bisi onile-ere is with me. bisi. >> john, as part of its bankruptcy exit plan the city is looking to tear down all of the blight. it's a monumental effort that could change the face of detroit. 80,000 abandoned buildings fill detroit's landscape. the result of 50 years of decline. race riots in the 1960s, a dying auto industry, and finally the great recession fueled the exodus. the population down to 700,000 after a peak of close to 2 million. >> we saw a lot of folks just walk away, i have folks call me saying, i can't afford it, i'm leaving. >> neighborhoods like marcus cummings', are rotted out. >> it's tough to see it go down this far but we're hanging in there. i will say that we're hanging in there. >> these are areas targeted by scrappers, squatters and illegal dumpers. >> was there ever a sense of hopelessness with the blight? >> maybe not hopelessness but definitely frustration, with the fact we're stuck with these homes for so long and nobody was maintaining them. nobody was taking responsibility. >>

bisi onile-ere is in detroit. david shuster is with me in the studio. we'll begin with libby casey on capitol hill in washington. what is the latest? what are we hearing that g.m., c.e.o. mary barra, will say before congress. >> we saw the written remarks. she'll apologise that g.m. found out about the faulty ignition switches a decade ago. she's been the c.e.o. sips december. she's been involved in the company for her professional life. she's going talk about steps the company has taken to improve things in the last couple of months, appointing someone to oversee safety of production, and have taken on a prosecutor to look into not just the details of the faulty ignition switches, but the chain of information, why they had folks on the production line that had knowledge, but they were not issuing recalls and getting the word to other parts of the company, or who the company knew what, and when they knew it. they are trying to work with customers, if they can get loener vehicles. al jazeera america talked to families of victims of the crashes. and they

and bisi onile-ere reports the new chief is trying to change things. >> reporter: four out of every tencks in detroit looks like this. a war zone. businesses died. homes abandoned. jobs fled, and crime, gangs, and drugs, and death took over. last year the city endured 334 murders. new york had one less, 333 murders. >> this historic distinction of being the murder capital, murder city, i knew we could do better. >> reporter: the new police chief is literally on the streets leading the way to take back the city. cops called this night depreciation march madness. a huge blitzes of raids. this woman lives here and has helplessly watched the downward spiral. >> safety is a concern. you hear gunfire a lot, so to have some of that out of the streets and out of the mix is great. >> reporter: off of the street, tonight the cops took in cocaine, heroin, marijuana, guns. and 44 arrests. the chief has been on the job since july. he came here from cincinnati where he is chief. but detroit is his hometown. a city where not long ago a call to 911 often got no response from police, none. you were on y

bisi onile-ere, al jazeera, detroit. ♪ >>> your 401k is smiling. the dow up 92 points.a 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 about 1500 lawsuits at the time of the filing. gloog l glass went on sale yesterday and quickly selling out. each pair cost about $1,500, google says the glasses will go on sale again later this year, the cost, though, will be much lower. >>> we're using more and more trains these days delivering the goods you need, and that's good for the economy, but there's a problem. congestion. >> we'll do everything that can be do to are store service levels. >> reporter: traffic jams snarl freight train service throughout the midwest. at a hearing, government officials focused on two primary rail lines. at issue weeks or even month's longs service delays, costing millions of dollars in lost revenue. steve heads a group of rail customers advocating for more reliable service. >> all of the groups that ship goods by freight ra

this is a trend that they hope to see continue. >> all right, bisi onile-ere. thank you.raymond foster was a lieutenant in the los angeles police department, he joins us from orange, california. raymond foster, welcome. >> thank you. >> give me your sense, five police chiefs in five years. how difficult is it for current police chief to inherit a police department like this? >> you know james is not only inheriting a department but a chief of the administrative team. along with parks and rec and the fire chief, he is inheriting all the problems of the city, as a team member. all the things financially and infrastructure wise that impact the city he is handling all those problems too and he's got quite a lot of difficulties there. >> with all that instability of leadership, five different leaders in five years it would seem to me that's a very extremely difficult job to take on. >> well, and james has got some advantages. first is that of course not only is he coming in from the outside and he's got a wealth of experience where he's learned some of the best practices he ha

bisi onile-ere, al jazeera. ipsypsilanti, michigan. >> an airstrike on a school in syria. a look at the growing unrest in the war-torn nation and the refugee camp over the border. >>> abducted from school and sold across the border. shocking allegations of what the boko haram may have done with 200 nigerian school girls. >> welcome back. families of nearly 200 nigerian school girls kidnapped earlier this month are demanding the government do more to get them back. many believe the hard line separatists group boko haram kidnapped them, but the government has yet to find answered trace for them. >> the girls were kidnapped more than two weeks ago. they are still missing. the school girls were taken by suspected boko haram fighters. they have come to pressure members of the national assembly to find his missing relatives. >> the devastation, disappointment, abandonment by the government. before the abduction took place, the situation on the ground was grossly inadequate. and what happened immediately afterward is a shambles. >> reporter: according to staff 230 girls were kidn

bisi onile-ere road with a top cop as he tries to get the upper hand on criminals. >> with guns drawn, dozens of detroit police officers laid a home on the east side. police are after drug dealers. gang members. criminals accused of par lighting communities. our cameras rolled as they conducted 17 raids, what dpd calls operation march madness. cocaine, heroin, marijuana, pills, money and guns are seized. 44 people are arrested. the mayor lives across the street from a home targeted by police. >> safety is a concern. you hear gunfire a lot. to have some of that is great. >> the detroit police chief has been on the job since july. he has been on the job since returning to his home tune. it's been mires in bankruptcy and is high on the list of dangerous cities. this distinction of being the highest murder city - i knew we could do better. >> in a council where a call to 911 wouldn't guarantee a police response, the top cop eliminated 12-hour shifts, putting cops on the street. >> the ms im is we will not tolerate lawless behaviour. you are not welcome. the things you could do, you will n

bisi onile-ere is here. and the new police chief has radical new ways of fighting crime.ell us more about that. >> reporter: good evening, john. crime has been a really big issue here in the city of detroit. it wasn't long after the city filed for bankruptcy that a new police chief took office. his name is james craig. he came here from cincinnati. detroit is his hometown. he 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

bisi onile-ere is in detroit with more on that. >> john, young entrepreneurs are attracted to detroit because it's affordable and compared to other cities, there's a lot less competition here. despite detroit's financial troubles, the small center here is thriving. many of these entrepreneurs that we spoke with say that now is the opportune time to redefine destroyed. >> the unemployment rate is 15%, more than double the national average. in destroyed signs of progress. downtown gained 10,000 new workers since 2010. hun drids of small businesses opened. emily's new clothing line, home slice, is one of them. at 27 she knows the perks. there's the skill but affordable labour pool. affordable, the author space, rates lower than other rates outside the city. >> i see the opportunity that is available here. it's exciting. >> exciting, yes, but it's about building a successful business. and for thorne hill and others, that means tax ipp sentives. in 2007 michigan eliminated 4.95% tax on small businesses to spur economic development. this is also a plus for anyone looking to launch a small c

bisi onile-ere, can al jazeera, detroit. >> coming up our friday art series.conversation with singer songwriter rosanne cash. >> under arrest, the captain of a sunken ferry now under arrest for negligence and duty and violations of maritime law. what the captain and crew are supposed to do in case of emergency. vé are. >> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. a lot more to coffe cover this f hour. the captain of the south korean ferry that sank is now under arrest for negligence, what he should have been doing. on the tarmac, the mystery surrounding an american corporate jet. and how the religious are celebrating holy day. richelle carey is here with the headlines. >> activists are still occupying are buildings in parts of the country. america, ukraine and the russian government offered them amnesty if they stepped down. >> mount everest, worst disaster there ever. at least 12 are dead and four others are missing. the avalanche swept over at least a dozen guides as they were preparing a route for climbers. about 100 more people

bisi onile-ere, al jazeera detroit. >> coming up next, danger on mt. everest. a tour guide, who has taken climbers to the top and. holy day, how the pope and christians are observing good friday. well it's official... xfinity watchathon week was the biggest week in television history. but just when you thought it was over... what now? with xfinity on demand you can always watch the latest episodes of tv's hottest shows. good news. like hannibal... chicago fire.... ...and bates motel. the day after they air. xfinity on demand. all the latest episodes. all included with your service. it's like hi-fiving your eyeballs. xfinity...the future of awesome. >> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler and we have much more to cover this hour. poverty in the suburbs. why an increasing number in affluent communities are falling on hard times. >>> struggling four years after the bp oil spill. >>> major museums announce what they call art everyone. richelle carey, tonight's briefing, richelle. >>> it's the world's woors disaster at the -- worse disaster at t

we are joined from detroit by bisi onile-ere. >> phil cooley is an entrepreneur who offers work space inexpensively for those looking to start their own businesses. phil cooley feels that rebuilding the middle class is key to the future. in detroit said cashing town neighbour -- corktown neighbourhood the abandoned station is a symbol of plight. the small community has endured tough times. 36-year-old phil cooley is trying to change the narrative. >> everything shifts and changes. so we try to accommodate growth. >> phil cooley, a former fashion model opened a successful restaurant in corktown 10 years ago. now he's in the business of helping others. >> this is what started off as a dance studio then became fencing, as you see the line. >> in 2011 he purchased a 30,000 square food abandoned warehouse for $100,000. >> it had a negative history. we wanted to see how it could have a positive future. >> it's an enclave of small creative entrepreneurs that are referred to as pony ride, a name chosen to invoke creativity of children. >> in a bankrupt city where the jobless rate is over 15%,

bisi olinier from detroit. >> to get the motor city on track, i spoke with the director of the detroititalization fellow program. greg donnelly told me believes the city is definitely turning a corner. >> what we are seeing now is that we sort of -- we have grown past that, that silver bullet idea that seems to have been a part of our consciousness for so many generations where we will say one project like the renaissance center downtown or new stadiums downtown, also, are going to sort of help us turn that corner and everything else will just flow from that. and we are seeing things happen downtown and in the neighborhoods, many suburban communities around the region that i think it's all of them together are what's really, really different now. it's the start of some coordinated efforts for a better shared future for all of us. >> donnelly said the biggest challenge moving forward is making sure new and old detroiters have a say in the city's future. stay with us this weekend because tomorrow we will focus on detroit's efforts to fight crime led by the new police chief. >> the u.s. i

bisi has more on what's causing this change. >> reporter: john, detroit is attracting young entrepreneurs because it's affordable and not as competitive. the downtown core is thriving, and i'm talking about big businesses as well as young start ups. i had the opportunity to talk two two entrepreneurs, and both grew up outside of detroit. and decided to start their ginses here and plant their roots. dan ward, i had the opportunity to talk to him, as i mentioned, and he shared with me the advantages of starting a business here in detroit. >> reporter: thdetroit. >> the interesting thing, detroit is blue collar, and that translates well to entrepreneurs. if you are an entrepreneur, you have to be really ready to work. >> so a community that was once dependent on the auto industry is seeing a shift. and it's unemployment was double the national average, and it was much worse several years, so progress is being made, and they started with four employees and today they have 50. >> and a deal with the miss and firefighters, and can you tell us more about that. >> yeah, it's a huge, huge victory

bisi onile-ere. >>> and marjorie walters, by the way, no relation.nother relic of the past causing a lot of problems. a dust bowl creating a farming disaster. people now struggling to survive. >>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are your headlines at that hour. the polls are closed in iraq. it is that country's first national election since the usz military drawdown in 2011. security was tight. and the voter turnout described as high. execution gone wrong in oklahoma, the inmate dying of massive heart attack rather than being lethally injected. and severe storms pounding the southeast today. in florida those heavy rains turned roads into river. many of the deep south still recovering from a series of deadly tornados. nicole mitchell it will be a while before we dry out. >> definitely. these are some of the images coming out of north carolina, but the more significant rain was in florida. you can see how widespread some of these areas are. you never want to drive into this because you never know how keep it is. we have alrea

bisi onilere road along with police. >> with guns drawn and dozens of detroit police officers raid aome on the city's east side. police are after drug dealers, gang members, criminals accused of paralyzing communities. our cameras. the pd called the operation. money and guns are seized. 44 people were arrested. mayor schwartz lives across the street from one of the homes targeted by police. the police chief has been on the job since july. the 57-year-old worked in cincinna cincinnati, ohio before returning to his hometown. the town mired in bankruptcy has been high on the f.b.i.'s list of most dangerous cities >> this historic being motor capital, murder city, i knew we could do better. one wouldn't guarantee a police response. detroit's top cop eliminated 12 hour shifts. he put more officers on the street. >> the behavior. the message is in detroit, thinks you could do, you will not do. >> not everyone is happy. chief craig says they are shutting down drug dealers and impacting revenue streams. in february, a gang mermaid a death threat against him through social media. five people

bisi onile-ere explains. >> held up by labor shortage-- >> reporter: during world war war ii, in ypsilanti, michigan, they turned out one bomber every hour. as much as the nation's male workforce went off to war women moved onto the factory floor. this plant employed 40,000 people at its peak. most of them women. rossi the riveter, a symbol of female empowerment that spread across the nation. and a very special icon for the woman war workers at which wily run. >> this was my first real job, so it was exciting, and we made good money. >> reporter: 91-year-old marjorie walters toiled on the lines in the 1940's. she returned to which wily run a couple of months ago to take part in the largest gathering of rosies ever. clad in the poster's familiar blue jumpsuits, red scarves with white polka dots. for some the memories came flooding back. >> really exciting. i met a lot of people. i enjoyed working here and i really liked rivetting. it was a different type of work and it was fun. >> reporter: for decades after the war this facility, once the world's largest factory, made cars. when general mo

bisi onile-ere reports. >> jennifer has been active ever since she was an applicant to the university of michigan in 1990. after being denied administration she sued over the affirmative action plan and won. in 2006 michigan voters passed a law barring colleges from practicing race-base admissions. she welcomed the high court ruling. >> i think the decision is a decision, a victory for the voters of michigan and the issue of equality. >> the university reads a statement that reads in part: appear >> after the law took effect many michigan colleges stepped up recruiting campaigns to attract minorities. the number of black and lat eacho students -- latino students entering public universities dropped by a third in the years since the ban. at michigan, 4.6" of the undergraduates are afghan americans compared to 8.9%. the history professor is a propon ept of affirmative action and was one of the plaintiffs challenging the ban. >> this is not a law. that doesn't mean we can't be more creative to reverse some decline. >> california, florida, washington and four other states have similar ban

bisi onile-ere is in detroit with more on what the city is doing to get rid of the blight. >> here in detroit dollar thousands aned of abandoned -- thousands of abandoned structures. they are eye scores. the city is looking at getting rid of all of these blighted structures. it's a monumental effort that would change the face of detroit. >> 80,000 abandoned buildings fill detroit's landcape. a result of 50 years of decline. race riots in the '60, a dying auto industry, and a great recession fuels the exodus. the population down to 700,000 after a peak of 2 million. >> we saw folks walk away. i have folks saying "i can't afford it, i'm leaving." >> neighbourhoods are plagued by crime. the abandoned burnt out, rotted out homes speak to the decline. >> it's tough to see it go down this far. >> we are hanging in there. i will say that. >> these are structures targeted by scrappers, squatters and illegal dumpers. was there a sense of hopelessness with the situation, with the blight? >> maybe not hopelessness, but definitely frustration, frustration with the fact that we are stuck with thes

bisi oniliere, detroit. >> in the next hour, we will tell you how the recovery of the detroit symphonyld be a model for the entire city. >>> the white house is alerting healthcare.gov users to change passwords to protect against a widespread heartbeat bug. there is no indication that the website has been compromised but it's a precautionae measure. the heartbleed bug has caused concerns all across the internet and affected a technology designed to protect online accounts. >>> china struggles with pollution on a massive scale, a side effect of industrialization is that toxins are seeping into the country's farmland. the problem is reaching crisis levels according to a government report, nearly 20% of farmland is contaminated. cadmium and arsnic are found and they are facing the pollution. water and land are all taking their toll. the government is supporting projects to help find solutions and al jazeera's rob mcbride follows one scientist in eastern china who is looking to make the land fertile once again. >> the soil samples they collect at their test site could help clean up vast tra

first this report from bisi onile-ere. >> jennifer gratz has been active on the issue since she was an applicant to the university of michigan in the 1990s. after being denied administration she sued over the affirmative action plan and won. in 2006 michigan voters passed a law barring publicly funded colleges. today jennifer gratz welcomed the high court's ruling. >> i think today's decision is a wonderful decision. it's a victory, personal and for the voters of michigan, and the issue of equality. >> the university released a statement reading in part: >> after the law took effect many mish gan colleges stepped up recruiting campaigns to attract minorities. the number of black and latino students entering public universities dropped by a third in the years since the man. >> at the universities of michigan, 4.6% of undergraduates are african-americans, compared to 8.9% in 1995. michigan professor matthew countryman is a proponent of affirmative action for educational institutions and was a plaintiff in the case challenging the ban. >> this is now the law. it doesn't mean we can't be m

. >> all right, bisi for us in detroit.all street didn't know really what to make of the mixed reports. stocked bounces from positive to negative, back again all day. at the end of the day, the dough closed exactly -- look at that number. it started where it ended and ended where it started. the s&p 500 nasdaq both finished slightly higher. we have told you a lot about high frequency trading and you may wonder what regulators and law enforcement officials are doing. the unfortunate answer is until recently not much. and to get an idea of how feeble the response has been, feeble is the word here, real money ali velshi takes us back to the flash crash. of may 6th, 2010. >> the dow jones briefly lost a 998 points. almost $1 trillion of value. the securities and exchange commission issues a report. largely blaming high frequency traders for the crash. the s.e.c. didn't feel compelled to take any action towards high frequency trading until two years later. on sent 14, 2012. that's when they find the new york stock exchange $5 mi

bisi olineri, detroit. >> let's talk about detroit with greg donnelly, the director of the detroit revitalization we saw phil cooleyts store there. is he a good example of what's happening in detroit? >> i think phil's one of many great examples actually. we are seeing relatively new detroiters. phil has been in the city for about 10 years now. he probably gets labeled with that knew detroiter sort of moniker. we are seeing it from people who have been here their whole lives. i think there is a real excitement that things might be different now. >> do you get the impression there in detroit with business leaders, with people who live there, that the city is it finally, turning a corner? >> absolutely. absolutely. >> why do you say that? >> we have grown past that silver bullet idea that seems to have been a part of our con shunness for so many generations where we will say one project like the renaissance center downtown or new stadiums downtown are going to sort of help us turn that corner, and everything else will just flow from that. >> uh-huh? >> we are seeing things happen downtown and in th