Breaking Down HBO's takedown of District Detroit plus the legacy of Judge Keith

The HBO show “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” last week turned its lens on the District Detroit, the Ilitch family’s mostly unrealized plan to redevelop 50 blocks as a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood between downtown and Midtown.

Predictably, it did not go well for the Ilitches, who received $324 million in taxpayer assistance in exchange for what so far is the Little Caesars Arena, a Kid Rock restaurant and a couple dozen parking lots.

Being opinionated on the subject, we talk about the episode, plus:

• 6:05 – An update on the progress of the old State Fairgrounds
• 6:45 – We break down the recent ruling from three federal judges that Michigan must redraw 34 congressional and legislative districts by Aug. 1 because they were unconstitutionally designed to favor Republicans.
• 8:07 – Jer interviews Detroit historian and civil rights author Ken Coleman about the life and legacy of Judge Damon J. Keith, a longtime federal judge and civil rights champion from Detroit who died Sunday at age 96.

Also, as a heads up, our next segment airs on Detroit Public Television’s One Detroit on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m.

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