Mayor Duggan during his final State of the City Address at the Hudson Site in Downtown Detroit , photo by Monica Morgan
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan delivered his final State of the City address on March 25, highlighting a decade of progress in economic development, crime reduction, and urban revitalization. As the city’s first white mayor since the 1970s, Duggan has drawn both praise and skepticism from Black Detroiters. While he clicked through slides of past to present victories, many are left wondering if his leadership truly benefited the city’s Black majority and what’s next for a community still fighting inequality.
Mayor Duggan emphasized the city’s success in attracting new businesses and reducing unemployment through programs like Skills for Life. He also cited the transformation of vacant lands into manufacturing sites, leading to significant job creation. For instance, the old State Fairgrounds now hosts an Amazon Fulfillment Center employing 2,400 people, and the Detroit Assembly Complex Mack has hired 4,000 Detroiters.
Arthur Green, a lifelong Detroit resident, highlighted Duggan’s final State of the City address as iconic; having it take place in the new location for the Hudson site downtown shows Detroit’s evolution forward.
“I believe that this is a great send-off and a great representation of the things he (Duggan) said he was going to do when he took office,” Green said.
“I think last night was a nice way of saying he is through with Detroit, and the city is in great hands for whoever comes in and takes over.”
The mayor highlighted a dramatic decrease in crime rates, noting that Detroit recorded its fewest homicides last year since 1965. He attributed this success to hiring more officers, providing them with raises, and implementing Community Violence Intervention initiatives.
Black homeowners in Detroit have seen significant benefits, gaining about $3.2 billion in wealth since 2014. Over this period, the value of homes owned by Black residents in the city has nearly doubled, skyrocketing by 94%. In 2014, these homes were valued at $3.4 billion, and by 2023, that number has jumped to $6.6 billion.
“In my first State of the City Address in 2014, I asked Detroiters thinking about moving out to give us some time to show we could work together to turn our city around,” Mayor Duggan said.
Detroit resident and Board member of Homeless Action Network of Detroit (HAND) Lynn Haliburton praised Duggan’s storytelling abilities throughout his address despite the heavy data.
“The amount of statistics and numbers that he dropped, it still flowed as a really good story,” Haliburton said.
“Sometimes you can get lost in all of that data. But we really got to see how these things all correlated together, from reductions in crime to bringing new businesses in and homeowners in.”
Haliburton emphasized that Duggan should take a lot of credit for the city’s progress, but during the address wanted to see more credit given to entities and organizations outside of just the City of Detroit that are helping to provide direct services to the homeless community, especially following the recent death of two minor children in the Greektown parking structure in February of this year.
“This is not just a city of Detroit thing,” Haliburton said.
“We’re the organization that manages the hotline that people call when people need homeless services. The city has been an amazing partner in creating and streamlining the funding he mentioned. However, sometimes, some organizations end up taking a backseat to the city. No one really understands HAND or how involved HAND. So then it makes our organization completely dependent upon the federal and state and city funding that we’re getting, because we’re not getting any of the private funds, because people don’t know that we’re doing this work.”
The mayor addressed Detroit’s ongoing battle against blight and vacant homes. This initiative aims to continue to rejuvenate neighborhoods and provide housing opportunities for residents.
“By the end of the year, we’ll be down to 1,000 vacant houses owned by the land bank,” Duggan said.
However, some community members remain cautious about the pace and focus of redevelopment. The proposed changes to the Renaissance Center, including plans to tear down two of the original five towers to create a new family and entertainment park along the Detroit River, have elicited mixed reactions, many of those emotions heard during City Council meetings, during public comment.
Mayor Duggan’s last speech marks an important moment for Detroit, capturing a time of big changes and paving the way for the city’s future leaders. While many people have praised his work, it’s clear that the Black community has mixed feelings. This highlights the challenges of running a city and shows how important it is to ensure that everyone, regardless of what neighborhood they live it, feels included in the progress we make together as a city.
Today, on Mayor Duggan’s social media feeds, Facebook and Instagram, he posted, “Despite the haters and the naysayers, the fact still remains….Nothing Stops Detroit. #SOTC2025 #MikeDuggan.”
As Detroit gets ready to choose its next mayor, conversations about leadership and representation are heating up. The city is on the verge of a new era, and the voices of Black Detroit residents will be key in guiding the city toward a fairer and more successful future.
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