PART OF AN EFFORT TO EVENTUALLY CONVERT THE ENTIRE 300 BUS FLEET TO NEWER CLEANER MODELS. THERE’S
A PLACE THAT HOLDS A UNIQUE
TITLE AND SITS RIGHT ON THE
DETROIT RIVER SIDE MARINA. IT’S
THE ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN RUN
AND OPERATED MARINA IN MICHIGAN
, AND IT HAS A SPECIAL HISTORY.
APRIL MORTON IS TAKING US FOR A
CRUISE THROUGH THIS DETROIT
HISTORY. AH THE DETROIT RIVER SO
BEAUTIFUL, SO UNIQUE. SOMETHING
ELSE THAT’S A PART OF THE RIVER
HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE QUALITY. FROM
THE CULTURAL IMPACT THAT
RIVERSIDE MARINA HATS HERE FOR
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
IS VERY, VERY BIG AND VERY, VERY
IMPACTFUL WITH FOUR OF THE FIVE
GREAT LAKES. THERE’S NO SURPRISE
MICHIGAN, ONE OF THE LARGEST
VOTING COMMUNITIES IN THE
COUNTRY, BUT WITH SOME MAY NOT
KNOW IS DETROIT IS HOME TO THE
LARGEST AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTING
COMMUNITY IN THE NATION, AND
RIVERSIDE AND HENDERSON. MARINAS
ARE THE ONLY MARINAS IN MICHIGAN
AND RAN OPERATED BY A BLACK
COMPANY, ONLY TWO OTHER MARINAS
IN THE NATION HOLDS THIS TITLE.
RECITE HAS A STEEP HISTORY
DATING BACK DECADES. A LOT OF
BLACKS ACTUALLY DOCTOR OVER IN
CANADA BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT
DOCK YOU HERE IN THE IN THE IN
THE UNITED STATES THAT THEY WERE
JUST, YOU KNOW, IT’S JUST
RACISM. SO PORTERFIELD WANTED TO
BUILD A MARINA THAT WAS
INCLUSIVE OF EVERYONE. SO IT
DIDN’T MATTER WHAT COLOR YOU
WERE, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE A NICE
PLACE TO BE GOOD DOCTOR BOAT,
AND THIS PLACE WAS ORIGINALLY
PUERTO FIELD. WILSON MARINA
PORTER FILM WILSON, A BLACK
DETROIT BUSINESSMAN IN THE
SEVENTIES AND EIGHTIES, ALONG
WITH FORMER DETROIT MAYOR
COLEMAN, A YOUNG AND ENVISIONED
A WORLD CLASS MARINA, CONTACTED
BY THE CITY IN 2013 TO OPERATE
THE MARINA. JASON AND HIS
COMPANY WORKING SUPER FEEL THAT
VISION. WE DISCUSSED ALL OF THIS
WHILE CRUISING THE RIVER. SO
JASON, I HEAR THAT YOU’RE ALSO A
BOATER, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY RIGHT
. HAVE YOU BEEN VOTING SINCE I
WAS ABOUT 18 YEARS OLD 18 18
YEARS OLD, WHICH IS ACTUALLY
KIND OF LATE IN THE GAME. MOST
PEOPLE STARTED, UH VERY EARLY
AGE 67 YEARS OLD START VOTING.
I’M GONNA STARTED ABOUT 18 YEARS
OLD ABOUT 18. WOW I LOVE BOWLING
AS WELL. SO YEAH. RIDE. HEY. YOU
HAVEN’T SAID ANYTHING TO GET MY
GLASSES. GOT MY BALD CAP AND I
GOT THE BOAT. JUST LOOK AT THIS
VIEW. NO WONDER WHY VOTING IS SO
HUGE HERE, JASON SAYS RIVERSIDE
SCENE LARGEST NUMBER OF VOTERS
EVER AND IN THE SUMMER 95% OF
THEM ARE AFRICAN AMERICAN. WE
HAVE 217 SLIPS AND THEY’RE ALL
COMPLETELY FEEL BETTER. WE HAVE
ABOUT 100 PERSON WAITING LIST
RIGHT NOW TO GET INTO THE
MARINA. WITH ALL THE RENOVATIONS
, THE ONES THAT WERE LUCKY
ENOUGH TO GET IN HAVING A BALL
THIS SUMMER NEW TVS, FIREPLACE
POOL TABLES PING PONG, THE
JACUZZI IS BACK UP AND WORKING.
WE HAD JUST HAD A POOL PARTY THE
OTHER DAY HERE FOR THE
RESIDENTS, AND, UH, IT’S BEEN,
IT’S BEEN GOOD TIMES. NOT ONLY
DOES JASON IN HIS COMPANY HOSTS
SOME AWESOME PARTIES STEP
OUTSIDE THE MARINA AND INTO THE
COMMUNITY RECENTLY HOSTED AN
EVENT TEACHING LOCAL YOUTH ABOUT
A BOAT BUILDING AND SAFETY. THEY
ALSO HOLD SWIM LESSONS FOR KIDS
AT THE MARINA. THE MARINA ALSO
HOSTED SEVERAL PROBLEMS DURING
COVID WHEN SCHOOLS WERE IN NEED
OF OPEN VENUE SPACES. JASON SAYS
THEY HAVEN’T YET REACHED MR
WILSON’S DREAM OF RESIDENTIAL
LIVING AND RESTAURANTS, THE
MARINA, BUT HE’S HOPING TO ONE
DAY BRING IT ALL TO FLOURISH IN
THANK YOU. RIVERSIDE MARINA IS
FOR MEMBERS. THERE’S THERE.