A concrete crushing company started operating in Detroit’s Schoolcraft neighborhood a few years ago to the surprise of many people living nearby. Longtime resident Carol Couch lives in the west side neighborhood near Dino-Mite Crushing and Recycling and said she believes residue on her car comes from the crushing operation.  

Schoolcraft residents said they are concerned about their quality of life and health. “There’s a lot of pride in our community,” said George Perdue of the Schoolcraft Improvement Association. “It doesn’t make me feel good to tell somebody take 96 to Greenfield on your way to my house because I know they’re going to pass this dust-laden area.”  

Schoolcraft resident Audrey Moses Sims spoke during a public hearing last year and said her son has asthma and is on a breathing machine. “I had no idea that this facility would be opened up here,” she said. “I would have totally been against it.” 

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Dino-Mite’s representative and the company’s attorney have not answered One Detroit’s requests to talk about problems in the neighborhood. BridgeDetroit reporter Jena Brooker found the city cited the company operating the crushing operation with nearly 300 blight violations over two years. 

The city of Detroit has taken legal action to reduce the dust, even to possibly force it to shut down. There is a hearing scheduled in Wayne County Circuit Court March 21. One Detroit’s senior producer Bill Kubota teamed up with filmmaker and One Detroit contributor Nicole Macdonald to talk with residents about their concerns over heavy industry operating in city neighborhoods.

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