Outlier Media

Mayor Sheffield’s budget proposal includes focus on youth, older adults Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield presented her budget proposal, which includes an office dedicated to older adults and youth affairs.

Mayor Mary Sheffield has many new initiatives in her first budget: an office for older Detroiters, another one for youth and education affairs, and a department focused on human and homelessness service.

A breakdown from @brianarice.bsky.social:

Detroiters have until March 31 to pay 2023 property taxes If you’re behind on Detroit property taxes from 2023, you have until March 31 to pay.

Behind on property taxes from 2023?

You have until March 31 to pay — or sign up for a payment plan — to avoid foreclosure. Here’s what homeowners need to know, from @amondry.bsky.social.

How Active is ICE in Detroit? YouTube video by Outlier Media

How active is ICE in Detroit? Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the U.S. How does this impact Detroiters? At Outlier Media, we’re investigating

Donate to support paywall-free reporting: tinyurl.com/3hpvpz9s

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The Metro: Too broken to live in, too expensive to fix. Detroit's unique housing crisis - WDET 101.9 FM Briana Rice is a civic life reporter at Outlier Media, whose "Beyond Repair" series explores Detroit’s home repair crisis.

Need a good interview to power through this rainy Thursday?

🎧 Listen to civic life reporter @brianarice.bsky.social talk about our reporting series, Beyond Repair, which explores Detroit’s home repair crisis on @wdet.bsky.social:

The latest from @amondry.bsky.social

No foreclosures for these Detroit properties that owe back taxes. Why? The Wayne County treasurer’s office said it has “no set policy” for letting Detroit properties with back taxes avoid foreclosure.

What do a property speculator, a scrapyard operator and a former Packard Plant owner have in common? They have tax debt on Detroit properties that should have put them in foreclosure.

We pressed Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree on how he decides who avoids foreclosure. No answers.

YAY DASHA!!

Dasha Crawley: Meet this month’s featured Detroit Documenter Meet Dasha Crawley, this month’s featured Detroit Documenter, who’s a fashion designer and women’s advocate.

Dasha Crawley is a “creative caregiver” who has found a natural connection between her heart for empowering women and girls and civic involvement through Documenters.

Now, she documents public meetings to learn more about Detroit and offer more insight into the work she loves.

Meet Dasha!

Beyond Repair: Detroit home repair crisis Beyond Repair examines what it would take to address Detroit’s home repair needs — and what the city loses if nothing changes.

Then, check out the series 😉: outliermedia.org/beyond-repair/

Reporters Koby Levin (@kobylevin.bsky.social) and Briana Rice (@brianarice.bsky.social) discussed our reporting series, Beyond Repair, documenting Detroit's home repair crisis on @wxyzdetroit.bsky.social today!

Check it out 💛 🤍: www.youtube.com/watch?v=27cw...

Whistle kits, community conversations: Get involved in Detroit Tell Mayor Mary Sheffield what’s on your mind or build whistle kits with college kids, plus more civic opportunities in Detroit.

Tell Mayor Mary Sheffield what’s on your mind. Build “Blow the Whistle on ICE” kits with college students or train to be an immigration court watcher. Plus, get your 36th District court fees waived — for a limited time only!

Detroit’s giving you opportunities to show up. Will you? 👀

The search for independent venues in Detroit’s club scene Artists in Detroit’s club scene have limited options booking independent venues.

At the close of 2025, rapper Detroit Diamond’s life had completely changed. She went from becoming a “Rhythm + Flow” finalist to selling out El Club.

As corporations tighten their grip on Detroit’s club scene, independent venues like El Club bring an intimacy that’s important for local artists.

How Detroit’s Black-owned art galleries are forging new history Black artists and curators are fighting to sustain Detroit’s neighborhood art galleries while struggling to secure funding and community support.

Black artists and curators have a history of finding ways to create neighborhood spaces for truth, expression and communal release.

But they say they need more funding — and have been using creative solutions to keep their spaces open.

Detroit overhauling home repair loans. What could change Detroit’s home repair loan program offered 0% interest rates but approved few applicants. Here’s what didn’t work — and what has in other cities.

More than 10 years ago, a city home repair program made fewer than 1,000 loans and rejected two-thirds of applicants.

Will Mayor Mary Sheffield follow other cities' example and lean on banks to do more? The latest from @kobylevin.bsky.social:

@kobylevin.bsky.social

Things to do in Detroit: Youth-led iftar, poetry and more events Break bread at a youth-led iftar, honor Black matriarchs, take in poetry and find more things to do to have Detroit weekend packed with culture.

We’re closing out Black History Month and stepping into Women’s History Month in Detroit!

Honor Black matriarchs, celebrate Black authors and immerse yourself in poetry, sound and music — ready to plan your Detroit weekend today?

Home repair programs lacking in Detroit with estimated $1B need Available funding doesn’t come close to meeting Detroit repair needs, and no city-run programs are accepting applications.

There are no city-run home repair programs accepting applications.

But thousands of Detroiters can't afford essential home repairs. The problem is so widespread that the total cost across the city likely exceeds $1 billion.

Where will the money come from? The latest from @amondry.bsky.social:

Happy 100th assignment, @spookyperry.bsky.social !! 👏🏾

Please join us in celebrating the one and only @spookyperry.bsky.social, who last night took his 100th Documenters assignment! We love the way he blends humor and personal observations into his coverage, and are SO glad he's documenting meetings. Welcome to the club, Perry!! 🎉

GET INVOLVED DAY!! 👏🏾👏🏾

A black SUV with blue lights on the back of the car on a street in Detroit.

New reporting from @outliermedia.org questions how Detroit police interact with federal immigration agents. @thenomadicheart.bsky.social speaks with @noahkincade.bsky.social about what the Documenters uncovered and what happened ahead of the police commission vote.

wdet.org/2026/02/19/d...

How Fundraise Up helps Outlier Media understand and convert their donors How Outlier Media parsed through the fundraising platform options and why they’re happy with choosing Fundraise Up.

A growing number of news organizations are turning to fundraising tools for features beyond donation collection. Here’s how @outliermedia.org parsed through the options, the challenges the newsroom hoped to solve, and why Fundraise Up was their pick.

Home repair: Detroiters need urgent help fixing their houses These longtime Detroiters have held onto family homes in Islandview for decades. Will they get help with home repair before it’s too late?

Regina Hendricks and Mary Golson need new roofs. Daisy Jackson’s bathroom leaks into her living room, and Gail Mitchell has a pipe that sprays water.

Older Black residents in Islandview say they can’t afford repairs — as new buyers seem to manage easily. The latest from @brianarice.bsky.social:

Jon Kung: How the Detroit chef makes third-culture cooking accessible Detroit chef Jon Kung shares simple recipes on their popular TikTok account, with a focus on “third-culture cooking.”

A rotisserie chicken. Green onions. Ramen noodles. A little chicken broth and miso. Fifteen minutes.

That’s all it took for Jon Kung to make a near-perfect chicken miso soup. But the Detroit chef built their career on just that: “third-culture cooking” so Detroiters can eat great food on a budget.

What we know about Detroit police calls to CPB at traffic stops Detroit police officers coordinated with Border Patrol more often than the department acknowledged.

Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison suspended two officers for coordinating with Border Patrol in violation of department policy. He said he “intends to terminate them."

Our public records request showed two more instances of officers calling immigration agents, with @kobylevin.bsky.social:

Show us some love this Valentine's Day! We are so grateful for our community. This work is important, and we rely on you to keep it going. Can you make a donation? Even $5/month makes a huge difference and helps Detroiters access information they need ❤️ 💘

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Bagley-West Vernor Historic District receives national recognition The Bagley-West Vernor Historic District in Southwest Detroit is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

In Southwest Detroit, Bagley Street and West Vernor Highway have long been known locally as the Mexicantown neighborhood’s commercial heartbeat.

Along the strip, longtime business owners are saluting the area’s new national recognition as a historic district.

A Detroiter’s guide to the Michigan Open Meetings Act Michigan’s Open Meetings Act requires public bodies to make decisions by vote, allow public comment and make more transparency measures. Here’s what to know.

If Detroit Documenters only wanted you to know one thing, it would be that local government officials are required to meet and vote on policy decisions in public, and you’re allowed by law to be there.

Here's what else you should know about the Open Meetings Act, by Documenter A J Johnson:

I know. It's so sad to see these gorgeous buildings left in the state that they're in. Not to mention the tenants and contractors who were left holding the bill. SMH

Why are there so many abandoned buildings in Palmer Park? YouTube video by Outlier Media

Why are there so many abandoned buildings in Palmer Park? Out-of-state investors have been buying up buildings and leaving residents in a lurch. We're investigating.

#palmerpark #detroit #outliermedia

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