Durrel Douglas is the current democratic candidate for Michigan’s House of Representative District 8 running for the state primary. His campaign centers those within his district and the issues that impact constituents. Choosing to host his launch event at YumVillage, Douglas describes his district: running from downtown Detroit through Highland Park, Hazel Park, Ferndale and Madison Heights; as a heart of the region.
As an organizer at heart, who I connected with through are mutual passion for criminal justice reform issues, Douglas is the most outspoken and present candidates in Michigan around issues concerning the rights of incarcerated citizens and their communities. Even Douglas’ careful selection of his launch venue illustrates the power of his natural intersection towards inclusivity and influence. The open mic setup restaurant sources 15% of its ingredients from Haiti, the Caribbean, and West Africa; owner, Godwin Ihentuge grew up in Detroit and sources 85% of the remaining ingredients in YumVillage’s food from the Detroit area. As a Detroit native, having never eaten at YumVillage prior, I’m eager to see what other gem’s Durrel’s obvious appreciation and admiration for the region’s potential that his experience elevates to nurture and strengthen in our community.
Douglas kicked off his campaign by giving a platform to his supporters and those issues that are dear to their hearts. Starting with Patrick Chery, a foreman from Texas inspired to relocate to the area as a result of Douglas’ campaign. Chery, now small business owner, shared the inspiration Douglas gave him while expressing his vision for Michigan. Douglas’ visionary leadership and experience working on successful campaigns in both grassroots movements and legislative offices has led to several victories including working on writing legislation is Texas House of Representatives and organizing in a winning fight to increase minimum wage in Washington state.
Douglas shared how he came up during the “Good old days” which he defined as, “A time where people were more willing to collaborate with one another”. He spoke on the devastating impact that the Big 3 Bankruptcy had on Michigan’s working class, explaining how Michigan is one of few states that collect both state as well as local and city taxes from residents who see very little return on that taxation: with crumbling roads, failing social infrastructure and a legislature full of representatives too concerned with being non-controversial than actively organizing impactful social justice movements to service those who are far too often overlooked by political officials. During his career, Douglas has worked with Harris County and Oklahoma County jail officials in order to expand voting access to eligible incarcerated citizens. As a candidate with a record of reaching out to those on the margins of society to close those gaps to access, we can depend on Durrel to respond with action in the state legislature while valuing the voice of all his constituents.
Douglas expressed his intention to be a community organizer working in a representative role. Some of the issues that he elevated Friday evening at a family owned restaurant in the heart of his district included raising Michigan’s minimum wage, expanding access to Governor Whitmer’s “Michigan Connect” program by reducing the minimum age to qualify for college tuition coverage from age 25 to 21; and implementing criminal justice reforms like the good time initiative in order to eliminate overcrowding in Michigan’s prisons.
At this stage, the campaign intends to raise at least $100k in order to reach as many residents as possible. Supporters can look forward to connecting with Douglas at his Hazel Park launch event on May 14th. I’m looking forward to seeing how residents embrace his depth of knowledge and passion for social justice to strengthen their communities. I’m a strong supporter of Durrel Douglas and look forward to seeing a record turnout of voters on Tuesday August 2nd in support of his primary run.
