This week the announcement that the District Detroit project will be delayed until at least 2025 surprised no one. It is a glaring reminder of the failure of the strategy of using public money to support private business development.

It has been a year since the Detroit City Council and the state of Michigan agreed to nearly a billion dollars in tax breaks and incentives to support the development of District Detroit, a multi building, mixed use proposal crafted by the Ilitch family business to develop the area north of their Little Caesars Arena (LCA). The LCA is also a private enterprise supported with public funds.

We are in the midst of the month of Ramadan, a sacred time for those of the Islamic faith. It is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection in community. As millions of Muslims pause the rhythms of daily life to reflect on faith and moral obligations, the rest of the world seems propelled toward a madness of mass destruction.

The level of violence we are inflicting on one another, in its ferocity and duration, is unprecedented since the end of the last global war nearly a century ago. From Haiti, Ukraine, and Gaza to our streets and bedrooms, violent assault and death are commonplace. Meanwhile ecosystems are collapsing at an ever-accelerating rate and the land and waters that support life are shifting toward disruption. The desire to protect ourselves, as individuals isolated from community, is driving those in authority to make decisions that only intensify these crises. Operating on the belief that more force will somehow bring peace; our government is in the absurd position of providing weapons with one hand and “humanitarian aid” with the other.

President Joe Biden delivered a State of the Union Address that buoyed the hope of democrats doubting his energy and ability. In a relaxed, combative, and energetic mode, President Biden set forth his vision of hope and optimism for the country. He underscored the seriousness of this moment saying, “Not since President Lincoln and the Civil War have freedom and democracy been under assault at home as they are today.” Raising his voice he shouted, “What makes our moment rare is the freedom of democracy, under attack both at home and overseas.”

Many of his strongest moments came when he went off the script, bantering with republicans who jeered him, addressing the Supreme Court directly and chastising them for being out of touch, or speaking about his understanding of the pain of losing a child.

In little more than 3 weeks, a multiethnic, multi-generational and multi faith collection of people coalesced to take a stand against President Biden’s refusal to use his influence for a cease fire. More than 100,000 voters cast ballots for uncommitted as a protest of US support of Israel’s assault on Gaza. Roughly 13% of all votes cast were uncommitted, and in some cities and towns more than half the people took a stand to demand a change in policy. Andy Levin, an activist with deep political roots in Michigan said on Democracy Now, “I’ve rarely seen such an organic and authentic movement come together. We really need actual change in policy, and I think we sent that message strongly.” The uncommitted campaign is now expected to move to other battle ground states. Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said, "This coalition is one that wants to bring the morality back to this country because somewhere along the line, we have lost it."

The Movement 4 Black Lives and GenForward hosted a conversation on Black Perspectives on Community Safety to highlight a new report released this week measuring Black people’s experiences with policing and incarceration, and their feelings about alternatives to these systems. Dr. Cathy Cohen of the University of Chicago and GenForward was the lead scholar. She explained that the national survey was designed to give a picture of the complexity and nuanced experiences of Black people. By centering the voices of people’s perceptions on safety this data can help us think in imaginative ways about creating movements for just, safe, and healthy communities.

The report begins acknowledging the complicated reality of most Black people in relationship to police. A large majority of the responders fear the police in crisis and emergency situations. A large majority reported that they or someone they knew had negative interactions with police. At the same time a majority of Black people say they would call the police because there are no other sources of help. This dilemma, and the recognition of broader systemic issues, results in widespread support for comprehensive reforms, new initiatives that create public safety, and transforming policing when specific alternatives are offered.

Here is some of the data to consider:

New York is sinking. So is Boston. A recent study from Virginia Tech documents that the entire eastern seaboard is going down. This sinking is not only due to the rise of oceans. It’s directly related to the loss of ground water.

We should be especially engaged with this emerging understanding. While the Great Lakes are the largest unfrozen freshwater ecosystem in the Western Hemisphere, they are fed by a complex system of underground aquifers. Most estimates say that our groundwater is the equivalent to all of Lake Michigan. And like our neighbors on the eastern coasts, we have not been good stewards.

Veolia North America and people in Flint agreed recently to a $25 million settlement for damages suffered in the water contamination crisis that began in 2014. This is a welcome victory, in a long and enduring struggle. It is also a powerful reminder of the role Veolia has played in the struggles for justice in Palestine.

Over the last decade, Veolia has embodied the connections between Palestine and Black liberation in the US. It has also demonstrated the effectiveness of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement as a nonviolent, direct-action strategy to challenge Zionism and Israel.

The ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) did not result in a cease fire in Gaza. But this does not diminish its importance. The ICJ ordered Israel to take immediate steps to prevent acts of genocide. It demanded that the government take actions “to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide; to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance;” to protect Palestinian civilians, especially the 50,000 women giving birth and to prevent the destruction of evidence related genocide.

This week, as we witness what the International Court of Justice describes as “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip” and it issues a preliminary order requiring Israel “to take actions to ensure its soldiers and citizens adhere to the Genocide Convention,” the issues we face at home can feel less urgent.