Five years ago, a group of public-transit activists took to the streets, marching up Woodward Avenue with a demand for restoration of 24/7 bus service to the major thoroughfare. That group was the Motor City Freedom Riders, and though the route was restored, their work is far from done. A 2016 millage proposal to fund more bus services across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties was narrowly defeated at the ballot in 2016 — due in no small part to suburban leaders’ like the late Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson’s refusal to support the measure — though it could return in 2020. In the meantime, MCFR is celebrating five years of fighting what they call “transportation segregation” (their logo features Rosa Parks’ mugshot) in the region with a fundraiser dinner on Saturday. U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is the evening’s special guest.
Event runs from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Anchor Bar; 450 W. Fort St., Detroit; 313-964-9127; anchorbardetroit.com. Tickets are $25; reduced $5 tickets for low-income guests are also available.
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