10 years ago Council President Mary Sheffield, after visiting with Brooklyn Council Member Jumaane Williams and attending an Occupy the Corner event in New York, decided to launch Occupy the Corner – Detroit in her district. The mission is to engage the community, connect them to resources and empower residents to be self-determinate with respect to improving the quality of life in some of Detroit’s most impoverished neighborhoods. The improvement goals for residents in these areas include the following which positively affect quality of life: • Improving Police & Community Relations • Providing Access to Jobs, Education & Resources • Connecting Neighbors & Neighborhoods • Improving Access to Health & Dental Care • Increasing Physical Activity • Providing Nutritional Meals & Food • Improving Mental Health • Giving Away Bicycles & Backpacks • Providing Healthy Nutrition Information • Providing Clothing & Shoes to the Underserved Since its inception, Occupy the Corner – Detroit has occupied 40 Neighborhoods throughout District 5 and provided entertainment, family fun, and resources to produce healthy outcomes for over 100,000 residents, mostly children, in District 5 and Detroit and as a whole. Starting in the first part of June each year, Occupy the Corner – Detroit events are held every other Friday evening throughout the summer. The program grows every year with more non-profit and social services agencies signing on to be a part of this important service to the community. Past Occupy Kick-off events, billed as community celebrations, have been extremely successful attended by Epps, National Action Network’s Dominique Sharpton, Council Member Jumaane Williams of Brooklyn, Mike Brown Sr. of Ferguson, MO, Hip-Hop artists Jeezy, Big Sean, Sada Baby, Trick Trick, Royce Da 5’9, Kash Doll, NBA Legends Derrick Coleman and Willie Burton and many more!