Detroit Documenters

Detroit Documenters We're democratizing civic news. Get trained and paid to keep an eye on your local government — powered by
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Woodbridge neighbors, we’re hanging out at Scripps Park this Thursday!Come meet Detroit Documenters, connect with neighb...
06/23/2026

Woodbridge neighbors, we’re hanging out at Scripps Park this Thursday!

Come meet Detroit Documenters, connect with neighbors and learn more about how residents are helping document public meetings across Detroit.

📍 Scripps Park

📅 Thursday, June 25

⏰ 6 p.m.

Bring a friend, bring your family or just bring your curiosity. We’ll be the folks under the yellow Detroit Documenters banner.

06/22/2026

Detroiters will have a lot to consider on this year’s ballot, including races for Congress, the Michigan Legislature, governor and more.

If you’re confused about what’s on the ballot, have questions about candidates or proposals, or just aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to help.

Send us your election questions, and we’ll (try to) find the answers you need to vote with confidence.

Leave a question in the comments or email civic life reporter Briana Rice at [email protected].

Most decisions that affect your daily life don’t happen on Election Day.They happen on random Tuesday and Thursday after...
06/22/2026

Most decisions that affect your daily life don’t happen on Election Day.

They happen on random Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in public meetings.

Here’s what’s on the calendar this week:

🏛️ Detroit City Council Formal Session
Tuesday, June 23 at 10 a.m.
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center + remote

⚙️ Detroit City Council Internal Operations
Wednesday, June 24 at 10 a.m.
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center + remote

💧 Great Lakes Water Authority – Legal Committee
Wednesday, June 24 at 1 p.m.
Remote

🎓 DPSCD Committee of the Whole
Wednesday, June 24 at 4:30 p.m.
Fisher Building + remote

🏠 Detroit Housing Commission
Thursday, June 25 at 10 a.m.
Detroit Housing Commission Main Office

🚌 SMART Board of Directors
Thursday, June 25 at 2 p.m.
Buhl Building + remote

🎓 Wayne State University Board of Governors
Thursday, June 25 at 2:30 p.m.
Student Center Building

🔑 Detroit Tenants Rights Commission
Thursday, June 25 at 4 p.m.
Helen Moore Community Center + remote

Can't make the meetings but want the rundown? Check the link in comments for our notes afterward!

06/19/2026

Juneteenth is here. ✊🏾

We’ve highlighted a few events that remind us that rest is revolution and to celebrate Black liberation. Remember to respect Black spaces by honoring the ancestors and the land. Then, turn up because June’s a party!

😋 Juneteenth Self-Care Freedom Breakfast
9 a.m. to noon
The Healing Hub Detroit Heals Detroit, 19510 Alcoy Ave., Detroit
Join Detroit Heals Detroit for a morning of nourishment and self-care with free breakfast and massages.

🚲 Juneteenth Ride Slow Roll
9:30 a.m.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, 315 E. Warren Ave., Detroit
Meet up at The Wright at 9:30 a.m. and head out at 10 a.m. for a relaxed, 11-mile bike ride with a stop at the historic Elmwood Cemetery.

📖 Juneteenth at Wilson: Stories of Us
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park (Detroit Riverfront), 1801 W. Jefferson Ave., Detroit
Celebrate the culture, stories and resilience that shape Detroit at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Centennial Park.

😴 Juneteenth: Our Day of Rest
3:30-5 p.m.
University of Michigan Detroit Center, 3663 Woodward Ave., Detroit
Explore rest as resistance and jazz as a form of liberation with affirmations and an art activity alongside meditation.

🧘‍♀️ Juneteenth Free Community Yoga Class
5-6:15 p.m.
Full Lotus Yoga, 6505 Woodward Ave., Detroit
Honor Black freedom, resilience, resistance and joy with a free “slow flow” and yin yoga class.

Full list + local job openings in comments!

🌞 🚲 👟 It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Take a walk with neighbors, join Planet Detroit’s Ian Solomon for a comm...
06/10/2026

🌞 🚲 👟 It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Take a walk with neighbors, join Planet Detroit’s Ian Solomon for a community stroll, take the family on a Slow Roll through the city, or learn the ins and outs of homeownership with a free course designed to help Detroiters put down roots.

Here are a few ways to learn, connect and grow this week:

🌳 Beating Blight Tickets: Policy Lessons for Farmers
Thursday, June 11, 6-8 p.m.
Clark Park Recreation Center
Learn about the policies, permitting requirements and common causes of blight tickets that impact Detroit’s urban farmers with Keep Growing Detroit and the city’s Office of Sustainability.

🔑 My Keys Please
Saturday, June 13, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Abayomi CDC
Thinking about buying your first home? This free course connects Detroiters with housing counselors, lenders and homeownership resources.

🚲 Family Slow Roll Detroit
Sunday, June 14, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Eastern Market Shed 6
Take a family-friendly bike ride through the Dequindre Cut and along Detroit’s riverfront.

✊🏾 Day of Solidarity Detroit
Wednesday, June 17, 6-8 p.m.
General Baker Institute
Hear from workers and environmental advocates fighting for better pay and cleaner manufacturing in Michigan.

🚶🏾‍♀️ Community Walk
Saturday, June 20, 11 a.m.
East Canfield Art Park
Join Planet Detroit reporter Ian Solomon and the Canfield Consortium for a “picnic tour” of East Canfield Art Park.

Full list in the link in the comments!
📸: Jacob Wooten/Outlier Media

06/08/2026

She might be the longest-tenured media professional in the Detroit Documenters community, but Lavonia Perryman shows no signs of slowing down.

“If I had an opportunity to do Documenters 20, 30 or 40 years ago, I would’ve signed up then,” she said.

Lavonia’s career in media began as a young girl, calling into local radio stations to talk about events that teens were interested in.

She went on to host “American Black Journal,” had her own radio show and worked in public relations.

A friend recommended she check out Detroit Documenters as a way to stay connected to her community. A year later, Lavonia said, the experience has delivered.

“It provides me an opportunity to stay connected to information and situations here in the city of Detroit,” she said.

Meet Lavonia! Full interview in the comments.

Video credit: Kayleigh Lickliter/Detroit Documenters and SaMya Overall/Outlier Media

Hasn’t the weather been lovely recently? You should get outside and get involved! Here’s how to not spend your summer i...
06/04/2026

Hasn’t the weather been lovely recently? You should get outside and get involved!

Here’s how to not spend your summer in the house. Full list in the comments.

🌳 E. Vernor Volunteer Day
June 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Help prepare the green space and greenhouse at the E. Vernor Hybrid Market, 3409 E. Vernor Highway, for fall growing. RSVP with Peace Tree Parks if you’d like to join.

🚶 Black History by the People That Lived It: Downtown Walking Tour
June 6, 1-3 p.m.
City Institute’s popular walking tour returns this month, offering a closer look at Detroit’s Black history through the people who lived it. Meet at Bar Rotunda, 1265 Washington Blvd.

🚲 Youth Bike Maintenance Pop-Up and Block Party
June 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Head to Rouge Park for family crafts, games, snacks, bike safety training and free bike tuneups. Helmets, reflectors and locks will be available while supplies last.

🚣 Belle Isle Kayak Cleanup
Every third Saturday through September, 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Help remove litter from the Detroit River by kayak. Meet behind the Belle Isle Aquarium. Cleanup supplies are provided, and kayaks are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Which of these would you attend?


📸 : Cydni Elledge/Outlier Media

06/01/2026

Some people check the weather. We check public meeting agendas.

Here are a few public meetings happening this week:

📍 Continuum of Care Board of Directors
June 1, 2 p.m. (Remote)

📍 Highland Park City Council
June 1, 7 p.m. (Highland Park City Council Chambers)

📍 Detroit City Council Formal Session
June 2, 10 a.m. (Coleman A. Young Municipal Center)

📍 Board of Water Commissioners Committee Meetings
June 3, 1 p.m. (Remote)

📍 Wayne County Commission
June 4, 10 a.m. (Guardian Building + Remote)

📍 Board of Police Commissioners
June 4, 3 p.m. (Remote)

Find notes and live reporting on the Detroit Documenters website. What questions do you have about these meetings? Let us know in the comments.

Detroit’s public meetings are back this week, with conversations on housing, police oversight, city development and more...
05/26/2026

Detroit’s public meetings are back this week, with conversations on housing, police oversight, city development and more.

Here are a few meetings happening this week:

🏛️ Detroit City Council, Formal Session
Tuesday, May 26
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center + remote

🏗️ Detroit City Council Planning and Economic Development Committee
Thursday, May 28
10 a.m.
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center + remote

🚔 Board of Police Commissioners
Thursday, May 28
3 p.m.
Detroit Public Safety Headquarters, Skylar Herbert Room + remote

🏠 Detroit Tenants’ Rights Commission
Thursday, May 28
4 p.m.
Community Center at A.B. Ford

Public meetings are one of the few places residents can directly hear from officials, ask questions and make public comment. Which issues do you want city leaders focused on right now?

Got plans?Come learn how to cover YOUR local government — and get paid! Detroit Documenters will host our in-person orie...
05/20/2026

Got plans?

Come learn how to cover YOUR local government — and get paid! Detroit Documenters will host our in-person orientation on May 27, with an online version available on May 30.

Can't make it? Check out future dates so you can get involved with the Docs team. See you there!

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