June is Gun Violence Awareness Month.  To bring more attention to the issue, city officials dressed the Spirit of Detroit statue in an orange jersey last week as they ushered in their “Silence the Violence” campaign.  

It’s the second year the statue has donned the jersey.  

Detroit Police First Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes says the city has seen a 13% decrease in homicides compared to this time last year.  He spoke with WDET’s Bre’Anna Tinsley about the falling murder rate and the city’s efforts to continue reducing crime.

Interview edited for time and clarity.

First Assistant Chief Franklin Hayes: Yep, so we are down what equates to 16 less victims of gun violence here in the city. We had eight less homicides over this time last year, and eight less non-fatal shootings that occurred over this time last year. 

Detroit has a lot of things going on with the CVI (community violence intervention) programs, a lot of initiatives. Mayor Sheffield just announced a six-point plan to help bring violence down even more. But what else can the city do to help bring us closer to the goal? Well, we’re open to ideas. Everyone is doing something, as you mentioned, Madam Mayor Sheffield, and the resources she’s allocating to this Director Brent, who we heard earlier today at the different offices in this administration, certainly, what the police department can do. Our CVI groups, who have been an invaluable partner in this, this is all the work that we’re doing.

And if we see areas of opportunity, we will take up that as well and do that, because although we’ve seen the reductions and you’ve seen the numbers, still far too much gun violence here in this city, so we’re going to keep working at it.

Bre’Anna Tinsley, WDET:  You mentioned in your speech that you hold a lot of titles as father, as police, as an outdoorsman, and that means you have a lot of responsibility to be a responsible gun owner. Can you talk more about that, and also like what that should look like for other people who hold those titles as well?

FH: Extreme responsibility, extreme ownership, both literally and figuratively, of firearms. We have to set the example. We have to be the leaders, owning firearms in those spaces, being a responsible father, making sure that my firearms are safely stored or staged for my family, my friends, my nieces, my nephews, my daughter in the workspace, making sure again that it, that I secured, and make sure it’s well, and certainly for the hobbies that we mentioned, as a trap shooter and as an outdoorsman, as a hunter, making sure that they are secured safely, but often also utilized in the spaces where they should be.

We have historically dealt with issues of gunfire throughout the city. We know what happens on New Year’s Day, and we’re trying to change that behavior as well, and others that are treating our city like a gun range. So, again, making sure that I don’t have any of the firearms that I own available to do that, but also in these roles, whether I’m talking to fellow outdoorsmen, whether I’m talking to other dad groups or other parents, and certainly my colleagues in law enforcement, not only here but around the country, to encourage safe storage and responsibly securing our firearm, so they don’t get into the wrong hands and something bad happens.

BT: There was a young man who spoke earlier, he said that the first time he picked up a gun was around 13 years old. How many of our youth are also on that path right now?

FH: Far too many, but with the commitment again of this administration, this police chief, police department, and our CVI partners, we are working to change that narrative day by day, making sure that that is not the norm for our young Detroiters and future leaders of the city.

Detroit Police want to extend their contract with ShotSpotter before it expires at the end of the month. But DPD officials tell city council they’re searching for alternatives to the technology. 

Detroit City Council has expressed concerns about ShotSpotter’s surveillance tech in the past and they have questions about the effectiveness and security of the system. 

DPD Officer Mathew Pencil frequently responds to ShotSpotter incidents in the city’s ninth precinct.

He told council members that hearing gunfire is so common in the city, that sometimes residents won’t even call 911. “Sometimes residents are afraid. Sometimes they can’t tell where they came from, or they assume someone else will call. ShotSpotter doesn’t hesitate, it doesn’t panic, it doesn’t look away. It alerts immediately, and it gives the chance to intervene while seconds matter on the street.” 

Pencil says ShotSpotter’s surveillance is the reason police responded after 66 shots were fired in one neighborhood on the night of August 17, 2025, minutes before anyone called 911. 

The city’s Public Health and Safety Committee voted to postpone a decision on the contract until next week in order to hear from residents first. 

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Additional headlines from Tuesday, June 2, 2026

UAW strike

About a thousand UAW members went on strike at the Dauch Corporation factory in Three Rivers Monday. Dauch is the company once known as American Axle. The Three Rivers plant is the company’s largest in Michigan. It makes axles for General Motors. 

The union says Dauch is refusing to restore fair wages after the workers took cuts during the Great Recession. UAW President Shawn Fain kicked off the strike with a video saying “no contract…no axles.”

The Detroit News reports the strike could disrupt production of pickup trucks in Flint if it goes on for more than a couple of weeks. 

Pheasant Flock Party

This weekend, you might want to pop into Detroit’s first ever Pheasant Flock Party. Brewery Faison and the Detroit Bird Alliance are co-hosting the event Saturday where Michiganders and Michigeese can partake in a bird festival block party.

There will be a bird impersonation pageant, a “crow-off,” bird-themed workshops and games, a “pheasant strut” (as one does) and a meet and greet with Fabio the Pheasant.

The Pheasant Flock Party is Saturday from noon until 6 p.m. at Brewery Faison at 1087 Beaufait Street on the city’s east side.

Vault of Midnight hosts game night

Vault of Midnight hosts its monthly game night Sunday in Hamtramck. This month’s featured games include Wondrous Creatures, High Society Yokai Carnival, some tiny games and more.

Detroit Vault of Midnight Game Night is every first Sunday from 5 – 8 p.m. at Florian East Lagers and Ales at 9350 Joseph Campau in Hamtramck. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Public access to the Wayne County Airport Authority’s monthly meetings has changed, according to officials and an inside source. The move follows public opposition to the use of Willow Run Airport by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation-related flights earlier this year.

In February, the WCAA ended an option for the public to attend monthly meetings remotely while keeping the option available for some employees.

Officials say the decision to end remote attendance is meant to prioritize those who attend the meeting in-person and is a part of a broader shift to the Authority’s pre-pandemic policy. However, an inside source says the change is a reaction to strong public opposition against the use of Willow Run Airport for ICE deportation flights.

An anonymous whistleblower shared internal communication with WDET that shows while the public will be barred from attending public meetings remotely, some employees will still be offered the option. Those employees must first be vetted by the officials before receiving a unique, traceable link to attend. 

The source also tells WDET that public comment had previously been moved to the end of each monthly meeting, raising concerns that the change will limit public input before major decisions are made. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act, WDET requested all flight activity records, agreements, contracts, communications, and financial records related to the use of Willow Run Airport by ICE.

The airport authority is charging WDET $7,991.68 for the information.

A former Detroit Police sergeant accused of raping six women and girls will stand trial. The Detroit Free Press reports Benjamin Wagner faces 20 charges, including criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping. 

Prosecutors allege that he committed the crimes between 1999 and 2003, attacking females ranging from 14 to 23 years old. He was charged in March, based on DNA evidence from a rape kit that sat in storage for years. The survivors testified against Wagner at his preliminary hearing. 

His lawyer argued some of their stories had changed over the years. A judge ruled that enough evidence exists to let a jury decide.  

Additional headlines for Tuesday, May 19, 2026

DHS may end TPS for Burmese refugees

The Department of Homeland Security wants to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese refugees. TPS allows those fleeing dangerous conditions in their home country to live and work in the U.S. 

TPS status was granted when the U.S. declared the mass killings of the Rohingya people a decade ago to be genocide. A federal judge postponed the effort to end Temporary Protected Status for Burmese refugees. DHS claimed conditions were safe enough for refugees to return.  

Detroit sidewalk repairs

The city currently has a backlog of 6,300 sidewalk repair requests. Some residents have been waiting up to five years for a response. 

Detroit City Council approved an $8 million contract two weeks ago to fix the sidewalks and allocated an additional $1.5 million in carry-over funds from the previous budget. 

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield says when she was on city council, she constantly received questions about sidewalk repairs. “Oftentimes I think we think about big developments and big investments that residents want and deserve in their neighborhoods, but it’s also about simple quality of life things like lights and sidewalks that residents deserve to get addressed.” 

Officials say the backlog should be cleared by the end of this construction season. The city is now taking requests for 2027.  

-Reporting by Bre’Anna Tinsley

Chemical clean up

Monsanto and the state of Michigan have reached a settlement to help pay for cleaning up PCB contamination. 

PCBs are a class of chemicals that had a wide range of industrial uses before they were banned. They’re linked to cancer, weakened immune systems and neurological disfunction, among other things. 

PCBs are particularly troublesome because they persist in the environment and build up in the food chain. For example, the state has had to issue advisories warning people not to eat certain types of fish because of contamination.

Attorney General Dana Nessel says Monsanto has agreed to pay somewhere between $108 million and $240 million once the settlement is paid in full. As part of the deal, Monsanto does not acknowledge any wrongdoing.

It will be up to the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the Department of Natural Resources to develop cleanup plans. 

-Reporting by Rick Pluta

Local governments prepare to spend opioid settlement money

Local governments in Michigan are sitting on $176 million from the nationwide opioid settlement. The attorney general’s office reports that cities, townships, and counties have spent less than 20% of the money they’ve received since checks started going out in 2023. The funds are supposed to help communities reduce drug overdoses and deaths. An adviser to the Michigan Association of Counties tells Bridge Michigan some local governments are preparing to spend part of that money this year.

Last year, Michigan recorded the fewest drug-related deaths since 2013. 

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Over the weekend in downtown Detroit, a 14-year-old boy was shot in the chest near Library Street and Grand River Avenue. Two groups of teenagers had converged outside a Gucci store. Police say there was an argument and one teen, in the chief’s words, “decided to settle it with a firearm.” The boy is expected to live.

For months, teenagers across the country have been mobilizing each other on social media and meeting up. In Detroit, it has been mostly just noise — kids hanging out, looking for something to do in a city that wasn’t built with them in mind.

Some nights, it has turned chaotic.

Last weekend alone, Detroit police detained 109 teenagers across two large gatherings downtown and at Palmer Park, almost all for breaking curfew.

The city’s answer is to give teenagers somewhere to go and enforce the rules more strictly. Mayor Mary Sheffield is working with organizers to move the gatherings into sanctioned spaces. Police are leaning into the existing curfew — 10 p.m. for kids under 16, 11 p.m. for 16 and 17-year-olds—and ticketing parents whose children break it.

One member of the Board of Police Commissioners says this isn’t enough. Darious Morris represents District 3 on the civilian board that oversees the Detroit Police Department. He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to talk about what the city owes its teenagers, and what their parents owe them, too.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

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We start today off by spinning bright and dreamy melodies from The Marías, Wolf Alice, Kurt Vile and Divorce before easing into a run of Latin music from Rubén Blades, Willie Bobo, Orquesta Akokán, and Gabriel Rios. 

Along the way, award-winning author, poet, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib joins us live in the studio for a conversation. We also weave in a few of his personal selections, including Detroit-rooted favorites from Slum Village and J Dilla, alongside tracks from Fireworks, Detroit techno pioneer K. Hand, and Amp Fiddler. 

Check the playlist below and listen to the episode for two weeks after it airs using the player above. 

In The Groove with Ryan Patrick Hooper playlist for May 19, 2026 

• “Jealous Boy” – The Bug Club 

• “Julie’s Place” – Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever 

• “Zoom 97” – Kurt Vile 

• “If You Were The Woman, And I Was The Man (Live)” – Cowboy Junkies 

• “I’LL BE YOUR FRIEND” – Ruti 

• “Hush” – The Marías 

• “Hit My Head All Day” – Dry Cleaning 

• “Angles Mortz” – Nightbus 

• “Enough” – PVA 

• “My Room” – Divorce 

• “White Horses” – Wolf Alice 

• “All My Freaks” – Divorce 

• “I Will Follow” – U2 

• “Zodiac Shit” – Flying Lotus 

• “Déjà Vu” – Ryan Porter 

• “Bunny” – Ashley Henry & The RE: Ensemble 

• “La Vie En Rose” – Grace Jones 

• “Pedro Navaja” – Ruben Blades 

• “Fried Neck Bones and Some Homefries” – Willie Bobo 

• “Con Altura” – Orquesta Akokán 

• “El diablo” – Gabriel Rios 

• “La torre (feat. Devendra Banhart)” – Gabriel Rios 

• “Coeur” – PPJ 

• “Spellbinder” – Gabor Szabo 

• “Reunion” – Slum Village & J Dilla 

• “I Want to Start a Religion With You” – Fireworks 

• “Work That Body” – K. Hand 

• “Dreamin’ (Radio Version)” – Amp Fiddler 

Listen to In the Groove with host Ryan Patrick Hooper weekdays from noon-3 p.m. ET on 101.9 WDET or stream on-demand at wdet.org. 

Last month, hundreds of Oakland County residents packed a Pontiac meeting room. They came to speak against a proposal that would put surveillance drones, built by a company called Flock Safety, into the hands of the county sheriff.

Police nationwide have used Flock cameras to run thousands of immigration-related searches on behalf of ICE.

Many residents did not get a chance to speak. Just before the discussion began, Commission Chair Dave Woodward held a vote to move public comment to the end of the meeting, after the contract had already passed.

When Commissioner Charlie Cavell asked for a roll call vote — to make every commissioner go on the record — Woodward denied it and moved on.

The drones were approved, 14-4.

After that meeting, residents launched a campaign to recall Woodward, and by late April, petition language was approved. 

Yesterday, Woodward appealed that approval in Oakland County Circuit Court. If a circuit judge upholds the petition language, organizers will have 60 days to gather roughly 9,000 signatures across Royal Oak, Birmingham, and parts of Troy.

Woodward has called the recall “a distraction.” 

He joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to discuss the recall effort, his business connections that have prompted ethical concerns, and whether he should have handled that April meeting differently.

Editor’s note: During this conversation, Woodward said some people involved in the recall campaign are advocating for political violence. The Metro reviewed the social media posts Woodward referred to. In one, a person supporting the recall effort praised Luigi Mangione — the man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December of 2024 — calling him “the closest thing to a superhero we have.” A leader of the recall campaign says that supporter is no way affiliated with the campaign. 

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

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More stories from The Metro

The Detroit police and fire departments have released a video of a man who started a fire inside Huntington Place last month.

Officials say on the morning of April 28 a man poured gasoline onto the carpet in the convention center’s first floor concourse and set the carpet on fire.

Police are looking for information about the man – dressed in all black, wearing a grey face mask and carrying a black backpack. Anyone with information can contact the Police Department’s Fire Investigation Division at 313-596-2940. 

Additional headlines for Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Michigan Supreme Court hears lawsuit against House Speaker Matt Hall

Union members and lawmakers will gather at the State Supreme Court Wednesday to support sending several bills passed during the 2023-2024 legislative session to the governor for her signature. Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall has held the bills back. The court will hear oral arguments this week.

The 9 bills affect pensions for corrections officers, health insurance premiums for public workers and garnishment policies for low income residents – among other issues.

Judge halts termination of TPS for Yemenis

A judge in the Southern District of New York has stopped the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Yemeni nationals living in the U.S.

Then Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced in March that Yemen no longer met the conditions for TPS designation. TPS protections and benefits were supposed to end May 4, but District Judge Dale Ho said last week that the Trump administration did not follow the law when it revoked TPS status for people fleeing armed conflict in Yemen.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule this summer on DHS attempts to terminate TPS status for Haitians and Syrians. 

High school marks end of first E-sports season

Denby High School has wrapped up its first E-sports season.

School leaders say video gaming has already led to higher grade point averages. The E-sports program at the Eastside school offers students the opportunity to compete with other schools in gaming, commentating and graphic design.

Korran “Ms. Que” Whittake tracks student progress in the E-Sports program. “I want to see kids really getting into school and using this platform… to really get into school and doing something that they like,” says Whittake. She hopes that the E-sports program leads to higher GPAs and more opportunities for students.

The E-Sports program has already led to one student receiving a full scholarship to Olivet College.

-Reporting by WDET’s Jonathan Roden

Drinks x Design

Drinks x Design will explore product design in the city. The event will shine a spotlight on Caroline Del Guidice, Jimmy Ward, Ryan Kahen, Kyle Stahler, The Duey Dealer, Eric Strebel, Botzen Design, Vidit Singh, Shayla Johnson, All Motion Studio, Hanna Garza and more! 

Drinks x Design is May 7 at Vander Design, with music by Ember LaFiamma and food by Waka Street Food. The event is free but reservation is required. 

Listen to the latest episode of the “Detroit Evening Report” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

The U.S. Justice Department wants Wayne County to hand over ballots from the 2024 election. Justice officials claim the county surrounding Detroit has a “history of fraud convictions and other allegations.” 

Michigan officials say the few examples of fraud cited by the Justice Department out of millions of votes cast were not connected to the 2024 election. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson—who is running for governor as a Democrat—says she believes President Trump is trying to manufacture fear among voters. 

Michigan’s Republican-controlled state senate also found no evidence of widespread or systemic fraud in the 2020 election.

-Reporting by Quinn Klinefelter

Additional headlines for Tuesday, April 21, 2026

Detroit representatives co-sponsor water access, affordability bills

Detroit-area representatives are among those co-sponsoring water access and affordability bills in the U.S. House. If passed, he bills would create an Environmental Protection Agency program that provides access to clean water for low-income households. 

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell is one of the sponsors of the legislation. She says clean, accessible, affordable drinking water is a basic human right. The bills would also prohibit water shutoffs and give equal protection for renters and homeowners. 

These bills are similar to ones Dingell and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib got passed in 2021, though funding was allowed to run out in the Republican-controlled House. 

-Reporting by Russ McNamara

Dearborn invests in new developments

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud says the city and its private sector partners are investing $180 million in a wide variety of developments, including new housing. Hammoud says the city has already reviewed and approved some concept plans and is speeding up the permitting process.

Volunteers needed for Cinco De Mayo Fiesta

Raíces Detroit is looking for volunteers for its Cinco de Mayo Fiesta and Parade. Volunteers will serve in a variety of roles, including event set-up and breakdown, assistance with parade staging, vendor support and more.

The Fiesta will be Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3. The parade will be held on Sunday.

To volunteer, contact Raíces Detroit at 313-404-0850. 

Interfaith Odysseys explores Islam

The Interfaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit invites the community to explore Islam as a part of its Interfaith Odysseys program in May. Attendees will visit the Islamic Center of America – the largest mosque in the United States. The event includes a tour of the mosque, an introduction to Islam and a warm meal.

Guests will also view the “Art, Faith and Sacred Space” exhibit of work by Lebanese-born artist Haroutioun Isack Bastajian. Interfaith Odysseys are designed for all members of the family.

Joyce Foundation seeks to fund artists

The Joyce Foundation is offering artists across the Great Lakes a chance at a hundred thousand dollars in unrestricted funds for community-focused projects.

Artists in Michigan can nominate themselves through May 4. The Joyce Awards artists in the visual, performing, film, literary and media arts exploring issues of racial equity and engaging communities through collaboration. 

For more information and to apply, visit www.joycefdn.org/grants.  

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Large groups of teenagers have been gathering in downtown Detroit organized on TikTok and Snapchat. It’s part of a national trend being called “teen takeovers.” Most of the kids were just hanging out. But some of these gatherings turned chaotic. There have been brawls, vandalism, and an attempted robbery on Woodward. On April 11, a gun was fired, though no one was hurt.

Two of the 16-year-olds who organized the first gathering sat next to Mayor Mary Sheffield at a press conference last week. Daveion Page said he did it because he was bored. Danasha’ Tidwell said the violence that followed was “harmful and very unacceptable.”

Where can Detroit kids go to be safe and have fun? And, what’s the responsibility of a city to help grow and develop young people? 

Jerjuan Howard is the first director of Detroit’s new Office of Youth Affairs. He’s also an Army veteran, founder of the Umoja Debate League, and the owner of a new bookstore on Puritan Avenue. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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The U.S. Forest Service is shutting down all four of its research centers in Michigan as part of a nationwide reorganization, sparking concerns about the future health of forests in the Great Lakes.

According to environmental advocates, the closure could increase problems like invasive pests and diseases, as well as harm wildlife, outdoor recreation, and forest biomes. 

Emma Shedd is with the Sierra Club’s Michigan Chapter. She says the importance of these research centers cannot be ignored.

“It is a big deal….there are a lot of impacts that we can expect to see [like layoffs and loss of skilled research staff]…we can [also] expect to see a much weaker agency, and that trickles down to a lack of regional research to support our forests here [in Michigan].” 

Researchers with the U.S. Forest Service study forest health, monitor invasive species, and collect long-term data that help both federal and state agencies make decisions. Shedd says this includes a nationwide program which guides actions about logging, wildlife habitats, water quality, and outdoor activities.

Without these facilities, she says, a lot of that work could be reduced or lost. 

Shedd says, “Forest management is a long term game…we’ve got rotations of 60 to 80 to 100 years going on in our forest, and so having a lack of management now…has effects that span whole lifetimes.” 

She says Michigan residents who oppose the drastic cuts to the U.S. Forest Service should call their representatives. “This is something that we really need to push back on for… the health of our forests in the long term,” Shedd says.

This story is a part of WDET’s ongoing series, the Detroit Tree Canopy Project.

Food is more than what’s on your plate. It’s a direct reflection of identity, of history, it’s a reflection of access and or lack of justice. 

In communities across this country, where you live can shape what you eat, how you eat, and even how long you live. The truth is that our food systems are rooted in histories that include displacement, inequity, and harm.

Who’s responsibility is it to actively repair these systems, when we all collectively share this knowledge? 

The Joy Project is not only asking those questions, but working to create space for education, and community healing through food.

Founded by Detroit native Gabrielle Knox and Oakland California native Josmine Evans, The Joy Project wants to reconnect people with ancestral foodways and land practices. They aim to educate and spread joy through building historical and cultural relationships between Black, brown, and Indigenous communities and the soil.

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