jazeera.com. hi, i'm lisa fletcher. and you are in the studio. are detroiters making a come back? ♪ all about detroit. we are focusing on the real challenge tonight. >> the future, and who is doing to benefit. our community always has opinions and also activity is already happening in detroit.

how, there's a group that says wake up man. determines have been in charge for 50 years. and ten there's j.p. that says to get detroit back on its feet, we have to give money back. let's try that out. our community and you are the third host of the show, and we mean it. we read recall your tweets and facebook messages. they drive the discussion. so tonight, use of the #and join the conversation. he means it. many ways to be a part of our community. don't forget facebook, like us, send your ideas for stories that you think we should be covering. detroit hustles harder that's what residents are saying as they flip the city's negative narrative of bankruptcy crime and pose closures.

juxtapose against the standard story of ruin, businesses are investing big in downtown detroit. but it might be the do-it-yourselfers that bring it back. many are banking on the creativity of entrepreneurs to address the cities challenges. but, some long time residents say outsiders are driving the change, and it may not be in the best interest of everybody, so who is pushing development, and will it be enough to get detroit pack on its feet? joining us to discuss are some of the game changers. he is a social entrepreneur, who means he finds intersections between business who is are interested in benefiting the communities in which they work. on the phone, joining us tonight, is josh. he is ce oh, of detroit venture partners. he finds big money to infuse local economies. in our hang out, founder of food

lab detroit, that is a group of food business people interested in community, sustainability, and the environment. and kirk mays joins us. he is executive director of bright moore alliance. that's a group of 50 organizations that work to turn around communities. everybody welcome to the stream, we are so excited to have you all. josh, i want to start with you. detroit face as lot of challenges here. an $18 billion debt. the inability to properly fund services and somewhere in the neighborhood of about 75,000 abandons buildings. yet, from big business, people are investing time and money, and talent in detroit right now. what is the draw. >> well, you are right. there are many challenges but there are also incredible opportunities here in our city. there is a talent base, we have low costs of history of invasion and interpret neuroship in this region. for us, that's the perfect

recipe for success. entrepreneurs generally don't build great things in the peek of the market, they enter at a lower part, and so for my partners and i, we view detroit as an ink credible opportunity to invest to grow businesses and to help revitalize the great american city. >> jay who are the players? you moved back to detroit in 2011, who are the people making it happen right now? >> i think a lot is the public private partner ships in the communities. and downtown in those communities -- and it's -- i think the largest thing that is happening for detroit right now. and it is a community partnership. it is an investment in the community, and the voice of the residents that are making that change. >> speaking about communities. some people think detroit is an ugly dangerous city. and there's not too much hope. we prove them witness once they visit. the image of detroit, right, some people see nit the media, they think they are looking at

world war z, but talk to us, how do you get entrepreneurs and the rest of america to invest in detroit, which has such a negative brand image. >> well, don't believe everything that you hear. and half of what you see. the reality is detroit is a much different place than what people hear on t. v., and from word of mouth, and folks that are just -- all of this by hear say. when you come here you find a very different story. the place is made up of great people, a lot have visions to see detroit thrive again. i have our challenges but what city doesn't. and we are just in a place where we are in the middle of transformation. jess, crow are part of that

trueness formation, tell us about some of the things yo uh have seen or been a part of? >> i think going pack to the idea you don't see right a way the beauty of what is going on in detroit, a lot of it has to do with human technology. so thinking about new ways of organizing people, so the bright more alliance, bringing together a coalition of many different organizations to really focus on development is asking the residents what it is that they want. and that sort of organizational invasion is stuff that you really have to be on the ground. and be with the people in order to see. it is the human technology. what are new way ways to organio we can create more resilient. >> similar question to you, because i'm interested in the color here, of what is going on. talk about your favorite projects. things you have seen emerge that you are excited about? >> you know, it is going to take

a lot to tun things around. definitely have to do some things to improve our school systems. what are some of the projects you are excited about? things people can point to and say it is amazing and happening now? >> so there's some interesting partnerships that we are working on right now. so help businesses, thrive in the neighborhood. so we worked with a local incubator, and business resource organization called tech con. which is based at wayne state university, and they opened an office in the neighborhood to work with businesses and entrepreneurs. to help people follow their dreams. also, we are working on clearing the blight from the neighborhood. and as far as maintaining open spaces, abandoned and vacant homes, and trying to just

reclaim the actual open space. >> and i think that idea about space, it is a major asset in detroit. we just launched a project called kitchen connect. what we kid was instead look at what existing aspects do we have in our city. we have a lot of existing commercial kitchens that are only in use a few hours a day, so we became the management hub, and now food entrepreneurs are able to work out of kitchens in their own neighborhoods to create commercial products and to create businesses. >> doing the best with what you already have there, josh, i know you want to jump in. >> in our case, low tech entrepreneurs and this is having a multipurpose impact. on the one end, it is helping to recruit the best and brightest people into the city, instead of threing like so many people do in the state of michigan. helping to diversity the economy. if we can launch the next face group out of detroit, it will

create not only jobs in urban density, but also create hope and pave the way for future. >> is that realistic to think about launching like a google out of detroit at this point. >> we believe absolutely. and so you don't need a silicon valley zip code to launch a great company. eight to ten new one as year, and any one of these can be a break away success. they weren't all, but one or two of them do, we start to drive meaningful impact. i tell you the impact over a ten year period, just average run of the mill results. that can create big things. so we are looking over a ten year period to create over 6500 high paying jobs in the city of detroit. we are looking at filling up 1 million square feet in office space, and adding over a billion dollars of economic impact. so question think venture capitol is not the only way to cure the problems but will have a significant impact. >> detroiters and detroit

loverrers we want to hear from you. tell us about the challenges that outsiders may not understand as your city rebuilds. tweet us with the #ajm stream, we will share you comments after the break. i am david soul, i am a retired city of detroit worker and i am in the stream. >> my name is cynthia blare, i'm a widow of a decreased retired police sergeant. and i am am in the stream.

make sure that stories don't escape them. >> every day a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you heard angles you hadn't considered. consider this, antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo. stories that matter to you.

they presented the president with an autographed jersey, and obama shared a few praise. >> coach shula retired with more wins than any coach in history. each time that record has been challenged, team after team has fallin short. >> michael eaves joins us to talk more about that. the president was having a lot ♪ >> in 20 years my hope for detroit to look like a mecca it once was.

bustling of people. but this time i believe collusion of people, not just the white people, but hispanics, african-americans, asians. it looks to me a poet pourry of businesses, rejuvenate. with all the investments coming in to rebuild detroit, are there inevitable tensions between old and new just i want to throw this at you, because you are not originally from detroit, yet you are get how do you have massive changes come about without isolation, or even pushing more people out of the city? i think a lot of it has to do with people coming in with humidity. and the blank slate narrative is just not true. and so when i first came to the city the first thing i did, especially in the food world, which tends to be very political and can be devicive, is

basically just sit in the back ofle radios and listen to what is happening already. and figure out where my energy and my skills and my passion can fit in. so i think bringing that humility to the table is an attraction. >> here is kevin, give him a listen. >> one of the main challenges that detroit needs to address, crime, poverty, jobs and services. people need to feel safe, and they need to have some reliable and services such as emergency and fire. just reliable, and timely services such as emergency and fire. garbage collection, as entrepreneur ship enough to save detroit, it may be its only chance, it will take time to move out from areas such as the news center, cultural center, or the central business district. all right, jay, detroit has problems.

there's class divides and race divides. ten a lot of people are saying if entrepreneur ship comes in, will it really bridge the device, or just exploit the inequities that are present? >> i think we have to -- are we talking about being completely from the outside, or investing in entrepreneurs that we do have here. a lot of times the resources are thrown at other interrupt nears and say come here and do something, here are the resources to do it, but the interrupt nears that are on the ground, have been here, have been doing what they have been doing, are kind of like hit and miss. how do they get access to these resources when they have their head down in their business. concentrating on that. so i think it is a combination of both. how do we acknowledge the community, but al having them create a relationship. >> how much of the rising interrupt neuroship is home grown, and how do you accomplish what jay is talking about? which is finding that

partnership between people coming from the outside and the folk whose are already there. >> well, i think that most of the investors that i know really have a strong focus on inclusivety. we have funded interrupt neuros from the region that have moved to the city to build their businesses. so i think that whether the interrupt neurothemselves is from inside the city or not, i don't think we should get caught up on it. most important thing is to create companies that create jobs and improve the conditions. you mentioned fire and bar badge collection, it doesn't take inspiration to figure out what we need those things what it takes is cash. and by improving the tax base, whether it's from downtown, new center, we can drive the tax base and drive the economic engine, by creating jobs. by increasing our tax pace, that will pay for the new city softs. so it doesn't matter a company

that has 1,000 at the end of the day, what matters is we are driving the economy, and enabling those city services to continue. >> kirk, in terms of charges bright moore is one of the hardest hit areas all around the students there are failing. and an huge rate. how do you see the city sustaining all of the good things that are now coming into it? if it isn't raising up an educated work force to take over? >> the components. to raise a family. and you can come into a place that offers a platform and the resource disease the opportunity to start a business. you can make a living or become wealthy. by engaging and offering society what you have to offer. that's a place that's doing to attract people. if we can actually offer schools that are going to educate our children, and make our children

have a leg up, over the global competition, so they can be successful, take care of themselves that's important. in that place where we are living and these things are happening you need a strong government that actually does things to protect the rights of the people, but also give them our bang for our buck, and helps to add to our quality of life. so it take as lot of things for city to compact. we are not doing so well as far as the nation testing standards. as we are falling behind, across the entire nation, in a lot of urban areas and otherwise. >> what kind of people are we developing out of our community. >> that's exactly what our community is talking about. detroit has seen a 59% increase in the number of college educated residents under the age of 35 in the past ten years. why dawning that is? nicole said opportunity, but

area said look, they need more loans for people to do to college, however, there are no jobs and if there is, they are low paid ones. speaking about education, and the future, how is this interrupt neuroship helping these middle class kid whose are struggling to get an education the how with reempowerring the next generation here? >> so actually a lot of the focus that we have for our interrupt neuros is more -- less even middle class and lower class people color and neighborhoods. who off times have that respect recognizes as part of the interrupt mural revitalization. but that reenforces the connection, could create shops that are basically in our communities and have the other intangible benefits that we don't quantify as economic benefits.

if you have someone the your neighborhood that is the same color of you or your kid. the kids realize they can grow up and be an owner as well. that's something we can't quantify. i think we feed to focus on quality of life, and paying attention to who are getting these jobs. what kind of jobs are they. is really important. piece to add to the conversation. we can't leave that out. >> josh, there are a lot of challenges facing this community. venture capitalists like yourself bring in a huge infusion of money. which is great, but what are some of the challenges that you face when you are trying to lure big businesses or great start up companies to comment in is one these people are going to move, in and they will want to buy homes they have families kids they want to send to good schools. are you facing any sort of push

back in those areas? >> i am curious what your challenges are. >> from time to time, there are. and as we discussed earlier, there are many misconceptions about detroit. on a global pace israelly. even the bankruptcy, people thought signify as horrible tragedy, and i certainlyn't wayto be compassionate to the people that were impacted. a lot of human impact. but this -- from a business standpoint, this is a real positive step forward. this is something that should have happened 30 years ago. we are finally cleaning up corruption, and messes that were made over decades. and to me what it is signifying we are focusing on the future. and staying squarely focused on the future. there are a lot of people that may feel this isn't the right spot for them, they want to go to a more accomplished place. the interesting part is there's a lot of people that feel the opposite. they say i don't want to go to san francisco, or boston, or new york, because i can't make an impact. i can come to detroit,ky really

leave my fingerprint on this transformation. i tell you, i believe this five year period will be studies for decades as the greatest turn around story. and it is a very compelling argument for people to invest, and to invest their time and energy. >> we are talking about the future, when we come back, we will continue to do so. we have brought off lot of great ideas but then that raises the question, how does it all come together to rebuild detroit. our guests to have a plan. first we dig up footage, it is really cool. it is mayor kavanaugh, and he is talking about detroit's glory days. there is a renaissance in the city. there's a newness in detroit. i am honored to be serving as mayor, at this most eventful and productive period in detroit's history. >> so, can detroit restore its golden years? keep sending us your thoughts, keep tweet ugh us, we will share

them after the break.