EXPECT MORE EVERYTHING WHEN YOU SPEND YOUR DAY WITH LOCAL 4 AND LOCAL 4 FLUX. WELCOME BACK. THE
CITY OF DETROIT TOOK GREAT ISSUE
WITH THE RESULTS OF THE 2020
CENSUS. AND NOW THE CITY HAS
FILED A LAWSUIT OVER THE
BUREAU’S 2021 POPULATION NUMBERS
AS WELL. SO JOINING ME TO TALK
ABOUT IT ALL IS KIRK MASTER. HE
IS THE FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
EMERITUS OF DATA DRIVEN DETROIT
. GOOD MORNING AND THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR JOINING ME. MORNING
RHONDA. THANKS TO THANKS FOR
INVITING ME. SO LET’S START WITH
WHY THE CENSUS COUNT IS SO
CRITICAL. WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR
DETROIT? WELL THE SENSES,
OBVIOUSLY, UM. POLITICAL
REPRESENTATION IS THE KEY POINT
OF THE CENSUS CONDUCT A CENSUS
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
POPULATION IS IN, DISTRIBUTE. UM
JUST THIS. THE REPRESENTATIVES
CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
BASED ON POPULATION, SO WE’VE
SEEN WITH MICHIGAN LOSING
POPULATION AND GAINING VERY
SLOWLY. WE’VE SEEN MICHIGAN
LOSE. BUT CONGRESSIONAL SEAT
EVERY DECADE SINCE 1970.
OBVIOUSLY THAT TRANSLATES DOWN
TO DETROIT BECAUSE DETROIT HAS
BEEN LOSING POPULATION AS WELL
AND LOSING REPRESENTATION
BECAUSE OF THAT WITHIN THE
STATEHOUSE AND STATE SENATE. THE
OTHER BIG THING IS, OBVIOUSLY
THERE’S THE IMPORTANCE OF
FEDERAL FUNDS. MONEY THERE’S A
GREAT DEAL OF MONEY. THERE’S A
LOT OF QUESTIONS. HOW MANY
TRYING TO PUT A DOLLAR AMOUNT ON
THAT. BUT THE MONEY THAT FLOWS
INTO DETROIT FOR CHILDREN’S, UM.
FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS. SCHOOL
LUNCH PROGRAMS FOR COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT BROUGHT BLOCK GRANTS
ALL THOSE FUNDING STREAMS HAVE A
POPULATION COMPONENT. AS PART OF
THAT, SO IF YOUR POPULATION
DROPS, OBVIOUSLY YOUR FUNDING IS
GOING TO DROP AS WELL. AND THEN
FINALLY, THERE’S THIS. THERE’S
KIND OF CREDIT, BUT YOU KNOW,
IT’S PERCEPTION OF THE CITY OF
DETROIT. IF IT’S THE POPULATION
IS GROWING IN ANY OTHER CITY.
YOU THINK IT’S A VITAL ACTIVE
CITY BUSINESSES WANT TO COME.
PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT MOVING
IN. IF YOU SEE THIS CONTINUOUS
DROP IN POPULATION, OBVIOUSLY,
PEOPLE ARE GONNA HAVE SECOND
THOUGHTS WHEN THEY WHEN THEY
LOOK TO MOVE, OPEN A BUSINESS,
MOVE A BUSINESS OR MIGRATE FROM
ANOTHER AREA OF THE COUNTRY. SO
THE CENSUS IS COUNTING AS THOUGH
WE HAVE LOST POPULATION, BUT
MAYOR DUGGAN IS VERY VOCAL ABOUT
A SIGNIFICANT UNDERCOUNT FROM
THE 2020 CENSUS, BUT ALSO THE
POPULATION ESTIMATE FOR 2021 AS
WELL, SAYING THOUSANDS OF
RESIDENTS WERE NOT COUNTED AS
MUCH AS 20,000, PARTICULARLY
AFRICAN AMERICAN AND HISPANIC
RESIDENTS. SO LET’S GET INTO
THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE IN TERMS
OF HOW MAYOR DUGGAN’S COMING UP
WITH HIS NUMBERS AND HOW THE U.
S CENSUS IS COMING UP WITH
SOMETHING DRAMATICALLY
DIFFERENT. WELL IF WE START WITH
THE CENSUS JUST TO TALK ABOUT
WHY WHY THE CITY IS CHALLENGING
OR AS CERTAINLY HAS COME UP WITH
THIS IDEA THAT WE’VE LOST, YOU
KNOW THAT THERE WAS AN
UNDERCOUNT OF POPULATION, THE
CENSUS BUREAU AFTER THE CENSUS
DOES WHAT THEY CALL THE POST
ENUMERATION SURVEY TO UNDERSTAND
HOW WELL THE CENSUS WAS
CONDUCTED. AS WE KNOW. THE
CENSUS WAS APRIL 1 2020. THINGS
STARTED SHUTTING DOWN ABOUT THE
WEEK WEEK BEFORE THAT, BECAUSE
OF COVID. SO ALL THE PLANNING TO
TRADE HAD THIS TREMENDOUS
OUTREACH PLAN. TO TOUCH ALMOST
EVERY PERSON IN THE CITY TO MAKE
SURE THAT THEY WERE INVOLVED IN
AND ANSWERED THE CENSUS. THAT
WAS ALL STOPPED. OBVIOUSLY WHEN
DEPEND EMMICK, SO A LOT OF THE
OUTRAGE WAS WAS ELIMINATED. THE
FACT THAT YOU HAD THE PRESIDENT
PUSHING PRIOR TO THE CENSUS TO,
UH CHECK ON NONCITIZENS. YOU HAD
THE TIMING. EVERYTHING WAS
PUSHED BACK. THE CENSUS BUREAU
DOES THIS, UM THE CENSUS AND
THEN DOESN’T FOLLOW UP. AND THAT
WAS PUSHED BACK SEVERAL MONTHS.
UH UM, YOU HAD BASICALLY THE
CENSUS GOING, THE CENSUS BUREAU
GOING TO THE TO THE SUPREME
COURT TO EXTEND THE TIME THAT
THEY COLLECTED DATA SUPREME
COURT GAVE HIM A LITTLE TIME
LESS THAN THEY WANTED. AND THEN
THE PRESIDENT STOPPED IT TWO
WEEKS BEFORE THE ACTUAL DEADLINE
. THE NEW REVISED DEADLINE WAS
GIVEN A LOT OF PROBLEMS THAT
WE’RE KIND OF WORKING AGAINST
GETTING THIS DATA AND GETTING
THE RIGHT POPULATION COUNT. SO
IS THE U. S CENSUS BUREAU
SHARING ANY OF THE FORMULA THAT
THEY USE SINCE THIS IS
EXTENSIONS THAT THEY WANTED.
THEY WEREN’T GETTING NO, IT’S
JUST THAT THEY’RE THEY’RE IN
LIVE PROBLEMS, SO THE CENSUS
BUREAU DOES NOT ALLOW A
CHALLENGE RIGHT NOW TO THE
CENSUS 2020 CENSUS. THEY ARE
ALLOWING CITIES TO CHALLENGE ON
WHAT THEY CALL GROUP QUARTERS
WHICH ARE, YOU KNOW, CONGREGATE
. LIVING FACILITIES COULD BE
DORMITORIES, PRISONS, UM, SENIOR
LIVING CENTERS, ETCETERA. UM SO
THERE IS THAT CHALLENGE? UM BUT
THEN WE CAME UP WITH THE 2021
ESTIMATE. WHICH ACCORDING TO
SOME OF THE DATA THAT WE’VE SEEN
IN THE CENSUS BUREAU, AND THE
CITY HAS ASKED FOR THE CENSUS
BUREAU TO PROVIDE THE FORMULAS
BECAUSE HERE COMES THE 2021
ESTIMATE. AFTER A VERY LOW
CENSUS NUMBER, WE GET A
CONTINUOUS LOST OF ANOTHER 7000
PEOPLE, WHICH MAKES NO SENSE
BASED ON WHAT WE’VE LOOKED AT,
AND THE CITY HAS LOOKED AT ON.
ON THE PERSONAL SERVICE. GIVES
THEM ON THE NUMBER OF DELIVERIES
NUMBER OF RESIDENTIAL DELIVERIES
THEY MAKE THE D T THE WATER.
YEAH PTSD, W T BILLS AND LETTERS
. RIGHT THEN YOU GUYS SAY DTE
THE UTILITY BILLS AND WATER AND
SEWAGE AND THE POSTAL DATA. SO
THEY’VE RECEIVED ALL THIS DATA
AND NOT TO MENTION THE NEW
CONSTRUCTION MAYOR DOUG AND
TALKED ABOUT AS WELL WITH
MULTIPLE NEW APARTMENT BUILDINGS
AND A LOT OF NEW RESIDENTS
COMING IN, SO HAVING A DECLINE
IN NUMBERS DIDN’T SEEM TO MAKE
SENSE. SO NOW WE HAVE THIS
LAWSUIT THAT THE CITY HAS FILED
AGAINST THE U. S CENSUS BUREAU.
SO IT’S MORE THAN JUST A
CHALLENGE THAT THEY’RE REFUSING.
TO LOOK INTO NOW IT’S A LAWSUIT
. SO WILL THIS FORCE HIM TO HAVE
TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT
THEIR ESTIMATES? WELL I
CERTAINLY HOPE SO. I DON’T KNOW
. AS AS YOU SAID THE CENSUS GIRL
HAD ORIGINALLY TALKED ABOUT.
ALLOWING CITIES TO CHALLENGE THE
2021 ESTIMATE. AND THEN THIS
YEAR, THEY CAME OUT WITH A
STATEMENT SAYING, WE’RE NOT
GOING TO DO THE ESTIMATE
CHALLENGES IN THIS YEAR WE’RE
GOING TO WAIT UNTIL THE 20 TO 22
ESTIMATES COME OUT, AND THAT’S
IN 2023. SO HERE HERE, THE CITY
IS LOSING POPULATION AND LOSING
FUNDS BASED ON THE CENSUS NOW
LOSING ADDITIONAL FUNDS BASED ON
THE 2021 ESTIMATE, AND EVEN
THOUGH THE CENSUS BUREAU DOESN’T
HAVE ANY YOU KNOW, SINCE THEY’RE
NOT ALLOWING CHALLENGE OPTIONS
FOR THE CITY, THE CITY HAS HAD
TO SUE. UH UM. THE CITY. I MEAN
, OBVIOUSLY, THE CENSUS BUREAU
WILL HAVE TO RESPOND. THAT CITY
WAS JUST ASKING. COULD WE GET
THE FORMULA? COULD WE GET THE
COMPONENTS AND THE VALUES OF THE
COMMITS TO THAT WENT INTO THE
POPULATION ESTIMATE, WHICH ARE
DIFFERENT THAN THE CENSUS AND SO
BASED ON SOME OF THE BACKGROUND
. LOOKS LIKE WE’RE THIS CENSUS
BUREAU HAS SAID THAT THE CITY
HAS GAINED HOUSING UNITS, BUT
THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT ALSO
GAINING MOST 13,000 HOUSING IN
16,000 VACANCIES. SO THEY’VE NOW
SAID THAT THE CITY’S VACANCY
RATE HAS GONE FROM 18% IN 2022
22% IN 2021. NONE OF THE
INFORMATION MAKES A LOT OF
SENSE, SO I THINK THE CHALLENGE
WAS HAD THE CITY HAD THE
CHALLENGE IN THIS WAY. WE
CONTINUE TO MONITOR WHAT HAPPENS
WITH THIS LAWSUIT, AND HOPEFULLY
THE CITY CAN GET MORE ANSWERS.
AND EITHER WAY IT GOES, AT LEAST
BEING MORE AGREEMENT WITH
WHATEVER THAT POPULATION
ESTIMATE IS, KURT. THANK YOU SO