Inkster resident and community activist Joe Claybron, a tax preparer, is an activist and mentor who is interested in building up the community that has about 25,000 residents — a majority of whom are Black.
Claybron is taking back the streets and pouring into them what he took out years earlier when he was in a gang and got in trouble with the law which led him to do 15 years in prison. He was released two years ago. But that’s behind him now, and the affable community leader continues to shine a spotlight on the seemingly forgotten city that’s been crime-ridden and under-resourced.
“My first conscious memory is playing peewee football,” he said of growing up in Inkster. “I was a standout athlete, and though I didn’t know what it was at the time… it was a beautiful upbringing. Everything changed due to the economy. We have no real small businesses out here. No real mom-pop shops. Really just you live here but you work in another city. It’s in bad shape out here. We’re looking to change all of that in the next five to 10 years.”
During his stint in prison, he founded an organization called Nubit. The goal is to help other activists, including helping many returning citizens start working and helping them be an asset to their community. The group has worked with the City of Inkster on several projects.
One of his bigger, upcoming projects is turning his now-vacant childhood home into a haven for women fleeing violent situations. He hopes to have it completed in 2022, but the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed some of his plans. But being the optimistic person he is, he is confident that it will be done.
Claybron, who moved to the city a year ago and opened up his tax office earlier in 2018, said that he saw, especially during a bad winter storm, a lot of people didn’t have a place to go. So, he converted half of his office into a warming center. The Red Cross even let him borrow 30 cots to run his operation 24 hours a day for about 14 days.
“There were men, women, children — young women as young as 17 coming in with babies — it was a mess. We fought through it,” he said, adding that he was raised by both his parents in a community where his home was the community house. “I’ve always had the community in my blood. It was never a chance where I’m going to be like, ‘No I’m not going to help them.’”
He added that he is obligated to be here and fix the city.
“It’s a job that needs to be done — don’t nobody want to do it. I’ll pick up the slack. I’ll do it,” he said, adding that he’s had people along the way helping him.
People like Inkster resident and community organizer Paris Jones. They met two years ago at his former tax office while she was passing out flyers for her Stop the Violence rally.
“We met and our love for our people brought us closer on so many levels. We fell in love with each other’s drive and ambition,” she said adding that she helps with day-to-day operations at Claybron’s former tax office that is now a Resource Center.
She also partners with him through their non-profits, R.O.S.E.B.U.D.S and Nubit LLC. With the upcoming housing project, she is looking forward to helping advocate for women in domestic violence situations.
“This is something near and dear to my heart,” she said. “I also am a survivor and facilities such as what Joseph is birthing actually helped my family. As a child, my mother, who recently passed away, was a survivor of domestic violence and we had to utilize facilities such as what Joseph is amping up in the city of Inkster. This is also really big because the city of Inkster has never had anything like this. It’s been a long time in the making, a lot of planning and a lot of preparation but it’s all finally coming together … help is on the way.”
