• Nearly 20,000 youth participated in 10-week program that included extended recreation center hours, weekly Friday events, late night basketball and more 

Mayor Sheffield on Friday officially closed out her signature Occupy the Summer program as part of her administration’s safe-summer strategy to reduce crime during the summer months and provide thousands of Detroit youths with fun activities.  Across the 10-week program, nearly 20,000 youth and families participated in the various events and expanded recreational opportunities.  

With a $1.5 million investment, Occupy the Summer featured neighborhood activations every Friday from June 12th to August 14th across the City, extended recreation center hours to 11 pm on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturdays, and the return of the Late-Night Basketball league.  

Friday’s final OTS event at the Boys and Girls Club location on Collingwood drew an estimated 4,000 youth, who enjoyed food, live music, basketball, carnival rides and more. The event also included a Team Sheffield vs Team Big Sean kickball game that saw Team Sheffield take home the trophy.  

“This is what summer should be about for our youth, with plenty of opportunities for our young people to gather, play, laugh and burn off their energy in a safe environment,” said Mayor Sheffield. “I am so grateful to the team that pulled these activations together so well and to all of our sponsors, who helped us show our young people how much we value them.”

Below is a summary of this year’s Occupy the Summer activities:

Summer Fridays:  

Neighborhoods across Detroit were engaged in various activities each Friday, and in collaboration with various community partners. Some of the most notable events included  

• Skate Night in District 4 with Royal Skateland which allowed families to skate for free 
• Arts & Culture Night in District 6 with Detroit Cultural Center Association (DCCA) which featured a myriad of art activations, salsa lessons, live performances including the City's Composer Laureate, and more.  
• Bike Night partnered with Slow Roll Detroit and the Joe Louis Greenway Partnership.  
• The first-ever Sheff Tank, a youth business pitch competition judged by Tommey Walker of Detroit Vs. Everybody, Mia Ray of Glamaholic Lifestyle, and entrepreneur Chris Sain. Four winners were selected and the DEGC is helping to support these young entrepreneurs with their business ideas.  
• Residents were surprised with special performances and pop ups by local celebrities including Peezy, Icewear Vezzo, and Skilla Baby. Sauce Gardner and his foundation, The Humble Pursuit, attended the Juneteenth Summer Friday event and covered 2 months' worth of rental payments for 10 families — some who were facing eviction.  

Each event was completely free and open to the public for all ages. Every Friday featured free haircuts and hair braiding, free food, community and City resources, health screening, bounce houses, face painting, and more.  

Giveaways:  

Throughout the summer, residents had opportunities to receive free giveaway items including:

• Over 700 new bikes (Kick-off) 
• 700 new sneakers (in partnership with NW Goldberg Cares HOOPFEST) 
• 500 backpacks and school supplies (Finale)  

Finale in Partnership with Boys & Girls Club's Metro Detroit Youth Day and Big Sean:  

The Occupy the Summer Finale hosted at the Boys & Girls Club on Collingwood. The event will feature a backpack and school supply giveaway for the youth, carnival rides and activations throughout the footprint, free food and activities, haircuts and hair braiding, face painting, and dental and physical screenings for youth ahead of school. Mayor Sheffield and Big Sean went head-to-head in a kickball game, with Team Sheffield taking home the trophy.  

Late Night Basketball League:  

The highly anticipated Late Night Basketball League featured a 7-week season spread across 3 league locations hosted at recreations centers — Adams Butzel (Westside), Heilmann (Eastside), and Kemeny (Southwest) with about 200+ participating in the league. Sponsored by Amazon, brand new basketball shoes were donated to all players of the league. The Championship Game was hosted at the Detroit Pistons Practice Facility and Mayor Sheffield crowned the first Occupy the Summer Late Night Basketball Champs — the Westside Trojans!

Extended Recreation Center Hours:  

Recreation center hours were expanded from June 12th to August 16th on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with active programming from Detroit Parks & Rec. The locations were strategically chosen based on CVI data in areas where crime was high. Locations were:

• Crowell Recreation Center 
• Adams Butzel Recreation Center  
• Kemeny Recreation Center 
• Farwell Recreation Center 
• Heilmann Recreation Center 
• Butzel Family Center 
• Coleman Young Recreation Center  
• Helen Moore Community  
• Northwest Activities