will weaken protections for low-income and special education students. The administration has already frozen and unfrozen $6 billion in K-12 funding and in March announced layoffs of nearly half of the Department of Education’s workforce, prompting unions and civil rights organizations to warn of devastating consequences, especially to students in lower-income districts.
Civil rights enforcement has been among the first casualties, with the department shuttering regional offices, including the one in Cleveland that handled Michigan cases. Advocates warn that in high-poverty districts like Detroit, families will face longer waits for investigations into discrimination, disability rights, and language access complaints.
The stakes are particularly high in Detroit, where public schools are losing students and resources to competing charter systems. In 2023-24, roughly 45,000 students attended Detroit Public Schools Community District, while 48,000 were enrolled in charters and another 12,000 used Schools of Choice to attend other districts.
Because funding follows students, each child who leaves DPSCD takes state dollars with them, draining a district that serves mostly low-income students.
Amid those challenges, McMahon will be accompanied by Hall, a Republican whose refusal to pass a budget has left schools statewide facing layoffs and uncertainty. Democrats have blasted Hall for holding up negotiations.
“Schools all over the state have been forced into an impossible position and are scrambling to plan for the upcoming year — all because of the inaction and implacability of one man, Republican Speaker Matt Hall,” Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, said in a statement.
Also on Monday, McMahon is scheduled to appear at the Midland County Republican Party’s annual Bill Schuette Barbeque, where she’ll share the stage with GOP lawmakers and the president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a free-market think tank that has long attacked teachers’ unions and championed charters schools.
The campaign stop only deepens the blow for educators who see her visit as a threat to Detroit’s public schools.
It’s unclear why McMahon chose Renaissance High School, which is considered one of the best public schools in Detroit. About 44% of children in Detroit live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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Steve Neavling
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Detroit could raise up to $50M a year with admissions tax on sports, entertainment events, study finds
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Steve Neavling
Comerica Park, where the Detroit Tigers play, attracts tens of thousands of fans to downtown every game.
Detroit could generate tens of millions of dollars each year with a tax on tickets to sports and entertainment events, raising revenue that could reduce property taxes, fund city services, and help attract national events, according to a new study.
The Citizens Research Council of Michigan released the study Wednesday, pointing out that “Detroit is one of the few major cities in the U.S. that does not levy entertainment/amusement/admissions tax.”
Detroit has four professional sports teams downtown — the Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons, and Lions. Detroit City Football Club, a professional soccer team, is building a new stadium in Southwest Detroit set to open in 2027. The city is also home to dozens of entertainment venues, such as Fox Theatre, the Fillmore Detroit, Little Caesars Arena, the Masonic Temple, Detroit Opera House, the Fisher Theatre, the Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre, and Saint Andrew’s Hall, among many others.
While the city has missed out on revenue from the tax, the report said Detroit can learn from its experiences.
“Several Michigan cities serve as regional hubs for culture, commerce, sports teams, concerts, and conventions,” Eric Lupher, president of the Citizens Research Council, said. “Detroit stands alone as the largest city in this role, with four major professional sports teams, concert halls, theaters, and other venues that attract attendees from throughout Southeast Michigan and beyond.”
Detroit could raise more than $50 million a year with an admission tax, depending on the rate and how it’s applied. A 3% tax on admissions would bring in about $14.1 million, while a 10% rate could generate as much as $36.9 million, according to the report.
The study broke down how much each of Detroit’s professional sports teams could contribute based on ticket sales. In the most recent seasons, an admissions tax would have generated:
- Lions (Ford Field): $0.99M at 3% to $3.3M at 10%.
- Tigers (Comerica Park): $1.95M at 3% to $6.5M at 10%.
- Red Wings (Little Caesars Arena): $2.31M at 3% to $7.7M at 10%.
- Pistons (Little Caesars Arena): $1.29M at 3% to $4.3M at 10%.
At their attendance peaks in the past decade, Detroit’s four teams could have generated more than $28 million from a 10% admissions tax.
That estimate doesn’t include the numerous other concert venues in Detroit, or big music festivals such as Movement. Revenue could also be generated at events like the Detroit Grand Prix.
The revenue from the tax could be used to bolster city services that are stretched thin during major events, to diversify Detroit’s tax base, or to reduce the city’s notoriously high property taxes.
“An admission tax has the potential to contribute meaningful property tax relief to Detroiters who pay among the highest tax burdens in the nation,” the study noted.
It estimated that admissions tax revenue could lower Detroit’s property tax millage by as much as 5.7 mills.
Lupher said a local admissions tax would be “a strategic tool to diversify revenue, reduce resident tax burdens, and ensure that economic activity benefits municipal sustainability.”
Lupher added, “While it cannot solve all fiscal challenges, a local-option admissions tax provides a pragmatic, targeted means of recovering costs and investing in core services. With careful legislative drafting, public education, and transparent allocation, this tax could strengthen Detroit’s financial position and improve fairness in urban tax policy.”
The report also suggested dedicating a portion of the revenue to a fund for attracting major events, such as the NFL Draft, NCAA tournament games, or even a Super Bowl. The idea is “self-perpetuating as major events would draw attendees to pay the tax and position the city to draw new events.”
To impose a local admissions tax, state lawmakers would need to authorize it, the report states.
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Steve Neavling
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ICE arrested more than 1,400 undocumented immigrants in Michigan under Trump, and most had no criminal convictions
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Steve Neavling
Protesters rally outside the U.S. District Court in Detroit after an undocumented immigrant was arrested.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, federal agents arrested 1,432 undocumented immigrants in Michigan as of the end of July, and most had no criminal convictions, according to data from the Deportation Data Project.
The total is nearly triple the 523 arrests recorded during the same period in 2024, when Joe Biden was president, according to a Metro Times review of the data.
Despite Trump’s claims that his administration is targeting criminals, only 420 – or 29% – of those arrested by his administration in Michigan have been convicted of a crime. Another 31% had “pending criminal charges,” and most notably, about 40% had never been convicted of a crime.
Among those arrested were 11 children, including a girl no older than four. The oldest person was in his 80s.
That hasn’t stopped the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from claiming that agents are arresting the “worst of the worst.”
Steve Neavling
Arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Michigan have surged under President Donald Trump.
During the same time period last year, about half of the people arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Michigan had at least one criminal conviction and 24% had “pending criminal charges.” About 26% had no criminal record.
Those figures show that under Trump, ICE is arresting undocumented immigrants without criminal records at a much higher rate than it did under Biden.
Nationwide, the number of immigrants arrested by ICE with no criminal history surged from about 860 to 7,800 in June, an increase of more than 800%, according to Reuters.
In Michigan, a vast majority of those arrested were men. Only 86 were women.
The immigrants held citizenship in dozens of countries, from China and India to Haiti and Russia. But most were from Central and South America. Mexicans made up 37% of those arrested, followed by 17% from Venezuela, and 8% from Honduras.
Of those arrested under Trump, 864 have been deported.
Fears of mass deportations have shaken immigrant communities in Michigan, especially southwest Detroit, where families are keeping children from school and limiting time outside.
In April, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, joined the ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) to call out federal agents for arresting immigrants who took a wrong turn near the Ambassador Bridge in Southwest Detroit.
Tensions rose on June 30 when ICE agents, backed by Detroit police, swept into the Joy Road-Livernois neighborhood to detain Marcos Fabian Arita Bautista, a Honduran man. Protests erupted, and a man attempted to block ICE agents with his car. Two people were arrested, and Detroit cops used pepper spray on protesters.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who is running for governor as an independent and is trying to appeal to Trump supporters, called undocumented immigrants “illegal” in January while speaking to business leaders. When called out by pro-immigration groups, Duggan dismissed the criticism as “political correctness.”
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Steve Neavling
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Politically connected Democrat Jonathan Kinloch avoided mandatory jail sentence after third drunk driving arrest
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Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority
Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch.
Wayne County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch, a longtime political activist and Detroit Democrat, never served a 30-day jail sentence after getting busted for his third drunk driving in a little over three years in 2003, Metro Times has learned.
Records show that a judge and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office mishandled Kinloch’s sentencing, allowing him to avoid jail even though state law required him to spend at least 30 days behind bars. From the beginning, the case was riddled with errors, eyebrow-raising decisions, and false promises.
While the arrest was 20 years ago, the case raises serious questions about whether political connections may have shielded Kinloch from consequences that ordinary defendants face.
Kinloch is the brother of Detroit mayoral candidate Solomon Kinloch, the senior pastor of Detroit-based megachurch Triumph Church. Solomon Kinloch is facing Detroit City Council Mary Sheffield in the November general election after coming in second place in the Aug. 5 primary. Residency questions have plagued his campaign after moving from Oakland County to Detroit in March 2024. He said he was living with his brother in an upscale condo complex downtown.
The strange case involving Jonathan Kinloch began on Aug. 14, 2003, when Detroit police pulled him over and discovered he was drunk and driving with a suspended license. For reasons that still remain unclear, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office didn’t charge Kinloch until February 2005, a year-and-a-half after he was pulled over. He was eventually charged with a felony count of third-offense drunk driving and a misdemeanor count of driving with a suspended license and faced up to five years in prison.
In a May 26, 2005 letter to the prosecutor, Kinloch requested “a lesser charge,” saying he was “embarrassed and sorry for my horrible choices” and had received out-patient treatment for substance abuse.
“If the spirit and intent of our drinking laws are to both punish, rehabilitate and stop individuals from drinking and operating a motor vehicle, then it has worked for me,” he wrote.
At the time, Kinloch was serving on the Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals and was running for a seat on the Detroit school board, which he would win in November 2005.
In exchange for him pleading guilty to a second-offense misdemeanor charge, the prosecutor’s office dropped the third-offense charge and the misdemeanor for driving with a suspended license.
Still, state law requires a minimum 30-day sentence for someone convicted of driving drunk for a third time, even if the charge is reduced.
“If you plead guilty, or if you are found guilty, you will go to jail for at least 30 days,” William Maze, who describes himself as the state’s “leading drunk driving defense attorney,” wrote on his website. “Recently, even the Wayne County Jail has been holding people for the full term. Worse still, many courts impose longer terms. Sixty days for a garden variety OWI 3rd is not unusual, and some judges impose a six month sentence.”
In September 2005, Wayne County Circuit Judge Vonda R. Evans sentenced Kinloch to 30 days in jail and six months of non-reporting probation. During the hearing, Kinloch said he no longer drinks and pledged “there will be no problems with me, at all,” according to transcripts of the sentencing hearing.
Evans responded, “I believe that.”
Instead of ordering him to jail at the sentencing hearing, which is the standard practice, Evans agreed to Kinloch’s request to serve his jail time after his probation was over in September 2005. Then, the judge said, he could serve his jail time “every other weekend.”
“In light of the fact that you’re taking a new job, this court believes that there’s a necessity that we need to have him there,” Evans said. “And that’s with the city. And so, therefore, the court is going to put that at the end.”
“You’re going to do this 30 days,” the judge told Kinloch.
She added, “You have to do that. That is statutorily required.”
But that’s not what happened. At the urging of the probation department in January 2006, Evans dropped the jail requirement, allowing Kinloch to walk free.
Then in March 2007, after a Detroit Free Press reporter inquired about the lack of jail time, Wayne Country Prosecutor Kym Worthy insisted her office was never notified of the hearing in which Kinloch’s jail sentence was waived. A day before the article was published, Assistant Prosecutor Paul Bernier filed a motion urging the judge to enforce the sentencing agreement or withdraw the plea deal.
“A Court that accepts a plea agreement must honor said plea agreement entered into by the Defendant and the Prosecution or allow the party to withdraw the plea,” Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Wittenberg wrote to the court.
In a follow-up filing in August 2007, the prosecutor’s office said it “was unable to object to the order of termination” and therefore has a right to intervene.
In January 2008, Evans acknowledged the problem with waiving Kinloch’s sentence and agreed with prosecutors that they could require Kinloch to serve his jail time or withdraw the plea agreement.
But despite the prosecutors’ harsh language and insistence on forcing Kinloch to serve his sentence, they never followed through, allowing him to dodge jail time after the media stopped asking questions, Metro Times has discovered.
Suspecting “fraud may have been committed in court,” community activist Robert Davis sought police and court records under the Freedom of Information Act in late July. After getting no response from prosecutors, Detroit police, or the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office within the required 15 business days, Davis filed a lawsuit this week in hopes of forcing the records to be disclosed, but that may not happen.
“Something nefarious is going on here,” Davis tells Metro Times. “The judge entered an order granting the prosecutor’s motion. Then the prosecutor’s office did nothing.”
He adds, “Somebody committed fraud on the court. It’s quite obvious.”
Davis also pointed out that Kinloch’s first name is misspelled in court filings — “Jonathon” — which he says makes it conveniently difficult to find his case online or in court records.
Kinloch, 56, tells Metro Times he pulled no political strings but was relieved he didn’t have to serve his jail sentence.
“It was a scary time, and it was 20 years ago, and I did everything the court required of me,” Kinloch says. “The probation department said I had fulfilled my obligations and recommended that [jail time] be deleted from my sentence.”
Asked about the prosecutors’ role in the case, Kinloch says his lawyer told him that Worthy’s office could not intervene after the judge waived the jail time.
“I don’t know,” he says. “From what I was told, there was nothing she could do.”
But there was, and Worthy’s office didn’t act.
It’s unclear why no action was taken because Worthy’s office declined to comment, citing the FOIA litigation with Davis. But Metro Times’ questions have nothing to do with the search for public records.
On Friday, Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Gregory C. Blackburn denied Davis’s request for records, saying, “We were unable to locate any documents related to your request.”
City spokesman John Roach says Detroit’s law and police departments plan to disclose the records if they still exist, but finding them may not be easy.
“DPD is in the process of researching this to see what if any records related to this incident still exist, given it took place more than two decades ago,” Roach tells Metro Times. “Once they have the answer, they share with the Law Department whatever they find — or don’t find — for a response. The city processes about 8,000 FOIA requests a year, the majority of them related to DPD.”
After Davis’s lawsuit was filed, the sheriff’s office responded that it had no records showing that Kinloch spent time in jail.
According to the judge, Kinloch spent just three days in jail.
Kinloch was appointed to the Wayne County Board of Commissioners in January 2021 to replace the late Jewel Ware. He was elected to a four-year term last year.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan appointed Kinloch to the Detroit Board of Water Commissioners in April 2018, a position he still holds. Kinloch is also the chairman of the Democratic Party’s 13th Congressional District, chairman of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, a member of the Wayne County Housing Commission, and a vice chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party.
He previously served as a liaison to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and held seats on the Detroit Library Commission, Wayne County Planning and Development, and Wayne County Board of Canvassers.
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Steve Neavling
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Detroit school urges judge to halt Chick-fil-A construction next door
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Steve Neavling
Demolition was temporarily halted in May on a building to make way for a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Detroit after crews failed to notify nearby residents and a school.
A Detroit Montessori school is asking a Wayne County judge to immediately halt construction of a Chick-fil-A restaurant next door, arguing developers violated zoning laws and endangered children by building just feet from its playground.
The Giving Tree Montessori, which serves 116 children from infancy through kindergarten, filed an emergency motion last week, accusing Verus Development Group (VDG) and Chick-fil-A of ignoring Detroit’s zoning ordinance and the conditions of a Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) order by expanding their project onto land designated as school use.
The school contends that the 3,000-square-foot, drive-thru-only restaurant, which would operate feet from its playground, violates a city ordinance prohibiting fast food restaurants within 500 feet of a school.
“Defendants are using and/or attempting to use the VDG Disputed Parcel as part of the property to construct a restaurant within 100 feet—mainly 6 feet away — from The Giving Tree in violation of City Code Section 50-12-131, prohibiting a fast-food restaurant within 500 feet of a school,” the motion states.
Giving Tree Montessori sued VDG and Chick-fil-A in June, alleging the drive-thru project at 17761 Mack Avenue near the border of Grosse Pointe Park violates zoning laws, poses an immediate danger to children’s health and safety, and could force the school to close down.
Steve Neavling
The school says it will have to eliminate this playground for infants and toddlers because it’s too close to the Chick-fil-A site.
“The construction borders the school playground, exposing children to heavy machinery and construction activities on the opposite side of the fence,” school owner Renee Chown said in an affidavit filed with the motion. “The playground has had to be shrunken to shield everyone from flying debris and construction activities. A planned expansion of the playscape had to be stopped.”
As a result of the construction, two families have already withdrawn their enrollment for the 2025-26 school year, and the Montessori was forced to cancel plans to build more space and outdoor areas for the children, Chown said.
Chown said Detroit police were called on at least two occasions “because heavy and dangerous construction equipment has been placed dangerously close to students that are playing outside on the school playground.”
She added, “Gaping holes have been left in material bordering the fence which are small enough to allow a child to easily slip through and into an active construction site.”
The development has drawn opposition from parents, educators, and neighbors, including at public meetings where dozens spoke out against the plan. The city initially rejected the project in October 2023 over traffic concerns, but the Detroit Board of Zoning Appeals overturned that decision in March.
City officials have argued the 500-foot restriction doesn’t apply because Giving Tree wasn’t officially recognized as a school under zoning rules until June 2024, two months after the zoning was approved. But the lawsuit says that’s a technicality meant to justify a decision that favors developers over children’s safety.
Demolition began in May without notice or fencing, prompting the city to temporarily halt the work. A sign went up days later, reading, “Chick-fil-A Coming Soon.”
Since then, construction has been ongoing.
In an affidavit, former Detroit zoning manager and certified city planner Tonja Bolden Stapleton supported the school’s case, saying the city’s Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) issued the permit “prematurely, in error” and should rescind it.
Stapleton said the site plan failed to meet several requirements, including a drive-thru escape lane, loading zone, and landscape buffers. More significantly, she said, the project never received a variance for the 500-foot school spacing requirement.
Steve Neavling
Giving Tree Montessori School serves 116 infants, toddlers, and kindergarteners.
“The site is less than 500 [feet] from The Giving Tree Montessori School,” Stapleton said. “This location restriction was never waived by the BZA.”
The motion also argues that developers improperly expanded the project site after a boundary dispute was settled in April 2024, adding the disputed parcel without returning to the BZA for approval.
“This materially expanded the project site beyond what the BZA considered and approved,” Stapleton said.
She added, “Proceeding without BZA review violates both the express conditions of the Decision and Order and the procedural requirements of the zoning ordinance.”
Chown said the lack of oversight and notice left families blindsided.
In May, the city abruptly halted demolition on the Chick-fil-A after construction crews began tearing down a building on the site without notifying nearby residents, businesses, and the school.
Developers said the restaurant will serve up to 1,700 cars a day and generate $10 million in annual sales.
For families and small business owners in the East Side neighborhood, the project is a clash between wealthy developers and a corporate fast-food chain, and the people who live, work, and raise their children next door.
Metro Times was unable to reach developers for comment.
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Steve Neavling
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A Detroit street is named in honor of Vincent Chin – his death mobilized Asian American activists
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Peterboro Street was recently renamed Vincent Chin Street in his memory. Valaurian Waller/The Conversation, href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>CC BY-ND>
Jennifer Ho, University of Colorado Boulder
The legacy of Vincent Chin has recently been commemorated in a street sign bearing his name on the corner of Cass Avenue and Peterboro Street in Detroit’s historic Chinatown.
I was glad to see it. Watching the 1987 documentary “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” and learning about his life and Asian American activism changed my life.
I was 18 and taking my first Asian American studies class at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The film made me realize two things: Asian Americans are targets of racial violence, and Asian Americans across the ethnic spectrum could join together to fight for civil rights. This led to my passion for social justice.
I’m proud to now be a professor of Asian American studies and critical race theory who teaches my students about Vincent Chin.
So who was Chin, and why did his death catalyze an Asian American civil rights movement?
Vincent Chin | The Estate of Vincent and Lily Chin photo
A fatal brawl
Chin, an Oak Park resident, was 27 years old on the night of his bachelor party, June 19, 1982. He got into a fight with two white men – Ronald Ebens, a Chrysler car plant supervisor, and Michael Nitz, an unemployed autoworker and Ebens’ stepson.
According to Racine Colwell, a dancer at the Fancy Pants Club in the Detroit area, Ebens shouted, “It’s because of you little motherf–kers that we’re out of work.” Detroit in the early 1980s was in an automotive slump. People blamed Japanese auto imports and the Japanese people, in general, for the economic downturn. The assailants didn’t seem to understand or care that Chin was actually Chinese.
After the fight between Chin and Nitz and Ebens, Chin and his friends ran out of the club. Ebens and Nitz ran after them, with Nitz grabbing a baseball bat from his car. When they found Chin outside a McDonald’s on Woodward Avenue, Nitz held Chin while Ebens beat his body and head with the bat. They were stopped by two off-duty police officers who had been inside the fast-food restaurant.
After the attack, Jimmy Choi, a member of the bachelor party, cradled Chin in his arms. He said that Chin’s last words were “It’s not fair.” Chin died four days later.
Ebens and Nitz were charged with second-degree murder, but their lawyers pleaded the charge down to manslaughter. At the end of the trial, Judge Charles Kaufman fined them US$3,000 each and sentenced each to three years’ probation, explaining: “These weren’t the kind of people you send to prison. … You don’t make the punishment fit the crime. You make the punishment fit the criminal.”
Asian Americans organize for legal justice
The sentencing enraged Chin’s friends, family and the greater Chinese and Asian American community of Detroit.
Activists of various Asian ethnicities and their non-Asian allies created American Citizens for Justice, an organization that pressured the Justice Department to investigate the violation of Chin’s civil rights and to see Ebens and Nitz imprisoned for Chin’s murder. Lily Chin, Vincent’s mother, was a key advocate in the pursuit of justice for her son, showing up to rallies and interviews to remind people of Vincent’s death for nearly a decade.
While there were other moments, such as the anti-eviction fight for the I-Hotel in San Francisco, that brought Asian Americans of all ethnicities together to fight for civil rights, Chin’s murder sparked a broad awareness. Asian Americans realized that what happened to Chin could happen to them.
American Citizens for Justice held press conferences and gained support from local African American activists in Michigan and national Black leaders like Jesse Jackson, whose presence helped bring more attention to the Chin tragedy.
Activists were successful in forcing the FBI to open an investigation. The resulting 1984 federal trial was the first time the Justice Department had argued that the civil rights of an Asian American person had been violated. Nitz was found not guilty on two counts. Ebens was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, a 1986 federal appeals court ruling overturned the conviction, freeing Ebens.
A civil suit filed against Ebens and Nitz on behalf of Lily Chin was settled out of court in 1987. Nitz agreed to pay $50,000 and Ebens $1.5 million – the projected income that Chin would have made had he lived.
Nitz fulfilled his debt, but Ebens made only a few payments. By 1987, Ebens had been unemployed for five years. He stopped making payments after he moved to Nevada. Estimates in 2016 place Ebens’ debt to the Chin estate at over $8 million, including accumulated interest.
Vincent Chin grave site in Detroit | Ken Coleman photo
Chin’s death had a profound impact on the criminal justice system in Michigan and nationally. Michigan made it harder to plead down murder charges to manslaughter and required prosecutors to be present at sentencings to face victims. Nationally, victim impact statements are now commonplace. Victims and their families now have more of a voice in the justice system.
Chin’s death spurred Pan-Asian American activism across the U.S., leading to the eventual founding of organizations like Asian Americans Advancing Justice in 1991 and Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stop AAPI Hate recorded violence against Asians happening in the U.S. and educated people about anti-Asian racism.
Today, Asian Americans fight for social justice through organizations like these and 18 Million Rising, a group that advocates for racial justice for Asian Americans and all marginalized people.
This is the lasting legacy of Vincent Chin.
Jennifer Ho, Professor of Asian American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Florida man’s arrest wiped from record after AI software leads police to wrong suspect
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A wrongful arrest has now been wiped from a Lee County man’s record. Gulf Coast News first exposed the injustice months ago. The arrest happened after artificial intelligence facial recognition led police to the wrong suspect. “They say in life, everything happens for a reason. I can’t for the life of me figure out this one,” Robert Dillon, the man wrongfully arrested, told Gulf Coast News earlier this year. ‘How did this happen?’ One year ago, right outside his home in San Carlos Park, Dillon was arrested for a crime he never committed. His stunned reaction was captured on the body camera of the deputy who’d knocked on his door. “I’m thinking, ‘How in the hell did this happen. How did this happen?'” Dillon recalled. Dillon was accused of trying to lure a child at a fast-food restaurant more than 300 miles away in Jacksonville Beach. Investigators there submitted restaurant surveillance photos of the suspect to an AI-assisted facial recognition program, which identified Dillon as a 93% match. Beyond that, and a witness who picked his photo out of a lineup, there was no evidence tying him to it.As Dillon first explained months ago, he’s never been to Jacksonville Beach. “Out of the blue. They pick some guy that lives six and a half hours away and says, ‘This is you.’ It blew my mind,” Dillon said earlier this year. Case dropped, arrest wiped from recordOnce Dillon and his attorney provided evidence to show that he did not commit the crime, the state attorney’s office in Jacksonville dropped the case.When Gulf Coast News first reported on it, a spokesman for the state attorney’s office said they were submitting paperwork to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for the case to be stricken from Dillon’s record. Now, the spokesman confirmed Dillon is no longer in their system. His arrest mugshot — and his case file — are nowhere to be found online. Not the first time…”This is a technology that’s really dangerous, because it often gets it wrong. But police often treat it like it has to be right,” Nate Wessler said of facial recognition programs. Wessler is an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. He focuses on government and police use of new technology, like the facial recognition in Dillon’s case. “Now that we know about it, we want to dig deeper,” Wessler said of the case. “This is a real miscarriage of justice. And it’s the latest in a series of wrongful arrests we know of around the country after police relied on incorrect results from face recognition technology.” In 2020, Robert Williams was wrongfully arrested in front of his home by Detroit police. His wife and two daughters watched it happen. “I can’t really put it into words. It was one of the most shocking things I’ve ever had happen to me,” Williams said in an interview with the ACLU after his arrest. A surveillance photo of a man stealing from a watch store was run through face recognition technology by investigators and identified Williams — who was nowhere near the store at time — as a possible match. Wessler was part of the legal team that sued the city of Detroit on Williams’ behalf. “The way to avoid this kind of travesty of justice is to either take this technology out of the hands of police, or lock it down really seriously with a set of policies and restrictions,” Wessler said. Detroit PD changes policy after wrongful arrestWilliams’ lawsuit led to a settlement, which included not only a payout for him but also sparked a policy change within the Detroit PD. In Williams’ case, much like Robert Dillon’s, police relied on two pieces of evidence: the face recognition match and someone picking his photo out of a lineup. Now, in Detroit, more evidence is required to make an arrest. “When you go straight from a face recognition result right to a photo lineup, there’s a high, high likelihood of tainting the reliability of that lineup,” Wessler explained. “You’re going to populate it with an innocent lookalike, plus five people who don’t look much like the suspect. And now you’ve just created this totally suggestible situation, where even a well-meaning witness is going to be tricked.”Months later, Dillon still hopes to get justiceRobert Dillon is relieved the arrest is off his record, but he wants to file a lawsuit to fight back against the injustice. After all, he said he can never get back the sleepless nights wondering if he’d serve time for a crime he never committed. “You cannot wrongfully imprison somebody. No matter who you are. Everybody’s got rights,” Dillon said. Gulf Coast News reached out to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department again, but they still refuse to answer any questions about their investigation.
A wrongful arrest has now been wiped from a Lee County man’s record.
Gulf Coast News first exposed the injustice months ago.
The arrest happened after artificial intelligence facial recognition led police to the wrong suspect.
“They say in life, everything happens for a reason. I can’t for the life of me figure out this one,” Robert Dillon, the man wrongfully arrested, told Gulf Coast News earlier this year.
‘How did this happen?’
One year ago, right outside his home in San Carlos Park, Dillon was arrested for a crime he never committed. His stunned reaction was captured on the body camera of the deputy who’d knocked on his door.
“I’m thinking, ‘How in the hell did this happen. How did this happen?'” Dillon recalled.
Dillon was accused of trying to lure a child at a fast-food restaurant more than 300 miles away in Jacksonville Beach.
Investigators there submitted restaurant surveillance photos of the suspect to an AI-assisted facial recognition program, which identified Dillon as a 93% match.
Beyond that, and a witness who picked his photo out of a lineup, there was no evidence tying him to it.
As Dillon first explained months ago, he’s never been to Jacksonville Beach.
“Out of the blue. They pick some guy that lives six and a half hours away and says, ‘This is you.’ It blew my mind,” Dillon said earlier this year.
Case dropped, arrest wiped from record
Once Dillon and his attorney provided evidence to show that he did not commit the crime, the state attorney’s office in Jacksonville dropped the case.
When Gulf Coast News first reported on it, a spokesman for the state attorney’s office said they were submitting paperwork to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for the case to be stricken from Dillon’s record.
Now, the spokesman confirmed Dillon is no longer in their system. His arrest mugshot — and his case file — are nowhere to be found online.
Not the first time…
“This is a technology that’s really dangerous, because it often gets it wrong. But police often treat it like it has to be right,” Nate Wessler said of facial recognition programs.
Wessler is an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. He focuses on government and police use of new technology, like the facial recognition in Dillon’s case.
“Now that we know about it, we want to dig deeper,” Wessler said of the case. “This is a real miscarriage of justice. And it’s the latest in a series of wrongful arrests we know of around the country after police relied on incorrect results from face recognition technology.”
In 2020, Robert Williams was wrongfully arrested in front of his home by Detroit police. His wife and two daughters watched it happen.
“I can’t really put it into words. It was one of the most shocking things I’ve ever had happen to me,” Williams said in an interview with the ACLU after his arrest.
A surveillance photo of a man stealing from a watch store was run through face recognition technology by investigators and identified Williams — who was nowhere near the store at time — as a possible match.
Wessler was part of the legal team that sued the city of Detroit on Williams’ behalf.
“The way to avoid this kind of travesty of justice is to either take this technology out of the hands of police, or lock it down really seriously with a set of policies and restrictions,” Wessler said.
Detroit PD changes policy after wrongful arrest
Williams’ lawsuit led to a settlement, which included not only a payout for him but also sparked a policy change within the Detroit PD.
In Williams’ case, much like Robert Dillon’s, police relied on two pieces of evidence: the face recognition match and someone picking his photo out of a lineup.
Now, in Detroit, more evidence is required to make an arrest.
“When you go straight from a face recognition result right to a photo lineup, there’s a high, high likelihood of tainting the reliability of that lineup,” Wessler explained. “You’re going to populate it with an innocent lookalike, plus five people who don’t look much like the suspect. And now you’ve just created this totally suggestible situation, where even a well-meaning witness is going to be tricked.”
Months later, Dillon still hopes to get justice
Robert Dillon is relieved the arrest is off his record, but he wants to file a lawsuit to fight back against the injustice.
After all, he said he can never get back the sleepless nights wondering if he’d serve time for a crime he never committed.
“You cannot wrongfully imprison somebody. No matter who you are. Everybody’s got rights,” Dillon said.
Gulf Coast News reached out to the Jacksonville Beach Police Department again, but they still refuse to answer any questions about their investigation.
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3 charged in fatal shooting of 6-year-old Detroit boy
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Three people have been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Rylee Love of Detroit, according to a news release from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy.
Worthy announced Demontrel Benard Wilson, 30, Deonate Cornealous Cherry, 28 and Terrance Jaland Blue, 28, all of Detroit, have been charged in the shooting.
According to Worthy, it is alleged that the defendants produced and fired handguns multiple times from a vehicle into a group of people standing near the intersection of Anglin Street and Stender Avenue. Stray bullets allegedly entered the residence in the 17400 block of Anglin Street, striking Rylee who was playing inside the house.
Frames photos honoring 6-year-old Rylee are displayed in a parking lot during a rally on Joseph Campau Street in Detroit on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Rylee was killed when a bullet from a drive-by shooting struck him while he was inside his home.
The suspects were arrested Wednesday, Aug. 20.
Wilson, Cherry and Blue have been charged with conspiracy to commit first degree murder, first degree murder, conspiracy to discharge firearms from a vehicle causing death, weapons-discharging firearms from a vehicle causing death. Wilson and Blue have also been charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.
Rylee was shot to death in the head by a stray bullet July 27 while he was inside his home in the 17400 block of Anglin Street in Detroit.
More: Mayor Mike Duggan, Chief Todd Bettison laud feds for helping decrease crime in Detroit
Police officers had been dispatched to the intersection of Anglin Street and Stender Avenue at about 8:58 p.m. July 27 for a reported shooting. When officers arrived, they were flagged down regarding a child gunshot wound victim.
Rylee was found in the bedroom of the home with a wound to the head.
“Rylee Love was the ultimate innocent victim,” Worthy said in the release. “The alleged actions of these defendants directly caused his senseless death. I have said many times that bullets have no eyes or sense of direction. The bullets in this case struck a child playing in his house and he will not see another day.”
Free Press reporter Andrea May Sahouri contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 charged in fatal shooting of 6-year-old Detroit boy Rylee Love
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Highland Park teen charged with hate crime, murder of transgender woman in Detroit
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Detroit Police Department
Malique Javon Fails was charged with murdering a transgender woman in Detroit.
An 18-year-old Highland Park man was charged with homicide and a hate crime Monday in connection with the brutal death of a transgender woman of color whose body was found behind a laundromat in Detroit.
Malique Javon Fails is accused of fatally assaulting Christina Hayes, 28, of Taylor, on June 21 before robbing her of cash and a cellphone. Police said her body was discovered later that day in an alley on the 17600 block of Woodward.
Hayes suffered severe injuries to her face and neck, police said.
A Detroit police investigation led to Fails’s arrest Friday. He was arraigned Monday in 36th District Court on charges of felony murder, larceny from a person, and a hate crime based on gender identity bias. He was ordered held without bond.
“This case represents a continuing pattern of vicious attacks and murders on trans women of color,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Monday. “Every single citizen of Wayne County has the right to lead their lives and be safe. We will bring the alleged murderer of Christina Hayes to justice.”
A probable cause hearing is scheduled for Aug. 26, and a preliminary examination is set for Sept. 2.
If convicted, Fails faces up to life in prison.
Nationwide, violence against transgender and gender-expansive people remains alarmingly high. In 2024, at least 32 of those individuals were murdered across the U.S., according to data compiled by the Human Rights Campaign. A study of 229 fatal incidents found that Black transgender women accounted for roughly 78% of all transgender women murdered in the U.S.
In February, Tahiry Broom, a 29-year-old Black transgender woman, was shot and killed in Detroit. In June 2023, Ashia Davis, another Black transgender woman from Detroit, was shot to death in a hotel. In 2018, Kelly Stough, a Black trans woman, was murdered in Detroit. The killer, former pastor Albert Weathers, later pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In 2015, then-Detroit Police James Craig pledged to crack down on crimes against LGBTQ+ people, saying many hate crimes go unreported.
“People in the LGBT community often don’t report crimes because there traditionally has not been a strong relationship with police,” Craig said. “We want to change that.”
Craig later appointed Officer Danielle Woods to serve as the department’s LGBTQ+ liaison. She still holds the position.
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Steve Neavling
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