DETROIT – This week's episode of Flashpoint began with an examination of Hour Detroit magazine's list of the naughty and nice around metro Detroit. The magazine released a "Candy Cane or Coal" list that looked at members of the Detroit community and their actions over the past year, which has been a busy one for the city.
Hour Detroit editorial director Steve Wilke talked about why he decided to run the piece and his magazine's take on those listed in it. Wilke mentioned Mike and Mary Ilitch, who have been instrumental in kicking off a turnaround for Detroit, and many other prominent members of the city.
Alexis Wiley, Chief of Staff to Mayor Mike Duggan, says that the commitment of people like the Ilitch family and Dan Gilbert is what makes their contributions to Detroit so impactful. She called them "really good partners" to the mayor in helping metro Detroiters.
Detroit Regional Chamber president and CEO Sandy Baruah and Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer also joined the panel to talk about the list and provide their takes on what's going on in Detroit as the holidays approach.
You can watch the entire first segment in the video posted above.
In the second segment, Wilke took a look at some of the names on his naughty list, which included General Motors twice, once at the beginning of the year and once near the end of the year. He talked about the GM recall announcements and some of the other issues that arose throughout the year as reasons for their spot on the naughty list.
The rest of the panel weighed in on GM and the rest of the list to round out the discussion.
This conversation is posted in the video below.
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Next, Devin sat down with Reverend Faith Fowler to discuss her new book 'This Far By Faith.'
Rev. Fowler acknowledged that there is change and excitement around Detroit as the city tries to pull itself out of the struggles from bankruptcy, but said that she doesn't see a new Detroit forming just yet.
Devin also asked Rev. Fowler about Mitch Albom's comments, calling her "the most important currency of our city." Rev. Fowler commented on that quote and more in the third segment.
Click on the video below to watch the conversation with Rev. Fowler.
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Finally, in the ClickOnDetroit.com web-only segment, Devin and Rev. Fowler returned to talk about poverty in Detroit and what she has learned about it while working at her church.
She said that poverty is a complex issue that is not only affected by housing, but also jobs, education and transportation. You can watch the web-only segment in the final video, posted below.
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