the detroit institute of art is a facility owned by the city of detroit. the corporation manages that facility for the benefit of detroit. those are detroit assets. they are different than pensioners, which are obligees that with have. we have to be fair and equitable in our treatment with all creditor classes, financial creditors, or retirees, pensioners, and the like, and that's what we're going to try to do. >> reporter: are you on track for [ inaudible ] >> well, we hope to stay on track. we had our map out. we had the tank full of gas, and the car was in the driveway. we're now heading down the road. but we have a long road ahead. but we're on track to keep our schedule to meet the requirements under the statute that ends basically at the end of september 2014. >> reporter: detroit is finally hit the bottom if you will. how soon before detroit is a better city? a city that people want to move to? a city that just doesn't feel safe, but is actually safe? how soon before detroit is relatively back on its feet in your honest opinion? >> okay. honest opin

. >> more than 100 retirees and detroit residents filed objection to detroit's bankruptcy declaration. today, those people will have a chance to voice their legal arguments in a hearing in front of a bankruptcy judge. what are we expecting to hear in the bankruptcy court today? >> well i can tell you many of these residents coming to federal court today are opposed to this filing, because many of former city workers, who receive a pension from detroit, and if this bankruptcy is approved, they risk losing some of their income, as well as their health benefits and they're not going to let that happen without a fight. >> with growing expenses and declining tax revenue, detroit can't even keep the street lights turned on, let alone afford to pay off its huge growing debt. the city's emergency manager appointed by governor rick snyder filed for chapter nine bankruptcy in july. >> i don't view this as a terrible answer in the sense that now's our opportunity to stop 60 years of decline. this is if you knowment. >> race riots in the 1960's, the flight of people to the suburbs, and decline of

bisi onile-ere with the latest out of detroit.gain, the breaking news, is the federal bankruptcy judge has ruled that detroit can continue and is eligible for file for bankruptcy. joining me now to talk about this decision is the president of the american college of bankruptcy. thanks for being with us. was this a forgone conclusion in >> in my view it was. and there were a lot of people in front of me who had the same view. >> what happens to these retirees and pensioners. you heard our reporter discuss how some of them really do depend on this chuck. >> well, time will tell. the plan that the city will propose and -- it is stated that it will propose by the end of the year should give pensioners come clue as to what the outcome will be. but what i suspect will happen is there will be further negotiations. the overarching legal issue is whether the court can impair pensioner's rights. their council will argue that state law prohibits a bankruptcy court from impairing their rights. that's what the negotiation will be about before

images of detroit. the great heavyweight champ, the wonderful murals, and the rapper driving down a main thoroughfare of detroit, a black gospel choir rising in song and eminem pointing at the camera saying this is the motor city. i choked up seeing that ad. i was born in detroit and it got me thinking what detroit gave america and how i could write about that. >> you focus on the year 1963. tell us why. >> this was a period when detroit was booming. and there are four main themes or threads of the book. auto industry, obviously, music, motown, the soundtrack of my generation, the labor government in america, the united auto workers was really the heart of the labor movement, and civil rights. detroit was key to civil rights during that period. so that allowed me to focus intensely on those themes. i set up an oil rig somewhere and dug as deeply as i could, and that allowed me to show what detroit gave america but also the seeds of its collapse. >> this was one of the golden years for detroit, but the c

detroit is getting jobs in the city of detroit. we would not be headed to bankruptcy by the dictator governor rick schneider and kevin orr. we would be headed to a flourishing city if we could get jobs and education down in the city of detroit. >> why do you call the galvestonor -- governor the dictator? he's going to asia to increase tourism and trade. i get that. a lot of people believe he ought to be focused on bring more manufacturing to michigan. why do you call him the dictator? >> as we spread democracy across the world, even in syria, you know, right here in the city of detroit democracy has been dismissed. you know, i can vote for my city councilperson. i can vote for my mayor, but my city councilperson or mayor has absolutely no power at all taken over by the governor and the state of michigan, the city of detroit as well as seven or eight other cities across the state of michigan that just so happen to be minority-based cities. i mean, i think michigan and those who are under this emergency management are very clear that

>> we've learned that even a city as great as detroit, as big as detroit, with so many creditors as detroit go through bankruptcy, can go through bankruptcy relatively quickly, and we hope can emerge a much stronger financial and attractive municipality for people to live in. >> i think we all agree we'd like to see a quick recovery. kate long and laura bartell, ladies, great to have you with us on a deeper look. >> thank you. >> coming up on aljazeera america, a house-sized asteroid headed toward earth could mean trouble for satellites circling above. stay with us. there's more to finical news than the ups and downs of the dow. for instance, can fracking change what you pay for water each month? have you thought about how climate change can effect your grocery bill? could rare minerals in china effect your cell phone bill? or, how a hospital in texas could drive up your health care premium. i'll make the connections from the news to your money real. >> 30 korea announced a trial date for matthew miller, expected to go to trial next sunday. the charges are unclear. he was arrested in april

the bankruptcy says that no one can try to collect money from detroit, and detroit will work out a plan to pay everyone something, less than they would be paid if they were getting paid in full, but something, and we'll try to share the pain across the board. what we're in now, we're at the beginning of the stage where kevin orr and his team will put in front of the court a plan a proposal to adjustment the debt and reduce the payments. the court will look at it, and while all this mediation is taking place with the bargaining unites, creditors, and they're trying to reach an agreement on the side, carry that in together, and hopefully this will be connecticut essential you'llly. >> michael sweet, a bankruptcy attorney and partner of potts roth child llc. thank you. >>> french investigators concluded that yasser arafat died of natural causes. this contradicts swiss conclusion there is he had a high level of radioactive polonium. >> some palestinians suspected foul play. now this new report from france raises new questions. >> reporter: in death as in life yasser arafat remains a lighten

shinola detroit, a luxury wrist watch factory could be based anywhere in the country. >> we came to detroit and met fantastic people in the business community and found the amazing energy about moving forward and less about the past. >> reporter: $11 billion have been invested in business here. the downtown landscape has seen a resurgence. buildings with vacant office space is filling up and residents are moving in from the suburbs. >> so i came down thinking i would spend two or three years having a decent job and then move out, and you move down here and there is so much more to the city than you imagined. >> reporter: some here even think of bankrupt detroit might help the city's revival. >> bankruptcy is a process that at the end of it will only improve city government and it's ability to deliver services. better services will be more attractive to long-term investors and to businesses, and more importantly residents. >> reporter: while the bankruptcy judge may decide the city's larger fate, small business versus already started writing detroit's future. joining me live is an attorney r

, one of the golden years for detroit. the cracks were beginning then? >> absolutely. >> sociologists at the university that year issued a report largely ignored that said that detroit was on its way to losing half a million people by the end of the 1960less, and the depopulation would continue for the foreseeable future, stripping the city of the a tax base. part was the auto industry, the industry moving away from detroit. part was the history of racial detention, and the unwilling aspect which blacks in detroit, called nig roe removal. they were showing the signs of weak innocence. what did the mood by the auto industry to leave, to get out of detroit, what did it do for the city. it was short-sited. the movement was out of detroit. it began before 1963. moving plants to different cities and states and really into the world, but importantly leaving detroit emotionally. that was the key. when we talked to autoexecutives, they regret they left behind the heart of detroit. they built the auto industry. they were left behin

a detroit city. although it detailed the peak in the city, it says signs of a decline were already there. i asked him what inspired him to write the book >> i wasn't expecting to write a book about detroit until the bowl in 2011, during half-time watching the super bowl, and it saw a-- i saw a commercial. first i saw the highway sign that said detroit and that made me pay attention and then all of these iconic images of detroit, the joe illegal use, the-- lewis, heavy weight champ, murals of detroit history, and eminem, walking into the gloryous faction theatre, a black rising, and eimen pointing and saying this is the motor city. this is what we do. i choked up. they were just selling chryslers, but it meant a lot to me t i thought about what it gave america and what i could write >>> you focused on the year, 1963. tell us why. >> this was a period when detroit was booming. there are four main themes or threads of the books. automobiles, music, motown, the sown track of my generation, the labor move

detroit celebrates music. here again is bisi onile-ere. >> long before mo town, this was the sound of the city. >> the detroit symphony orchestra, a symbol of success. a surplus of 20 million, ticket sales bringing in 10,000 donors, and a concert featuring steven spiel berg and john wilson sold out in is a minutes. it's music to everyone's ears, and a surprise considering the institution was silenced forever. >> we went through cuff times, during the financial coppals the orchestra was on the brink. stayed funding dropping. >> ticket sales plunged. audiences down 40-50%, plus a deficit of 6.5 million. with a musician contract, reinforced contracts, the symphony rebounded and is if the black. >> this is a reason for the turn around where every concert is broadcast to the world. it's the only one to streamline for free. the webb casts viewed by hundreds of thousands of people. there are studies that showed people who consume certain content on the internet who are far more likely to consume it live as well. >> g

that's the one thing that detroit offers that it's part of your heritage. >> made in detroit. the large entrepreneurs show that it's not about cars and trucks, it's everything. >> from crime to a troubled public school system, the city of detroit has a share of problems. what is interesting have there's a large number of young professionals moving downtown. it's such a bad situation that the vacancy rate is 98%. downtown report hasn't had a housing problem for some time, until now. >> bisi onile-ere reporting. >> veronica scott is the found are of a nonprofit called the empowerment plan, and her organization helps homeless families in detroit find employment. >> how did you start this? >> it was all a class project with the college for creative studies in detroit. it was a school projects that grew and took on a life of its own. >> this is part of your own personal story. >> it really does. it took a long time for me to recognise that this coat that turns into a sleeping bag that we give out nationally, designed in school really stemmed from how i grew up, and was about the op

simply put, there are not enough jobs in detroit. this will be president obama's 18th visit to michigan, his visit will be a short one. he'll arrive just afternoon, and wrap up around 5:00. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. >>> and as for that bailout, it cost taxpayers less than many expected. georgia loaning gm and chrysler as much as $80 million back in 2009. five years later most of that was paid back. taxpayers left on the hook for about $9 billion in unpaid debt. it saved more than 4 million jobs by keeping gm and chrysler afloat. >>> donald trump welcomes the support of sarah palin in the final push before iowa. and -- armed attackers storm a university in pakistan. >>> in politics, donald trump is in iowa after receiving his biggest endorsement yet. former vice presidential candidate, sarah palin. the former governor of alaska making that announcement at a racous speech in iowa. >> only one candidate's success proves he is the master of the art of the deal. he is beholden to no one but we the people. how refreshing. he is

, and i know detroit is coming on a comeback. >> reporter: a comeback.t's what this bankrupt city, homeowners and entrepreneurs like john george are banking on. >> i'm a detroitaholic, i love detroit. >> reporter: he could have chosen an easier place to open a coffee shop and move theater, but he built on the west side, and mobilizes teams of volunteers to clear blighted homes. >> you will never hear me listing all of the problems of detroit, that's old news. >> reporter: george believes in about ten years detroit will be leaner and greener, redeveloped into something bigger and better. bigger and better is also what efforts like the motor city mapping project is hoping to make way for. 225 surveyors are combing 125 square miles, snapping pictures of every parcel of land in detroit. >> this is the first of its kind. we have got to do the entire city. >> reporter: the federal, state, and city partnership will use the data to determine whether to fight blight, the next step in rebuilding. >> people say you can't never go home anymore. but you can. >> repor

aljazeera, detroit. >> oh we are live in detroit. bisi, what are people the city saying about all these financial troubles? >> good morning, del. i can tell you that reaction for the most part is pretty much mixed. you have one section of the community. they believe that at this point, bankruptcy is the only option. to tell you the truth, the city didn't get to this point overnight. there's been years of corruption, as well as financial mismanagement, so a lot of people see this bankruptcy, if it goes through, as a way to get out of the financial mess that the city is in. they say let's start off on a clean slate. then you have another portion of the community. they are strongly against a bankruptcy. they feel at this point that the city is just trying to look for an easy way out. >> do we know how long this trial could take and is there a chance that workers' pensions could be saved? after all, they paid into that system for years. >> well, del, this is what i can tell you about the length of this trial. it's supposed to last about

why detroit? >> it just really made since.here is so much opportunity here. >> reporter: located in what was previously an abandoned building, it's part of a new wave of innovators setting up shop and companying the landscape. in 2007 the central business district has a vacancy rate of 33%. in 2013 it dropped to 26.5. >> detroit historically is blue collar, and i think that translates really well to tech, it translates really well to entrepreneurs, because if you are going to be an entrepreneur and especially in tech, you have got to be able to work. and that's the one thing that detroit really offers that it's part of our heritage. >> reporter: made in detroit, these young entrepreneurs are showing it is not just about cars and trucks anymore. it is everything. bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. ♪ >>> your 401k is smiling. the dow up 92 points. visa and procter & gamble are today's big earners so far. gm claims most lawsuits are for accidents that happened before 2009 when it declared bankruptcy. the auto makers facing abou

>> we've learned that even a city as great as detroit as big as detroit, as -- with so many creditors as detroit, can go through bankruptcy, can go through bankruptcy relatively quickly and we hope can emerge a much stronger financial and attractive municipality for people to liver in. >> i think we all agree we would like to see a quick recovery. >> kate long and laura bartel, thank you for having you with us for a deeper look. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> a house sized asteroid heading towards earth could create a problem for satellites circling above. >> today, progress is being made against wildfires in central california. the wildfires have scorched areas in central california and firefighters say they have contained 24% of the blaze. no major damage has been reported. >>> nasa says earth will have a very close encounter with an asteroid on sunday. passing by our planet as close as satellites do. don't worry, nasa says it won't hit earth. science and technology editor jake ward has more. >> this one rc 2014, about a 60 food diameter rock, is going right by us. when i say right

investing in a myriad of businesses and new vehicle technologies robert for cano who oversees detroit as wayne county executive has been to china seven times since two thousand and five he says the recent activity is sending a very powerful message they still see this is a strong economy i mean people i know get uptight about their buying or treasury bonds and things like that step back and say what does it mean that music believe in your economy and that belief in the economy is echoed by detroiters we're starting to see their community change. one of those neighborhoods is cast forward or an area that seen unprecedented development with refurbished streets new restaurants and retail shops clear nelson both works and lives in the neighborhood what i'm seeing is. a lot of investment and creativity and innovation happening around retail commercial the sex finally for the first time in a long time there's one where people experimenting with new ideas new ideas being brought to the city by new people with a younger generation not only working in detroit but living here to revitalizing th

that includes saving the detroit institute of art.re was talk about selling off the city's treasures, and they came up with an agreement that avoids doing that. there will in fact be new money spent as part of the plan for blight removal. there are thousands and thousands of homes here in detroit that have just been abandoned as the population dropped from 2 million to $700,000. and there will be more money for police and fire as well. but the big deal is getting those creditors to give up on some of the money that the city owed them. >> hey, john this is plan guaranteed to get detroit out of bankruptcy? what happens if the plan fails? >> reporter: well, here's -- here's the problem, now detroit is going to have toing find some sustainable way to go forward. and they have got a city that is built for 2 million, so they have a water system that is very inefficient, and therefore have some of the highest rates in the country here, and they have lost many of those jobs that drove the auto industry here. the auto industry is smaller and f

see detroit the way detroiters see it.e. >> the chief l, rks art architect music and the hid be gems of the motor city. but as the largest city in the country to declare bankruptcy it takes special locals to show visitors the bright side. the hostel has welcomed over 200 visitors since 2011. revived by several local artists, the heidelburg process, a youth project covering two blocks what was once rubble and a city park along the detroit river. >> our goal with the program and the hostel is to change people's minds about detroit one person at a time. >> and they're message has traveled halfway around the world attracting travelers from austria to australia. they provide you with a lot of information on how to discover the city on your own. >> it was like being with a friend, driving around, showing us places and stuff. >> showcasing street art and other bright spots of culture around town. the ambassadors hope to leave a better impression than that of a dying city. >> we really, really have the opportunity to take a lot of

president obama realising that detroit is the future of america. that if we cannot make detroit right, we can't make america right. >> i'm glad president obama took a chance. >> the deal may have fallen short. instead of selling fuel efficient cars, sales drove the industry's comeback. while business is booming for the big three, work is hard to come by in the city, for many detroiters, according to a workforce study, with a population of 680,000. the city of detroit has 258,000 jobs within its borders. simply put. there's not enough jobs in detroit. >> this will be president obama's 18th visit to michigan, the visit a short one. he'll arrive around noon and wrap up after five. >> bisi onile-ere in detroit. if it's time to change your online passwords, there's a few to avoid. a company called splash data released a list of the worst in 2015. among them, 123456. you need more than that and do not use password as your pass ward. there's qwerty on the football, football fans or star wars. >>> a study published said your bedroom, your house is likely f

bisi onile-ere is in detroit. bisi. >> john, the president started his comments by saying, the city is coming back. the largest municipal bankruptcy in u.s. history. it has come back but there are still hurdles ahead. today a city fighting for a come back is showing progress. >> until recently it was spotty, always spotty. >> reporter: before detroit's bankruptcy about 40% of the street lights were broken. now, nearly 90% of the lights have been replaced. we visited mark covington. >> we don't get nothing over here and when you do get something you try to cherish that. >> reporter: the city says that ambulance response times have improved. there's a new fleet of city buses. violent crime is on the decline. once the target of a selloff a collection of city owned art was saved and for the first time in decades, construction downtown is booming. >> we're really honored to kind of write back distilling history, bring back to the city's roots with distilled spirits. >> reporter: one of the many investors in the area, a

i'm sara kelly thank you so much for joining us of retha franklin is being laid to rest in detroit at this hour and the queen of soul is being given a fittingly musical sendoff you're watching live pictures now here on news of a lineup at her funeral includes figures from the civil rights movement and big names from the music world former u.s. president bill clinton is due to address the crowd. and this invitation only event it is expected to last several hours the funeral caps off a week of events that included tribute concerts and the opportunity for fans to see franklin lying in state. and they've seen her lying in state in very many off it's bringing karen home shots now i hear from our culture desk to take us through the historic occasion and i said what's been happening all this week i understand that today she has a gold dress on doesn't actually i don't know what her goal dresses what her dress is today because i haven't seen it i think yesterday it was rose gold so that will be interesting every time obviously a pair of. stiletto heels so a diva to the very last but this is g

last year it was 23% effective. >>> an effort to revitalize detroit is focused on food. bisi onile-ere shows us the city's culinary transformation. >> can i grab a carrot soup? >> ok. >> evan hansen and a partner purchased on old mid town detroit abandoned building and turned it into a restaurant more than a year ago. >> detroit was really the only place that seemed to make sense for this restaurant. >> plagued by blight, crime and a dwindling population, detroit was a city that many investors tried to avoid, but not anymore. it's estimated that the city's restaurant boom happen created hundreds of jobs over the past five years. he employs more than 70 people. >> the interest in local farms, interest in doing slightly more creative non-traditional food is definitely on the rise. >> over the past three years, i would say that it's just really exploded. >> serena daniels, a food critic for the metro times, believes that detroit's bargain real estate market where homes sold for one grand or less is a huge draw. according to a 2015 global city's initiative report, more young

bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. >> thanks for joining us. the latest news anytime, head to aljazeera.com. ray suarez is up next with ""inside story"." have a great night. >> in the last lap of his presidency, barack obama is wrapping up unfinished business. like the promises of u.s. senator, candidate and new president, barack obama, to close down the prison at the american naval base at guantanamo bay, cuba. fewer than 100 inmates remain, and some have waited for years for trials, and some are already understood to be not guilty, but have no place to go. but what happens now? a problem of our making, it's the "inside story".

bisi onile-ere joining us live in detroit.isi how long could this take and is there a chance that pensions could be saved. >> reporter: the judge on this case is really trying to push this process forward, and i'm told that the trial at the most could last about five days. there's crowds of people out here. there were hundreds out here at one point, protesting this bankruptcy. the crowd made up of many retirees who have so much to lose if this bankruptcy moves forward. they have -- they could possibly lose their pensions as well as their health care, and as to the question as to whether their benefits can be saved these retirees, they really think they can be saved, because they say they are protected by the state constitution. so as i was saying a lot of drama out here earlier today. the crowd is beginning to die down a little bit. bankruptcy has been a huge topic here in detroit over the past couple of months, but there are things in the city that are showing signs of renewal. this is the detroit most of the world knows high

, for the new detroiters at the same time as the old detroiters.how do we make sure that we are balanced and that everyone has a seat at the table? thank you for your time? >> thank you for having me. >> and detroit's efforts to fight crime. >> first responders with a medication that can immediately reverse the effects of a drug overdose. science and technology correspondent jacob ward explains from san francisco. >> the lock zone, also known as narcan. in 95% of cases, it almost instantaneously reverses the effect of an overdose of heroin or hydrocodone. overdoses have fallen by between 30 and 90%. it simply keeps the drug from binding to the brain and restores breathing in the process. it also inspires remarkable consensus. 17 states have moved to expand access. attorney general eric holder in a speech on wednesday urged policemen, fire fighters should carry it at all times citing 10,000 overdoses reversed by niloxon since 2001. in maine, which has seen i see rate of overdose quadruple since the 190s with 163 fatal overdose ins 2012 alone, the go

come here, they have an experience that allows them to see detroit the way detroiters see it. >> the concept of hostel detroit is paring volunteer ambassadors with visitors for free cultural tours of local art, architecture, music and the hidden gems of the motor city. as the largest city in the country to declare bankruptcy, it takes special locals to show visitors the bright side. the hostel has hosted over 2000 people since opening in 2011. >> you are welcome to come take a look around. >> stops on these tours include the lincoln street art park, previously a burned out lot revised by several local artists. the heidelburg project, a youth-based art installment covering two blocks of what was rubble. and the historic bell isle, a city park along the detroit river. >> our goal with the ambassador program and with the hostel is to show people a great experience in detroit and to change people's minds about detroit one person at a time. >> and their message has traveled halfway around the world, attracting travelers from austria to australia. >> the ambassador program enables you to g

that was attorney thomas stevens of detroit hers resisting emergency management. and now to the middle east where the turmoil is beginning to show a shift in international relations person syria president obama has asked congress to allocate a half of billion dollars to provide military equipment and training to vetted opposition fighters this would expand the cia training program and be the first direct u.s. military participation in the conflict of ons are intended to help those moderate groups in their struggle to fight against syrian president bashar al assad and the isis insurgents who are now focusing their efforts on iraq as a civil war begins to bleed over the border into iraq in a rare twist this week syrian military jets bombed isis forces near an iraqi border post an attack not coordinated with the shiite led iraqi government but welcomed all the same meanwhile isis pushes ahead in their efforts to overrun the country stoking a sectarian conflict between the kurds sunnis and shiites in response to the crisis the u.s. is now flying its first armed unmann

matt was killed after a manhunt, sweat was captured two days later. >>> in detroit work has begun toepair the city's broken streetlights. many residents now have light. the three-year project is running ahead of schedule, but some say the program is still falling short. >> up until recently it was spotty. it was always spotty. you know, you have the lights going on, and the lights would be out for a year or two before the city would fix them. >> reporter: but today several new brighter led streetlights tower above the detroit neighborhood, and the change was a long time coming. after decades of decline, less than two years ago, about 40% of detroit's streetlights were broken, leaving thousands of residents in the dark. >> it was kind of horrible, because you had a lot of dark spots up and down the streets. >> reporter: he says that made his neighborhood a breeding ground for crime. >> there were a lot of people that stayed real close either in their yards or on their po their -- porches. >> reporter: but in 2013, the city created a public lighting authority, and embarked on a $185 mi

we should not bail out detroit. this issue of sharing the burden that has been talked about so much since the crisis. over the weekend, the german finance minister said when it came to the issue of debt burden, it is a matter of justice and fairness that multinational companies pay their fair contributions. it is not just about sharing the burden among the states. multinationals have to pay. >> we are trying to -- the lessons we got from the european crisis is that you cannot have a zimbabwe on the front tier of europe. when you look at the germans, we swim or sink together. the u.s., it took 100 years to be a monetary union. you would have the same problems , liquidity on the market. sharing the burden between the private sectors and the people, how you share is an issue. >> it is an issue we will continue to follow because this story is not going to be over. i want to thank you for joining us. thank you for being with us. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >>> hello there. welcome to

you need to know this mitt romney should be proud of what's happening in detroit that's because during his time at bain capital he perfected the type of glorified extortion and theft tactics rick snyder and kevin or are using right now to rob city workers of their hard earned pension plans when it was running bain during the eighty's and ninety's the company made its money by forcing companies into. that and then basically robbing them blind for every last bit of cash they had being would take out a loan for say a billion dollars and it would use that billion dollar loan as leverage to buy the company but instead of paying back that billion dollar loan itself bain would dump it on the company has bought now the words bain would make the company has bought paid for its pay for its own acquisition and where would the company get that billion dollars needed to do that when it all met would say it got the money by eliminating fraud waste but in reality that money came from stripping the company of its assets and converting them into cash a campaign came from taking employee assets like pen

>> sports means everything to the city of detroit. the lions, you have the tigers playing strong, and then at the time the city is in need we need it. >> reporter: the city of detroit was in no greater need than in 1967. a police raid on an after hours bar sparked rioting that ripped detroit apart leaving 11 dead, 1200 injured, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed. more than four decades later the city still wears the social and economic scars from those five days in july. >> i was seven years old during the '67 riots. and i remember seeing the national guard jeeps going down one of the streets near my house, and to this day i still remember a neighbor of mine gave my father a gun. >> reporter: smoke from the riots could be seen from tiger stadium in downtown detroit. moved to do something about the mounting violence tiger outfielder willie horton in full uniform walked to an area where trouble was brewing and talked to the angry crowd about ending the vie glens it really grew up a mile away from here and to see him do that, it was

john henry smith, al jazeera, detroit. >> good to see some hope coming back to the city of detroit. thank you. >> the weather is next. the snow is the 2 and 5 inches there. the high temperature of 71. that's your weather and more coming up next.

a growing detroit. >> we in detroit can't fix all of our problems alone. so giving the federal government, the state government, the business communities, everybody coming together to make sure the resources that we bring to the table to get the end result that we like to have, and that's fixing detroit. >> and it's important to know that the white house stress this is not a bailout. they're simply trying to help the city of detroit in this situation. one thing that was very interesting during their address during the media, there was not any mention of the two big "b"s, one the bankruptcy back in july, and the billions of dollars in didn't the city faces. while there was optimism about this venture, people understand that it's not enough to fix detroit's financial crisis. >> it's a deep hole. bisi onile-ere, we appreciate it. in detroit. >>> a judge ruled that the state must allow same-sex couples to get married. since the federal government recognizing same-sex marriage, not doing so in new jersey would be against the constitution. right now same-sex cou

though his visit to detroit was brief, he had the opportunity to have lunch today with the mayor of detroit, mike duncan, and the other city leaders, and he stopped at a popular watch stop. shineola, before touring the national auto show. the president's speech today focus on the resurgence of the american auto industry, but he also talked about how far the city of detroit has come since emerging from bankruptcy. take a listen. >> starting five years ago, i sent some of my top people across the federal government to help city hall and ordinary citizens, to spark that comeback here in motor city. so today you have buses that are running again, streets that are well lit again. new homes and ginses getting off the ground again. there's still plenty of work to do, but you can feel the difference. you can feel something special happening in detroit. you know, i stopped by a restaurant to have lunch, the jolly pumpkin, that was tasty stuff. >> reporter: and in 2013, the federal government pitched in tens of thousands of dollars to help improve things here in the city of detroit, some of the issui

we're live from detroit.detroit not quite out of the woods yet. >> not really, when times from good in detroit so was the population. the population in the 1950s was as high as 1.8 million. now after auto industry layoffs not as many people were there. there weren't as many jobs. a lot of people moved out of this city, and the city went down to 700,000 people. what has happened that has left a lot of dill lapty dilapidateed homes. we took a look and this is what we found. >> in motor city rebirth comes at the end of a backhoe. with its bankruptcy now over, city leaders say that detroit is a world leader in blight. >> detroit's blight problem is arguably the most severe condition of deterioration that any major american city has ever faced ever in history. >> half of the city's population has left over the past 60 years. today detroit is home to as many 60,000 abandoned dilapidated homes. the city figures 15,000 are teardowns with the new influx of $50 million from the u.s. government detroit is demolishing as

. >>> and detroit public schools now filing suits against their teachers after days of sickouts to keepheir kids out of class. ♪ >>> you are looking at former oklahoma city police officer being escorted into the court today. he is set to find out any moment now many he will spend the rest of his life in prison for raping and sexually assaulting several women while on duty. he was convicted of 18 counts of sex crimes back in december. he faces up to 263 years in prison. a judge expected to hand down that sentence today. heidi zhou castro is inside the courthouse. and what is the latest? >> reporter: hey, del. so this packed courthouse behind me has everyone waiting in anticipation for the sentencing to begin. the delay, is possibly due to a last-minute motion filed by his attorneys yesterday seeking a new trial. they claim prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense team that may have helped his case. there were 13 african american women from a low-income neighborhood here in oklahoma city who said he sexually assaulted them while on patrol. ultimately a jury back in december convicte

franklin's family her friends fellow music industry crates and even a former president's cabinet in detroit as we speak to bid farewell to the woman famous for her soaring single of books all suck all the program. and a mcelhone stamina to do more business with nigeria which could also help reduce the problem of illegal migration to your. coming east and german city of chemistries colon between fox writes from blame foreigners for the city social problems on the left fighting in the sun a phobia they say is taking hold but both sides are united in their disappointment but politically. i'm still getting the welcome to the program. aretha franklin is being laid to rest in detroit the queen of souls joyous funeral services featured big names from the music world and the american civil rights movement and included a eulogy from former u.s. president bill clinton the invitation only service has been underway for hours and caps off a week of events that included tribute concerts and the opportunity for fans to view the soul legends open casket. a short while ago i spoke to writer and journalist s

from our bureau in detroit, we have more to tell you about the closures.i. >> reporter: dale, the detroit public school system no longer wants to hold onto property it doesn't need, and this means that many investors now have an opportunity to breathe new life into these old structures. joel landy loves movies, and here he runs the show. the movie theater, the entire building, all of it, is his. it was once a detroit public high school. >> many people saw the schools as a one-purpose, one-use. it's a school and tear it down. when i walk in, i see a great space that can be used for almost any purpose. >> reporter: he's invested hundreds of thousands of dollars buying up several shuttered detroit schools. one is now a charter school and another a music school and residential lofts. >> the rewards are the influence it has on other people. >> reporter: joel isn't alone. over the past four years, all told, the city has sold 46 school buildings. >> detroit is hot right now. >> reporter: tammy dean runs the detroit public school district's real estate office. >>

i'm a life-long detroiter. when my son was two years old there was an abandoned home in our community that turned into a crack house. we called the city and police, and no one would do anything. one evening it got out of hand with gun fire, fighting and carrying on. i don't - we didn't want our children growing in and around the negative energy, that's a form of child abuse. the following morning i got together with a couple of neighbours, we spent eight hours boarding and securing the property. cutting the grass and picking up the neighbourhood. when the drug dealers came back, they couldn't get in and left. that's how blight busters started. 26 years ago this june. >> how do you think blight affected the morale of the city. >> blight is like a cancer. if you don't nip it in the bud it spreads. there were 12,000 vacant structures when we started, and as you and we know, there are 80,000 structures. it's a damper, at a minimum, and dangerous at a maximum. it's so important that we come together as a community t

with it's bankruptcy now over urban planners now say detroit is a world heard in blight. >> detroit'st problem arguably is the most severe condition of deterioration that any major american city has ever faced. ever in history. >> reporter: half of the city's population has left over the past 60 years. today detroit is home to as many as 60,000 abandoned homes. the city figures 15,000 are ter ter -- tear downs. detroit is demolishing as much as 250 a week now, and residents are noticing. >> there are improvements. you still have abandoned buildings like streets full of abandoned vacant lots that haven't been renewed or anything. >> reporter: the city land bank deals with negligent landlords with a harshness matched only by their cold winters. >> if it's vacant you can bring it up to code and get it occupied or we'll take you to court. and we have not lost a case yet. >> reporter: but planners warn blight is just a symptom. the divide between mostly black city and mostly white suburbs can be seen at detroit's boundary with gross point park. on the detroit side abandoned buildings. on t

america we begin today with the young going battle over water in detroit earlier this year the detroit water and sewage department announced it would begin shutting off water services to fifteen hundred to three thousand customers every week if their water bills were not paid and just last week the city approved an increase in the price residents would have to pay for water now a coalition of activists is pushing back by appealing to the u.n. high commission for human rights to intervene on behalf of the bankrupt city's most vulnerable citizens to break all of this down earlier i spoke with artie's make a lopez who is on the ground in detroit i first asked her why residents are having such a hard time paying for these bills. when you're really depends on who you ask if you ask the folks at the detroit water and through our department they'll tell you that people are simply putting these bills on the back burner and giving precedence to some of the other bills that might me shut off more immediately things like. your cable bill or your electricity bill because in the past we really have

. >>> when you talk about detroit, you think about cars. it is extremely expensive for people there to own a car. that's because michigan has some of the country's highest insurance premiums. as bisi onile-ere reports that is driving a lot of people to break the law. >> i didn't want to go past 8 miles, because i might get stopped, and i know that i'm riding dirty, so, you know, it's like i can't go past 8 mile. >> reporter: 8 mile, the road that draws the line between detroit and the suburbs. driving dirty is the term used by the estimated 60% of people in detroit who drive out auto insurance. >> how many years did you go without insurance? >> about two or three years. >> reporter: in a city plagued by poverty, detroit has some of the highest auto insurance costs in the country, ranging from a few thousand up to $5,000 a year. >> i have been quoted different things by different companies as high as a thousand dollars a month. >> i think it's a civil rights issue. what happens is in michigan we have credit scoring which is legal. and that r

the governor said the legislature needs to act soon. >> detroit schools are in a crisis.he detroit schools are in need of a transformational change. >> reporter: the emergency manager says if help doesn't come by april, the district will be insolvent. >> we're talking about the lives of some 47,000 students and families and communities. so these things are critical to the long-term survivability of any city or community. so we're at a point now where we believe it can be fixed but we need the legislature to do that. >> reporter: darnell couldn't say what would happen if the state fails to act, but the teachers fear it could mean even fewer teachers and a tougher learning environment for detroit's children. >> and the union responding to the school districts request to ban the sickouts all together saying: >>> a boston attorney is looking into allegations of sexual assault at a prestigious rhode islander boarding school. not clear what is behind the change. the middleton, rhode island school, acknowledges it did not report those accuses to authorities. >>> in alabama a man

when detroit turns around, will it be the old detroit or something completely different from the motory, motown to we used to know? >> i always look toward the positive, the future. the city has some wonderful things on the horizon. we are working very hard. the duncan administration has done a wonderful job to change the quality of life for our residents. the adopt a part program is kicking off, 300 public parks in the city, encouraging local businesses as well as organizations to adopt a park and really take pride in ownership in our community. it's about being a part of the solution. we can't rely just on the city to make positive change happen. it's about creative solutions and organizations, individuals as well as elected officials thinking creatively to really make a positive impact. >> if i am watching right now and sitting in one of those cities other than detroit, right now i'm thinking what can i get good, cheap in detroit. sell me on what i can get in expensively that will change my lifestyle say if i live in new york. >> real estate certainly is one. we have real estate for

detroit is his hometown.e has really taken a very aggressive approach to fighting crime here in the city of detroit. he has conducted massive raids, they are getting drugs off of the street and also making quite a few arrest. i had the opportunity to sit down with james craig in a one on one, and he explained that he felt after so many years the culture of violence here in detroit is finally beginning to turn, and he believes that's because more people are speaking up. >> detroit is resilient, detroiters are not afraid to roll up their sleeves and do the work. that's what is helping. we're seeing true partnership. >> reporter: and the police chief in his time here so far he has put an additional 175 more officers out here on the streets, and he believe that that is causing crime to go down. he is saying at this point it's down 7% compared to the same time last year, and this is a trend that they hope to continue on. >> and what else can we look forward to hearing about this week from your reporting? >> report