OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Neighborhood Community Service Standing Committee Meeting - May 7, 2026

City CouncilThursday, May 7, 2026
BodyDetroit, Michigan
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, May 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Neighborhood community service standing committee will now come into order with a clerk.

0:04

Please go roll.

0:05

Council President Pro Tim Coleman A Young the second.

0:08

Here.

0:09

Councilmember Scott Benson.

0:11

Councilmember Renata Miller.

0:13

Mr.

0:13

Chair, you have a quorum.

0:15

Excellent.

0:17

Is there a motion to approve the minutes?

0:19

Motion made.

0:20

Are there any objections?

0:22

Hearing none.

0:23

The minutes will be approved.

0:26

Negative chairmarks will now go on to public comment.

0:29

Seeing there is no one here in the audience.

0:31

How many people do we have virtually, Mr.

0:33

Bo?

0:38

Mr.

0:38

Chair, we currently have six individuals with their hand raised for public comment.

0:44

All right, public comment is now closed.

0:46

Public comment is now closed.

0:49

Public comment is now closed.

0:53

All right.

0:53

Who do you have first in the queue, Mr.

0:54

Bo?

0:57

Mr.

0:57

Chair, the first caller is Blackbag.

1:00

All right, Blackbag.

1:01

Floor is yours, two minutes.

1:16

All right, black bag once.

1:21

Black bag going twice.

1:25

Black bag going three times.

1:30

Black bag going three times in the third.

1:33

All right, black bags.

1:34

Submit your uh questions in writing.

1:38

Who do we have next in the queue?

1:39

Mr.

1:40

Bo.

1:42

Mr.

1:43

Chair, the next caller ending 039.

1:45

All right, 039.

1:46

Floor is yours.

1:47

Two minutes, 039.

1:56

039.

2:00

039 going once.

2:05

039 going twice.

2:10

039 going three times.

2:15

039 going three times on the third.

2:18

All right, thank you, 039.

2:20

Submit your question in writing.

2:21

Who do we have next in the queue, Mr.

2:22

Bo?

2:26

Mr.

2:26

Chair, the next caller is Betty A.

2:28

Varner.

2:28

All right, Miss Varner, floor is yours.

2:30

Two minutes.

2:47

Ms.

2:48

Varner going once.

2:51

Is everything working on our end?

2:55

This is highly unusual.

3:08

All right.

3:20

Okay.

3:25

Good afternoon.

3:26

There we go.

3:27

All right.

3:28

Ms.

3:28

Varner Dolph.

3:30

Good afternoon.

3:31

Good afternoon.

3:32

This is Ben D A Barner, president of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association.

3:37

Here to talk about my Fink Accorder.

3:39

We are still in need of monies.

3:42

We do have a businesses.

3:45

We have a business that has opened up on our Fink Accorder.

3:49

And we have a husband and wife team that is opening up and working on a building that has been closed for over 30 years.

4:00

And their plan is to have a home care agency right there on Finco and Monica.

4:10

Also, there is a brother team that is in the process of they want to open up a mini market with I think it's six gas pumps right there on Wyoming and Finco where the uh McDonald's was located.

4:31

We are a food desert.

4:33

We are in need in this uh of this uh mini market.

4:37

Uh they have been supportive of my black club and they're working with the uh Finkel Business Association.

4:46

So I'm hoping when they get to uh the council that the council will be supportive of this uh well, their name is the Dabishes Dabitch, and they are very very supportive, and I'm excited about them wanting to open up a business in our community because they could have gone anywhere to spent their money.

5:00

So I'm hoping when they get to uh the council that the council will be supportive of this uh what their name is the dabishes that bitch and they are very very supportive and I'm excited about them wanting to open up a business in our community because they could have went anywhere to spend their money, and so uh I'm happy about that, but we are still in need and support from the city and the council.

5:20

We need monies for our think of corridor uh to keep it cleaned up and to bring more development.

5:27

Thank you for this time.

5:28

God bless you all.

5:29

Thank you.

5:30

I appreciate that.

5:30

Who do we have next in the queue, Mr.

5:32

Bo?

5:35

Mr.

5:35

Chair, the next caller's owner papa.

5:37

All right, floor is yours, two minutes.

5:43

Um, good afternoon, and through the chair, may I be heard?

5:46

Yes, you may, two minutes.

5:47

Uh thank you.

5:48

Um Miss Miller's uh buttsol um recreation um uh memorandum on the agenda.

5:57

I don't know if it's going to be discussed today, but uh uh let me say that the um the fact that we own the Butzel Center as the city of Detroit, and we're not able to control the Butzel Center as the city of Detroit is concerning to me.

6:13

If the government is pulling against the residents, um where we're in serious trouble.

6:19

Um I'm not sure why this is in your committee, and you don't have the dirty dirt holes that are all over the neighborhoods, which should be of great concern to you, and you're being uh on this this memorandum about a development that should be with another council members uh department if there needs to be a serious conversation around this issue, be and and uh 6.1 is troubling or confusing to me.

6:49

Subdual, subdual, updutal, uh hold the soul food and RB festival.

6:56

Uh I don't know what's happening in the city, but we're losing control, any control, and as the gentleman mentioned today, we are a predominantly black city.

7:09

But it seems as though we are incapable of doing our jobs, especially when we hear from McDaniel say that we have to have a law in order to hire our people is the reason why we have the numbers we have.

7:27

I think we have the numbers that we have because we have people that are over us who really have an inferiority complex.

7:34

They feel like they can't do, so they have to go go to other people to do.

7:41

We need a mindset change, and it needs to occur really fast.

7:46

Thank you.

7:47

All right, thank you.

7:48

Who do we have next in the queue, Mr.

7:50

Bo?

7:54

Mr.

7:54

Chair, the next caller is legendary Detroiter.

7:57

All right, legendary Detroiter, floor is yours.

8:00

Two minutes.

8:05

What's up, Coleman?

8:08

Now I got several devices logged into this for one particular reason.

8:14

It's turn up time in the city of Detroit, the city I love.

8:18

It's turn up time.

8:21

Okay.

8:25

Demonstrated and proved it.

8:27

There are no gun stabilies on the entry wound, throwing through a wound, no bullet fragment recovered at the scene, aggravated assault complaint, followed by detect detective Dudric Mott of the 8th precinct, buried by the homicide division.

8:44

Rebecca McKay, commander of the homicide division says she has evidence.

8:49

She said it to me at the Board of Police Commissioners meeting in the hallway.

8:53

She ain't got no evidence because Kenisha did not commit suicide.

8:57

It's a false a double dollar sign, bogus a double dollar sign tag placed upon her by Jeffrey Hudson, Sisting Wayne County Medical Examiner, lead investigator, Marco Brasad, former captain of the homicide unit, Derek May.

9:21

And I ain't lying about sugar honey ice tea.

9:24

They has to plot to do a cover up, and it turned into a cover up of a cover up of a cover up of an attempted cover up.

9:35

Oh, I missed the other cover-up part that was in there.

9:38

But they busted.

9:41

Take the tag above Nini's mama.

9:44

That's what she won't.

9:45

That's what she asked for and requested on February the 12th, 2021.

9:52

It's now 2026.

9:55

And I miss the rule.

10:00

Six fire rule, seven mile rule, and it's turn up time.

10:03

CF5 coming.

10:05

530.

10:07

All right.

10:08

Thank you.

10:08

Who do we have next in the queue?

10:12

Mr.

10:12

Cher, the next caller isn't resident.

10:17

All right, resident.

10:18

Floor is yours.

10:19

Two minutes, resident.

10:26

Yes, good afternoon, man.

10:27

Be hurry.

10:28

Yes, you may.

10:29

Two minutes.

10:31

Well, in case uh you haven't read the Detroit City Charter, and I know some staff haven't.

10:37

Please ask your staff to read the charter.

10:39

And I'm tired of the perverse interpretations of the charter by Conrad Mallet.

10:44

This whole thing about building an apartment building on the Butzel family parking lot in a city that has acres and acres and acres of vacant land is just absolutely obscene.

10:55

It's a violation of the charter.

10:57

We have uh a right to expect aggressive action, not to encroach or dismantle our assets.

11:03

Aggressive actions means due diligence, and also that due diligence was lacking in the solar farm.

11:10

No alternative study, putting people through the misery of eminent domain when the city was too lazy and or corrupt to come up with an alternative plan, like uh the putting solar panels on parking lots or former industrial sites, but oh no, and why is the city cutting down trees on a parcel of land it all it does not have legal title to yet?

11:35

That's a problem, and uh at Mr.

11:39

Bet well anyway.

11:41

So again, the nuisance abatement program is illegal, Coleman.

11:45

I don't know if you have anybody that like knows how to read legal documents on your staff, but you're specifically prohibited.

11:51

No, you're not the one that signed off on this.

11:53

That was Gabe Leland and the council from 2014.

11:57

The problem is they didn't have the legal authority to allow them to do this.

12:01

It's specifically prohibited in the Michigan Fast Track Land Bank Authority Act.

12:05

It's specifically prohibited in the intergovernmental agreement signed by Kevin Orr in 2013 that you're still functioning under.

12:13

The longer you let this go on, the greater the liability for the rest of us and the absolute negligence of people who will not listen to the member waters who was in the legislature when they pass this law, but you keep on doing it and making people miserable, stealing people's property.

12:29

All right, thank you for that.

12:30

We appreciate it.

12:30

Who here next in the queue?

12:33

Mr.

12:33

Chair, next caller is cutting him.

12:35

All right, cutting him.

12:36

Floor is yours.

12:37

Two minutes, cutting him.

12:47

Excuse the background noise.

12:49

Can you hear me?

12:50

Yes, true it is.

12:52

Yes, sir.

12:53

Hello everybody.

12:55

What up, though?

12:56

Um 313 444, 9114.

13:01

313 is 44494.

13:05

313 4449114.

13:09

That number was made, so you can remember it.

13:13

I am really perturbed about clergy and my fellow Christians being so stoic and about those that are you know uh low income or uh or trying to rise up to a higher level of an employment and income.

13:34

All right, also a couple ministers told me uh they seen me give out bus tickets at the meetings, and they said that if they found their way there, they'll find their way back, just so stoic, also the scripture being used.

13:53

Um the poor would always be among us, so there's no sense of urgency to assist folks trying to rise up to a higher level, uh higher social economic level, just so stoic, they're all about bins as Hummers, money, and stuff for themselves.

14:16

Uh and these are folks of the claw.

14:18

These are these are folks that are are are my fellow believers.

14:22

Uh D dot is not on time, it's not clean, uh, it needs to improve.

14:28

Uh, and I hear this all the time in my outreach vehicle.

14:32

Uh, when they hop in complaints about it not being on time.

14:36

If anyone under the sign of my voice wants to donate and assist cash up, that's 313 4449114.

14:43

I need bus tickets, and if you want to do a bus ride along 313 444 911.

14:51

All right, thank you, Ms.

14:52

Cunningham.

14:52

We appreciate you and what you do.

14:54

Who is next in the queue, Mr.

14:56

Bo?

14:57

Mr.

15:00

It's Nini's friend.

15:02

I think Nini's friend already spoke.

15:05

Oh, but we we're gonna see anyway.

15:07

Nini's friend.

15:10

Nini's friend.

15:13

Yeah.

15:15

All right, you already spoke.

15:16

We love you.

15:16

All right, bruh.

15:18

All right.

15:19

Anybody else in the queue?

15:22

That was the last caller with the hand raised for public comment.

15:25

All righty then.

15:26

We will now move on to unfinished business.

15:30

Line of 5.1 status of council member Renata Miller.

15:34

Uh Renee Miller, excuse me.

15:36

Uh submitted memorandum to request for written analysis, proposed development at Butzel Family Recreation Center.

15:43

Um I don't know.

15:47

Line of 5.1 was brought back during last week's committee.

15:50

Do we have an update from LPD?

15:53

Yes, uh, Phil Keller, LPD to the chair.

15:56

Uh, we were able to get this report sent out to the committee and submitted about an hour ago.

16:01

Okay, it's a pretty lengthy report, so uh assuming it'll need to be brought back, but available to answer any questions about it as well.

16:09

Okay, so we can move, we can uh motion to receive and file.

16:14

Yeah, you can receive and file the memo, and then the actual report should show up next week.

16:19

Okay.

16:20

Discussion just yeah, chair recognizes uh vice chair Benson.

16:25

Uh Mr.

16:26

Chair, I'm gonna motion just to bring it back just to give the uh yeah, I thought so too committee member opportunity to speak up to it.

16:32

Motion's been made to bring back lineup 5.1 in one week.

16:35

Is there uh are there any objections here in the line of 5.1 be brought back in one week?

16:41

All right, uh moving on to new business line on 6.1 petition of Said Abdul request to hold the soul food, the R H the R and B festival on June 27th, 2026 from 2 p.m.

16:54

to 10 p.m.

16:54

the same day at Roosevelt Park.

16:57

So it will begin at 8 a.m.

16:59

on June 26, 2026 and be completed by 12 p.m.

17:03

on June 27th, 2026.

17:08

Teardown will begin at 10 p.m.

17:10

on June 27, 2026, and we'll be completed by 11 a.m.

17:14

June 28th, 2026.

17:16

There, motion to move line item 6.1 to formal session with recommendation for approval.

17:20

We put on to new business.

17:22

Are any objections?

17:24

Motion has been made.

17:25

Are there any objections?

17:27

Here in the line 6.1, we move to formal session.

17:30

We recognition for approval we put on to new business.

17:33

Line 06.2 petition of tech Troit Electronic Music Festival 501c3 request to hold the Tech Troy Electronic Music Festival on June 26, 2026 from 4 p.m.

17:46

until 11 p.m.

17:47

on June 28th, 2026 at 1151 Taylor Street.

17:50

Setup will begin at 8 a.m.

17:52

on June 26, 2026.

17:54

It'd be completed by 4 p.m.

17:55

on the same day.

17:56

Tear down will begin on 11 p.m.

17:58

on June 28, 2026.

18:00

It'd be completed by 8 p.m.

18:02

on June 29th, 2026.

18:04

Their motion is saying line of 6.2 to formal session with record age for approval, we put onto new business.

18:10

Motion made are any objections?

18:12

Here and none.

18:13

Line on 6.2 we move to formal session with recommendations for approval.

18:16

We put on to new business.

18:18

We will now move to memory reports.

18:20

Chair recognizes Vice Chairman Benson.

18:23

Well, Mr.

18:24

Chair, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers.

18:26

Excellent.

18:27

Happy Mother Day from me as well.

18:29

I want to remind you that this Tuesday, May 12th, uh I am going to be having our community at large evening meeting.

18:39

It's going to stay a dinner at 5:30 p.m.

18:43

A dinner at 5 30 p.m.

18:45

And then the at-large evening meeting will be at 7.

18:48

So we have a dinner at 5 30.

18:50

And then the at-large community meeting will be at 7.

18:53

It's going to be at the Northwest Activity Center.

18:56

1800 Myers Road, Detroit, Michigan.

19:00

That is 1800.

19:03

So 180 Myers Road at Northwest Activity Center.

19:13

We're going to have a dinner at 5:30.

19:15

And then we will start the at large evening community meeting at 7 o'clock.

19:20

Hope to see you there.

19:22

And without objection, neighborhood community service standards will now be adjourned.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████31%
Economic Development███████████████████████████████31%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Land Bank██████████10%
Parks and Recreation███████7%
Public Transit██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Neighborhood Community Service Standing Committee Meeting

Date: May 7, 2026

The Neighborhood Community Service Standing Committee met on May 7, 2026, under the chairmanship of Council President Pro Tem Coleman A. Young II. The committee addressed public comments on community development and city operations, reviewed a report on the proposed development at the Butzel Family Recreation Center, and approved two special event permits.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Betty A. Varner (President of the Soda Elsewhere Black Association) spoke in support of the Fenkell Corridor development, highlighting a new home care agency opening at Fenkell and Monica and a brother team planning a mini market with gas pumps at Wyoming and Fenkell (former McDonald's site). She urged the council to support these businesses and requested city funding for corridor cleanup and further development.
  • Caller identifying as "owner papa" expressed concern about the Butzel Center, noting that the city owns but cannot control the facility. He criticized the memorandum on the Butzel development as being out of place in the committee and expressed confusion over the Soul Food and R&B Festival item. He also referenced hiring issues in the city and called for a mindset change.
  • Caller identifying as "legendary Detroiter" alleged a cover-up in the death of Kenisha, accusing the Wayne County Medical Examiner and homicide detectives of mishandling the case. He demanded the removal of a false suicide tag and called for accountability.
  • Caller identifying as "resident" argued that building an apartment on the Butzel Family Recreation Center parking lot violates the Detroit City Charter, given the availability of vacant land. He criticized the city's solar farm eminent domain and tree cutting on land not yet owned, and claimed the nuisance abatement program is illegal under state law and existing agreements.
  • Caller identifying as "cutting him" (likely Cunningham) criticized clergy for being unsupportive of low-income residents, noted issues with DDOT bus service (unreliable, unclean), and requested donations of bus tickets via phone (313-444-9114).

Discussion Items

  • Status of Councilmember Renata Miller's Memorandum on Butzel Family Recreation Center Development (Line 5.1): Phil Keller of the Legislative Policy Division (LPD) reported that a lengthy written analysis had been submitted to the committee about an hour prior. Committee members opted to bring the item back for discussion in one week to allow time for review.
  • Special Event Permits: The committee considered two event petitions. Both were moved to formal session with recommendations for approval.

Key Outcomes

  • Line 5.1 (Butzel Development Report): Received and filed; brought back for further discussion in one week (May 14, 2026).
  • Line 6.1 (Soul Food and R&B Festival): Petition by Said Abdul to hold the festival on June 27, 2026 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Roosevelt Park, with setup June 26 and teardown through June 28. Approved for formal session.
  • Line 6.2 (Tech Troit Electronic Music Festival): Petition by Tech Troit Electronic Music Festival 501c3 to hold the festival from June 26 to June 28, 2026 at 1151 Taylor Street. Approved for formal session.
  • Member Reports: Councilmember Scott Benson announced a community at-large evening meeting on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the Northwest Activity Center (1800 Myers Road), with a dinner at 5:30 p.m. and the meeting at 7:00 p.m.

Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Neighborhood community service standing committee will now come into order with a clerk. Please go roll. Council President Pro Tim Coleman A Young the second. Here. Councilmember Scott Benson. Councilmember Renata Miller. Mr. Chair, you have a quorum. Excellent. Is there a motion to approve the minutes? Motion made. Are there any objections? Hearing none. The minutes will be approved. Negative chairmarks will now go on to public comment. Seeing there is no one here in the audience. How many people do we have virtually, Mr. Bo? Mr. Chair, we currently have six individuals with their hand raised for public comment. All right, public comment is now closed. Public comment is now closed. Public comment is now closed. All right. Who do you have first in the queue, Mr. Bo? Mr. Chair, the first caller is Blackbag. All right, Blackbag. Floor is yours, two minutes. All right, black bag once. Black bag going twice. Black bag going three times. Black bag going three times in the third. All right, black bags. Submit your uh questions in writing. Who do we have next in the queue? Mr. Bo. Mr. Chair, the next caller ending 039. All right, 039. Floor is yours. Two minutes, 039. 039. 039 going once. 039 going twice. 039 going three times. 039 going three times on the third. All right, thank you, 039.

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