A Place Called Heaven honors Detroit's Black queer history

A Place Called Heaven honors Detroit's Black queer history

When people don’t feel welcomed in a space, they create their own. In 1984, a third space came to life on 7 Mile and Woodward, that was Club Heaven. Decades later, the legacy of the community continues to thrive. This month, in celebration of Pride, The Love Building is hosting a LOVE@Nite session called "A Place Called Heaven.”  [https://www.thelovebuilding.org/love-list-events/lovenite-a-place-called-heaven] The gathering will center Black queer life through storytelling, music, and community connections, and a look back at more than 30 years of history. The Metro spoke with Chris “Inpaq” Sutton, director of the film "Heaven In Detroit" and broadcast studio manager for LGBT Detroit [https://www.lgbtdetroit.org/], alongside Kwaku Osei-Bonsu, project manager at the Love Building.  They talked about the impact of Detroit’s Black queer community, explored the need for safe physical spaces, and how their partnerships honors those who live their truths.

Detroit could be home to a Michelin star soon. What does that mean for the city?

Restaurants in Detroit are now eligible to receive a Michelin star rating. That’s 20 years after the Michelin Group awarded its first star to restaurants in the United States. The designation was born from the French tire company’s efforts over a century ago [https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/about-us] to recommend places for drivers to stop. It has since become an authority on where to eat worldwide. Detroit Free Press dining and restaurant critic Lyndsay Green [https://www.freep.com/staff/6300025001/lyndsay-c-green/] joined The Metro to explain what the Michelin star designation means, why Detroit is being considered, and if a metro Detroit food spot has a real shot at receiving a star rating.

Why almost nobody follows Detroit rental law

Windows nailed shut. No heat on the second floor. Sewage backing up into the basement — in a home the city never cleared to be a rental in the first place. For 40 years, Detroit has had a law meant to prevent exactly that: landlords must register a rental and prove it's safe before anyone moves in. Almost nobody follows it. Only about 1 in 7 Detroit rentals meets the bar, and rewrites of the law in 2017 and 2024 have barely moved the needle. Outlier Media senior reporter Aaron Mondry [https://outliermedia.org/author/aaron-mondry/] joins host Robyn Vincent to explain why — and who pays for it. Part of the answer is enforcement; part is math: a Center for Community Progress [https://communityprogress.org/] study found that fixing an old house can cost more than the rent will ever bring back, so landlords ignore the law. It's a bind in any city built on old, cheap housing. Mondry lays out what it costs tenants, why a landlord without a certificate of compliance isn't even allowed to collect rent, and what it would take to change.

Iron Chef Detroit fundraiser returns for a third year

Iron Chef Detroit is an annual fundraiser that supports Cass Community Social Services. It returns for a third year at Eastern Market in Shed 5 on June 5.  There will be a contest where two Detroit chefs, Chef John Vermiglio [https://www.starchefs.com/profiles/john-vermiglio] and Chef Andy Hollyday, [http://www.seldenstandard.com/about-us/] race against time for their dish to win the favor of the follow judges: - Mamba Hamissi (Baobab Fare Chef) [https://www.mambahamissi.com/about]  - Anthony Lombardo (SheWolf and Medusa Chef) [https://shewolfdetroit.com/about] - Jessica Care Moore (Detroit Poet Laureate, Author, Director, and Activist) [https://www.jessicacaremoore.org/about]  Carlos Parisi [https://carlosparisi.com/] is the owner of Aunt Nee’s, an editorial contributor to Hour Detroit, as well as a TV and podcast host. He will be hosting the event beside Jon Kung, [https://www.kungfood.kitchen/about] a Chinese American chef, podcast host, content creator, and author of "Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third Culture Kitchen." They joined The Metro to talk about their love of food and the importance of connecting through food with people from all walks of life.

Why an eviction defense program creating trust in Detroit's legal system may not exist next year

For about three years, Detroit's Right to Counsel program has given free legal representation to low-income tenants facing eviction. The share of tenants who walk in with a lawyer has gone from almost none to nearly all. But the program is running low on money, and its future depends on the state, the federal government, or philanthropy to step in. What happens to tenants — and to the court itself — if it disappears? William McConico is the Chief Judge of Detroit's 36th District Court. He spoke about why he's hoping to keep the program with The Metro's Robyn Vincent.