As Democrats descend on Detroit for presidential debate, black voters offer a warning: Don’t take us for granted
Sims describes several years of fighting to save the dilapidated home where the civil rights leader lived during part of his formative years, shares his hopes of turning the modest property into a museum for his small, struggling suburb and talks proudly of twice casting his ballot for
But when the topic turns to the 2016 election, the 41-year-old lawn care company owner says he has a secret of sorts: He voted for
"With Hillary, it was like they were coming with the same old, same old politics from back in the day," Sims said. "Trump says what he says, but I knew it was something different. I decided I'd rather take my gamble that way."
As 20 presidential contenders descend upon
Trump won thanks in large part to the collapse of the so-called blue wall in
In
The majority off the falloff occurred in the city, which is 80% black. Clinton received nearly 47,000 fewer votes than Obama. She lost the entire state of
"If you don't come into my community and talk to me, don't talk about my issues, don't ask me for my support, then guess what? Don't automatically assume I'm going to vote for you," said
This time, party officials say they are being vigilant about engaging
"This is the perfect backdrop for it, this audience full of Detroiters who would love to have the candidates address these issues that matter to their day-to-day lives," said
Thousands of
Perhaps aware of the criticism from some black voters and political leaders that Clinton took them for granted,
"This is the most import election of our lifetime, and we in the
'We've been left behind'
For 48 of his 59 years,
"It was beautiful," Pinkins says as he points down
"See back there where all those trees and weeds are? There's an alley back there," he says, shaking his head. "And over there, that used to be an apartment building."
"That" is the eight-story concrete husk of a building marred by blown-out windows and graffiti, a structure that opened in 1926 as the
Asked what he's looking for in a presidential candidate, Pinkins sighs. "I just want things back in order, the way they used to be. I want these fields cleared, streets fixed and some jobs over here," he says. "Trump is just taking more away from those who can least afford it, giving more to the rich and all his talk is just dividing everyone."
Pinkins says he worked as a butcher at
In 2016, Pinkins said he assumed Clinton would win and was out of town visiting a relative and didn't vote. He said he didn't know any of the current candidates aside from former Vice President
"It's never too early," he said with a smile. "We need a big change."
While it's not evident in Pinkins' neighborhood, parts of
After decades of decay, the downtown has been revived, the city's Midtown neighborhood is booming complete with a new streetcar transit line, and the historic Corktown neighborhood west of downtown is swiftly redeveloping.
While state and city officials have played a role in the renewal, many Detroiters credit
To connect with
White said Clinton didn't present a message to address those issues and paid the price in 2016.
"She should have been here every chance she had, but instead she totally kicked us to the curb. I think her ego got the best of her," said White, who works at the Fiat
Even with a clean slate of candidates, she doesn't plan to watch the
"There's too many of them," said White, who twice voted for Obama and begrudgingly voted for Clinton. "I'm not ready for all that yet."
The struggles of
Sims, the small-business owner who's looking to restore the house where Malcolm X lived when he began his ascension in the
"Being where I'm from, we've seen a lot of people get locked up off that," said Sims, who is running for
Though he considers it unlikely, Sims wouldn't rule out voting for Trump again, despite what he called racist rhetoric from the president, pointing to some positives like an improved economy.
"The
Motivating factors
For party leaders in
"I love this field, because what it is doing is engaging voters at all levels among the Democratic base," said Kinloch, the western
Another motivating factor: Trump.
"What's happening in America feels personal to black folks. Our sensitivity to oppression is extremely high, because we know that our history is of a country that oppressed us," said Democratic
It's motivating
Sutton likes Biden and
"It's almost like they've moved off the blacks and started targeting the Mexicans and the foreigners and all that, and I have an issue with that," said Sutton, 48. "The struggle with them is real as well, so I feel for them as much as us still struggling for equal wages and to be treated fairly. We definitely need someone new."
'We're listening'
Tlaib said she was encouraged by the 2018 midterm turnout that helped elect her, a vote she called a referendum on Trump. In
But Tlaib also cautioned that in the 2016 presidential election, nearly 90,000
So while voters might be motivated,
"It has to be the right person who speaks to folks in the Midwest" about issues such as improving access to better wages, health insurance, homeownership and trade to ensure high voter turnout, she said.
"Those who are running for the presidency have to have a stark difference between them and Trump, and it can't be just on character and personalities," Tlaib said. "It has to be around a bold policy agenda."
A bold agenda is exactly what
He left disappointed.
"
Walker is the type of voter Tlaib referenced.
He didn't vote for Trump or Clinton, and he hopes to hear more specifics at this week's debates as he shops for a 2020 candidate.
"This is ground zero for urban America. If you have an agenda, a plan, something you want to accomplish, this is the place to sell it because we have a history of that here," he said. "The city is going through a renewal, and that's good, but we've still got so many communities that are struggling. What are we going to do different for those folks? What are we going to hear different for them?
"
Twitter @BillRuthhart
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