Outlier Media
@outliermedia.org
Filling information and connection gaps in Detroit through local reporting since 2016 💛 Managing partner for @detdocumenters.bsky.social
Welcome to August, Detroit! Here’s your sign to get organized. Want to join a roundtable for Detroit growers? Network with other entrepreneurs at TechTown? This list’s for you. Get involved:
Get organized and get involved in Detroit
Several organizations are offering workshops teaching strategies for organizing and fundraising in Detroit.
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Also check out this article from @outliermedia.org: ⚖️ What police oversight looks like share.google/uUKqVXss2CTq...
⚖️ What police oversight looks like
BOPC seems to be taking its role seriously this year. Plus, some spicy public comment at a school board meeting.
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“Never stop learning.” That’s what motivated journalism grad Hailey Hentz to become a Detroit Documenter. She said the experience helped her better understand local government — and strengthen her reporting skills. Meet @haileyhentz10.bsky.social!
Hailey Hentz: Meet this month’s featured Detroit Documenter
Hailey Hentz, a recent journalism graduate, became a Detroit Documenter to better understand local government.
outliermedia.org
“We have a responsibility to pay it forward and make sure that future generations have something to look back to.” As the Trump administration targets what it calls “woke” history, local historians, artists and archivists are working to preserve Black stories before they are lost.
How archivists, artists are preserving Detroit culture
Visual artists, creatives and archivists like Black Bottom Archives are working to preserve Black culture in Detroit.
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If your group chat keeps saying “we should do something,” send them this. Join an art forum, mingle with other Detroiters, celebrate dads-to-be at a baby shower or meet Detroit Documenters (that's us!) this week in the park.
Be in community, celebrate life, take action: Get involved in Detroit
We can breathe again. Let’s fly a kite. Meet Detroit Documenters at Clemente Park on Thursday.
outliermedia.org
It all started with a correction request. Some news org (hint, it was us) confused Friends of the Rouge and Friends of Rouge Park. Luckily, they set us straight: What does each org do? More importantly, how can you get involved? 📸 Caria Taylor for Outlier Media outliermedia.org/friends-of-r...
RealT co-founder Jean-Marc Jacobson says his crypto real estate company plans to sell its entire Detroit property portfolio as mounting financial and legal troubles push it toward insolvency. The latest from @amondry.bsky.social: outliermedia.org/realt-crypto...
Need weekend plans, Detroit? 📅 Thursday: free personal finance workshop 🛠️ Saturday: free Detroit Repair Cafe 🤝 Sunday: Feeding the Fight 👋 Next week: meet Detroit Documenters in the Park Plus local jobs, volunteer opportunities and more:
What to do in Detroit this weekend: Community events and more
Need weekend plans in Detroit? Gather with other Black trans women, or join Feeding the Fight to share a meal.
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A cracked windshield. A broken license plate light. A “large stuffed object” hanging from a rearview mirror. Shelby Township police cited reasons like these before contacting U.S. Border Patrol. They made 75 immigration-related arrests from May 2024 to March 2026. From @kobylevin.bsky.social:
Shelby Township police turned over migrants to Border Patrol
Despite not being trained or required to enforce immigration law, Shelby Township police turned over migrants to Border Patrol.
outliermedia.org
Here’s how many pools some other Midwest cities have: Cleveland has 22, Cincinnati has 24, Pittsburgh has 17 and Indianapolis has 14. @outliermedia.org
Outlier Media@outliermedia.org · 3w agoDetroit has just one city-run public outdoor pool, and it’s closed for the summer. Recreation experts say that’s unusual for a city this size. Cleveland has 22 public outdoor pools. Indianapolis has 14. Should the city invest in more public pools? The latest from @brianarice.bsky.social:
Detroit has just one city-run public outdoor pool, and it’s closed for the summer. Recreation experts say that’s unusual for a city this size. Cleveland has 22 public outdoor pools. Indianapolis has 14. Should the city invest in more public pools? The latest from @brianarice.bsky.social:
Detroit’s only city-run outdoor public pool is closed for the summer
Detroit only has one city-run outdoor public pool — and it’s closed this summer for renovations.
outliermedia.org
Who gets a say in shaping Detroit’s data centers? Environmental advocates say a working group shaping future data center regulations favored industry voices over residents. Outlier found that just one environmental and community advocate was invited. The latest from @amondry.bsky.social:
Group shaping Detroit data center regulations draws transparency concerns
Detroit Councilmember Scott Benson’s proposed data center sidelined critical voices, environmental advocates say.
outliermedia.org
Meet somebody new. Do something cool. Get involved in Detroit this weekend. Grab coffee with Outlier staff or network with local entrepreneurs on Thursday, connect with community organizations on Saturday, and spend your Sunday flying kites with Detroit Documenters on Belle Isle. Got plans?
Things to do in Detroit: Get involved this week
Fly a kite, get some coffee or network, plus other things to do around Detroit this week.
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That includes us, too! We’ll be back July 6 with more public meeting notes and more ways to get involved in your community. Until then: touch some grass, soak up some sunshine and enjoy your break. ☀️👋🏽
Outlier Media@outliermedia.org · last mo.Adult summer break? We think it should be a thing. ☀️ So we’re taking one! Outlier Media will be on break through the Fourth of July holiday and will be back in your inboxes, on outliermedia.org and on social July 6. Are you taking some time off too? Tell us what you’re up to next week. ⬇️ 👋🏽
Adult summer break? We think it should be a thing. ☀️ So we’re taking one! Outlier Media will be on break through the Fourth of July holiday and will be back in your inboxes, on outliermedia.org and on social July 6. Are you taking some time off too? Tell us what you’re up to next week. ⬇️ 👋🏽
What happens when buying a home outside the traditional mortgage system? This new study by Data Driven Detroit and Detroit Future City explores how Detroit residents are using land contracts—and what buyers need to know. #Sponsored: Data Drive Detroit, Detroit Future City, Rocket Community Fund
What happens when buying a home outside the traditional mortgage system? This new study by Data Driven Detroit and Detroit Future City explores how Detroit residents are using land contracts—and what buyers need to know. #Sponsored: Data Drive Detroit, Detroit Future City, Rocket Community Fund
Woodbridge neighbors, we’re hanging out at Scripps Park this Thursday! Come meet Detroit Documenters and learn more about how residents are helping document public meetings across Detroit. 📍 Scripps Park 📅 Thursday, June 25 ⏰ 6 p.m. We’ll be the folks under the yellow Detroit Documenters banner!
Let us know if you've got any election questions!
Outlier Media@outliermedia.org · last mo.Do you have election questions? We’re here to answer them. This year, Detroiters’ ballots will include races for Congress, the state Legislature, Michigan governor and so much more. Got ballot brain freeze? Ask us your burning questions, and we’ll (try to) find the answers you need!
Some states offer automatic utility bill discounts for low-income residents. Michigan doesn't. Regulators are working to limit energy costs for low-income households. But the program is still being designed — and many struggling families may not qualify. The latest from @brianarice.bsky.social:
DTE shut off electricity over 200K times in Michigan last year
DTE shut off electricity for nonpayment more than 213,000 times in Michigan last year. A new affordability goal could help, but relief could be years away.
outliermedia.org
Do you have election questions? We’re here to answer them. This year, Detroiters’ ballots will include races for Congress, the state Legislature, Michigan governor and so much more. Got ballot brain freeze? Ask us your burning questions, and we’ll (try to) find the answers you need!
Detroit’s 2026 elections: Send us your questions
Detroiters will weigh in on federal, state and local races in the 2026 primary and general election.
outliermedia.org
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! Plus, local job openings (because bills don’t celebrate holidays):
Juneteenth in Detroit: How to celebrate in community
Celebrate Juneteenth in Detroit with breakfast, bike rides, music and dancing, all in community.
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Guess what?! Outlier Media has won several major journalism awards this year, with a third on its way. These honors recognize our reporting, audience engagement, social media, and our commitment to serving Detroiters with information they need to thrive. Congrats to the entire Outlier team!
Outlier Media team wins SPJ, Wayne State awards
The Outlier Media team received significant local awards, including Journalist of the Year and Working in the Spirit of Diversity.
outliermedia.org
🌞 🚲 👟 It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Join a community walk, get your bike tuned up at Rouge Park, take a family Slow Roll, or learn more about buying a home. Got plans?
Walking, biking and homeownership: Get involved in Detroit
Enjoy the beautiful Detroit weather and join a walking club, or go on a slow roll bike ride through the Dequindre Cut.
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Had an interview on @wdet.bsky.social's The Metro yesterday talking about why so few landlords are compliant with the city's rental ordinance, as well the general state of rental housing in Detroit. Great questions from @thenomadicheart.bsky.social! wdet.org/2026/06/09/t...
Why almost nobody follows Detroit rental law | The Metro
Detroit's rental law has promised safe, inspected homes for 40 years — but only about 1 in 7 comply, leaving tenants in unsafe conditions.
wdet.org
Ever wondered what an expansion of the People Mover could look like? Check out tonight’s live reporting to hear what Detroiters want. ⤵️
Heather P in the D!!!!@heatherpinthed.bsky.social · 2mo ago#WHATUPDOE !!!!! Tomorrow I’m covering the Detroit People Mover Virtual Community Meeting for @detdocumenters.bsky.social Detroit @5:30 pm. Get some sleep! #DetDocumenters
UPDATE: ICE says it did nothing wrong when agents detained Yerlys Moreno López near her Detroit home. Now, the Venezuelan asylum seeker has submitted a sworn statement contradicting the agency’s account — and medical records appear to support hers. More from @kobylevin.bsky.social:
Yerlys Moreno López: Detroit asylum seeker says ICE agents broke her knee
Asylum seeker and Detroiter Yerlys Moreno López said ICE agents broke her knee and caused other injuries, requiring emergency surgery.
outliermedia.org
Outlier Media@outliermedia.org · 2mo agoThis is Yerlys Moreno López. Last week, ICE agents detained her near her Detroit home. Her husband says she was tackled so severely that she later needed surgery on both knees. Now, he says DMC won’t let him see her — or even confirm she’s there. The latest from @kobylevin.bsky.social:
