For 36 years, John George has spearheaded Motor City Blight Busters’ efforts to transform Detroit’s Old Redford neighborhood.
Sitting on an upstairs patio at Artist Village — a community hub he’s owned for about 20 years — George still radiates light and energy. As we talk, he pauses occasionally to answer texts from his “lovely wife” and passionately speaks about his past work and future hopes.
At 66, George and the nonprofit’s Chief Financial Officer Al Manfroni hope to scale down their workload by age 70.
But until then, there’s plenty left to accomplish.
Blight Busters is in the midst of major growth over the coming years, with new initiatives including a 48-family low-income housing campus, a senior center, a Tiny House area, a Kids Kamp, the Sunflower Art Center, and more — all aimed at further revitalizing Old Redford.
“We started this effort, literally, with a rake and a broom, and the attitude that we can do better,” George says. “This is all about making this neighborhood, this city, the best it can be for our youth.”
George’s journey began in Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood, where he was born in 1958. By the time he was 30, he had settled just streets away from where Artist Village now stands, which ultimately led to the founding of Blight Busters.
“When my son was two and my wife was pregnant with our daughter, there was an abandoned house behind our house that turned into a crack house,” George says. “I didn’t want to move, but I didn’t want my kids growing up in and around that madness.”
Taking matters into his own hands, George gathered up some friends, cleaned up the inside and outside of the house, and boarded it up. C
“When the drug dealers got back, they couldn’t get in,” he says. “They got in their jeep and they left. We were in my backyard eating burgers and drinking beer. I said, ‘Man, that was easy. What are you guys doing next Saturday?’”
He adds, “It was that day when we boarded up that crack house where it was revealed to me what I’m supposed to be doing on this planet… There’s a lot of things I’m not really good at, but rallying people to a positive cause, is something that, first off, I love doing, but it’s really why I think I was born, is to make Detroit the best place it could possibly be.”
That small yet mighty beginning sparked something inside of George, and in turn, he sparked a community movement. He and volunteers have gathered to clean up the neighborhood almost every Saturday since, with a main motivation of making the neighborhood better for local youth.
“I had my granddaughter, Sophie Ray, here with me yesterday,” George says. “I took her over to the Sunflower Arts Center to show her what we’re doing. I think it’s important that not only our children, but our grandchildren, see the future as we see it, and understand their place and part in it.”
While George describes himself as the “spark” that makes everything happen, he isn’t alone in his efforts. Manfroni, who has been the CFO of Blight Busters for over 30 years, is his right-hand man.
When we talk to him, Manfroni seems very stressed, yet similarly proud and emotional about all of the work that he and John have accomplished. Though not from Detroit, he commutes 105 miles daily from Davison to lead the logistics of the organization: fundraising initiatives, managing investors, and handling “all the crap work.”
“To say that I wear multiple hats is kind of an understatement,” Manfroni says. “My life is a little chaotic right now, but it’s cool. I don’t regret any of it… People ask me why I stay. I stayed because of the vision, what we could do, the possibilities of what we could do. My entire life was spent around wanting to create a better world, create a better space, and this kind of gave me the opportunity to do that.”
He adds, “When we started here, John and I were sitting on the back porch of his house, that was where our office was, and we would always sit around and dream a lot about what the possibilities were. We both agreed that if we can keep this neighborhood stable enough for long enough, somebody’s going to come and make an investment.”
They were right.
Blight Busters has since worked with nearly 275,000 volunteers, raised over $25 million for community development, and helped attract more than $100 million in investments to the neighborhood, with projects like a local Meijer store serving as an anchor.
Upcoming developments will bring an additional $25 million to the area, including the $15 million Orchard Village affordable housing project, the over $6 million Sunflower Art Center, and more.
In between Artist Village and the Sunflower Art Center lies an alley the city is investing nearly $1 million to revitalize with art, new sidewalks, lights, and landscaping.
For Blight Busters, art has always played a key role in breathing life into the community. About 20 years ago, George met muralist Chazz Miller, a major reason for acquiring the Artist Village building. Miller had dreams of teaching kids and painting murals, while George’s wife, Alicia, envisioned a community coffee shop.
So, George made it happen for both of them.
“It was her idea for the coffee, it was his idea for the art, it was my idea to put it all under one roof, thus the Artist Village,” George says. “I’m kind of like the maestro, if you will, trying to get people to play in harmony. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but I continue to strive for that middle ground.”
As he describes the ongoing partnership between Miller and Blight Busters: “We bake the cake, he decorates it.”
The Sunflower Art Center is another project central to their shared vision for the community, described as being “a new gem of the city.” Gifted by Peter Cummings, along with a $1 million donation, the 30,000-square-foot building will soon house artist lofts, commercial units, classrooms, a computer lab, and a stage five times the size of the one in Artist Village.
A diner used to stand on the corner where the building is, and George’s favorite part of the upcoming redevelopment is that it’s being brought back. Symbolizing unity, it will be called “The Motor City Diner: The Diner of Brotherly Love.”
“In the ’50s and ’60s, we couldn’t sit at the diner together without a riot breaking out. This is a do-over. We’re going to see if people can act like adults,” he says. “From that corner, we’re gonna continue to bring folks together and create opportunity… all the different things that we do, we’ll just have another great space to do it from.”
While the affordable housing project is fully funded and set to be completed by late 2024, the Sunflower Art Center won’t be completed for a few more years and still needs $5 million in funding.
But there’s no doubt that it can be done.
“It took decades to convince people we’re serious about all this,” Manfroni says. “You have to make a decision. Either you’re gonna grit your teeth and you’re gonna fight through it or you give up and you go another route.”
Next to Orchard Village, George also plans to build a Kids Kamp to teach local youth about healthy eating and growing their own food. Nearby, a Tiny House village will provide more affordable housing.
“A lot of this stuff is a group effort, but I gotta say, if I wasn’t around, a lot of this just wouldn’t happen,” George says. “Some people will look at me and say, ‘This guy’s completely nuts,’ but I really do have a focus that’s rather unique.”
He adds, “I tease a lot. I say I’m 50% Italian, 50% Lebanese, and 100% Detroit stubborn.”
Though retirement is on the horizon, George is determined to complete 95% of these new projects in the next few years. Despite the emotional and physical toll, he and Manfroni’s belief in Detroit’s future hasn’t wavered.
“What excites me at this point is I always wanted my legacy to be to leave a mark, to show people what happens when you care, that this neighborhood is the way it is because we had the audacity to believe and literally will it into being,” Manfroni says. “Everyone wants to be remembered and I figure the greatest gift that I can teach my kids is when you do stuff like this, do it because you care.”
The pair encourage anyone interested in getting involved with Motor City Blight Busters to join them on Saturdays at 9 a.m. to volunteer.
“Every Saturday, it’s a little bit different,” George says. “One day, we might be knocking down a house. The next day we might be boarding something up, painting a mural, helping a little old lady across the street. It’s really all about doing our level best to create spaces and places that people appreciate and can participate in on some level.”
With a laugh, he adds, “And then, if anyone out there has a rich uncle, please have them call us immediately.”
