Feedback: Disparities between DDOT buses, QLINE, are stark

The Detroit People’s Platform Transit Justice Team is an organized constituency of over 500 majority Black and people of color essential bus riders who live primarily in Detroit, and rely on Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) buses as our primary means of transportation. I include myself in this demographic.

We rely on DDOT to access our jobs, schools, health care and other services located across the city and into metro communities. We are a 87% majority Black transit system by ridership — in a city where DDOT services have been historically unreliable and nonresponsive to the ridership. The support and resources available to the QLINE described in M1 Rail President Lisa Nuszkowski’s Jan. 29 letter to the editor, “QLINE transformed Woodward corridor, benefits Detroit, region” illustrates the disparity between the systems.

We believe that the QLINE’s 2017 launch, and the hefty public investment of $74.2 million, sent a message to Black bus riders that those who are white, more affluent, professional and patrons of the downtown/midtown entertainment and sports venues deserve better transit services than DDOT essential bus riders.

The disparity between DDOT and QLINE riders is both stark and harsh. QLINE riders enjoy heated, privately sponsored and maintained shelters, and reliable WiFi, while just yards away, a DDOT stop is more likely unkept, lacking a shelter with seating and heating. Internet on board the buses is limited.

With the recent passage of state Senate Bills 1222 and 1223, more public funding is guaranteed for the QLINE through 2039 — operational support along with free fare for riders on the 3.3-mile strip — essentially another lifestyle amenity, financed by the public.

At the same time, DDOT essential riders across the city continue to pay full fare for a system that is known to be unreliable, fraught with delays, or buses not showing up, due to chronic operational shortfalls and understaffing. It is a two-tiered system perpetuated by a public-private partnership that subsidizes the priorities of choice riders and private developers over the basic transit needs of majority Detroit residents, for whom the City Charter mandates a right to a reliable public transportation system. Public transit in Detroit is both a transit justice and a civil rights issue.

Failure on the part of policy makers and the business community to acknowledge this reality continues to marginalize the debate about the necessity of investment in real and equitable public transit options for all Detroiters.

Renard MonczunskiThe writer is an organizer with the Detroit People’s Platform Transit Justice Team 

What DeSantis won't understand: Black history is American history

I was a young man of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. A child born during World War II, who learned of the murder of 6 million Jews by the Nazis, the genocide of more than one million Armenians during World War I, the Trail of Tears and relocation of more than 600,000 Native Americans between 1800 and 1900, plus more than 12 million Africans kidnapped from Africa and enslaved in America.

This is my history. It’s American history. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wrongheaded decision to deny high school students in his state access to the full Advanced Placement African American history curriculum ultimately denies them access to American history.

I am a veteran of the Vietnam war, the lynching of Emmett Till, the murders of Freedom Summer and of Viola Liuzzo. The assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, Dr. Martin Luther King Malcolm X and many others.

I am a retired Detroit police chief who has witnessed and heard unbelievable acts of brutality and racism. I am also a retired college professor who has observed students of all races search for knowledge and find fulfillment in the quest.

The history of my life is the same as so many Americans of all backgrounds. My experiences were the foundation for me to learn more than the history of the world, but of America's past in slavery, education, segregation and white supremacy. I learned of the quest for freedom from suppression in Europe and other places in the world.

Those lessons made me more excited about our shared history. It was a narrative that was inclusive and empowering, even if it was at times wrenching and sobering. It made me think harder about life, and knowledge changed my life.

I can only imagine how powerful it is for young people of all colors and nationalities to see as part of America's legacy a historical struggle that made America this true melting pot.

Understand that those who are rejecting the full AP course are aligning themselves with white supremacists and deniers of historical truths, and in the process limiting the intellectual and emotional potential of so many who could be inspired to lead the efforts expressed in the words “We The People.”

Isaiah McKinnon McKinnon has served as Detroit's police chief, deputy mayor and as a professor of education at University of Detroit Mercy

Consider donating $180 check to someone in need

I took a particular interest in the article by Clara Hendrickson, Paul Egan, Emily Lawler and Arpan Lobo about the proposed tax rebate checks ("Michigan Democrats propose a $180 check. For some, it's not enough for single grocery trip," Feb.7). I found it interesting that many of the people interviewed said the amount of the check would not have much impact for them. It seemed that, although not rich by any definition, they were stable, as am I. In contrast, I know many people for whom $180 will make a substantial difference, and I wish the plan were for a graduated scale to give more aid to the most needy, and less to those of us who don’t need it. Since it won’t matter that much to me, if and when I get the check, I plan to donate it to an agency that assists the poorest among us, and I urge anyone who can to do the same.

Bob WigginsOrtonville

Venue owners should consider disabled patrons' needs

I heartedly endorse Free Press contributing columnist Darren Nichols’ piece in last month's Free Press chronicling his difficulty getting into and out of sports arenas with a disability. Local art and theater lovers who are disabled also have poor access. My husband is recovering from surgery and a stroke, and my daughter has developmental disabilities. We love theater, and are long-time season ticket holders for Broadway in Detroit. In August, when we saw “Ain’t Too Proud” at the Detroit Opera House, I had to park on Broadway, get my husband’s walker out of the car, get him and my daughter into the door, and get someone inside to be aware they were there while I parked my car.

Even though I had bought parking in advance, I had to wait in a long line, and then had to run to the theater, find my family and maneuver to the seats. Heading home, there was no place for my husband and daughter to wait inside the theater or outside the building, so I took them to a park setting in the middle of Madison, and my husband fell while trying to sit on a bench. Thankfully, some kind young men helped him get up while I ran to get the car.

On the other hand, we love going to Fisher Theater, because the parking is adjacent to the building with plenty of handicapped parking spots. I hope there is a way our arts, theater and sports facilities can put the effort into being more accessible. It will make our community better for all.

Donna RaphaelAuburn Hills

The roads, the roads, the roads

Am I not the only one who is upset with the condition of Michigan's roads? I know that every day Michiganders are faced with the decision to either have damage sustained to their vehicles, or swerve to avoid potholes. To quote our nation's social media pioneer, Mark Zuckerberg, "There is a huge need and a huge opportunity to get everyone in the world connected, to give everyone a voice and to help transform society for the future. The scale of the technology and infrastructure that must be built is unprecedented, and we believe this is the most important problem we can focus on."

With the economy in the state that it's in today, we need to raise awareness about the damage done to our roads and persuade our government leaders to institute a bill to supply the state with the money needed to rebuild our great state's roads.

Gabriel NeffLansing

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Feedback: Freep readers on the QLINE, Florida's AP curriculum and more