The abandoned houses have holes in their facades, vacant lots are overgrown, and many of the streets are crooked. Michigan's 13th Congressional District in northern Detroit is home to nearly 800,000 Americans and is one of the poorest districts in the country. Here, state politician Donovan McKinney made headlines when he defeated incumbent Representative Shri Thanedar in the summer primary.
“I spoke openly about poverty, about working people struggling with skyrocketing costs for food, gas and child care,” McKinney says, explaining his victory.
“The average income here is $14,000 (equivalent to 140,000 kronor) a year. It's almost impossible to live on.”
"Corrupt" system
McKinney sweeps into Commons, a laundromat and café. He has an advantage in the polls, the campaign is intense, and several people on the street want to greet him. But at the table, over a glass of juice, he gets serious.
“People here think that the politicians and the system are corrupt. Both Republicans and Democrats have failed us,” he says.
“We must remove the influence of big business over politics. And we must hold Donald Trump accountable for what is happening in the country.”
A tsunami?
McKinney is a Democrat, but he is also a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). DSA members already sit in Congress; the most famous are Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders. But this year, a record number of members have won primary elections. The media is talking about a “tsunami” and saying that the entire Democratic Party is moving to the left.
“Voters are fighting for their survival. That means they are looking for new types of politicians - those with clear messages, clear policies,” says Lila Bickner, one of the two presidents of the DSA's Detroit chapter, describing the party's successes.
Bickner welcomes people to the DSA's new headquarters, a former retail space in southwest Detroit. It is full of brochures, campaign posters and foil balloons shaped like red roses, the socialist symbol. There is a certain expectation in the air. Bickner notes that the organization has never received as much attention as it is getting now.
“We believe in redistributing resources to programs that actually help people and society. I want to see an America where the working class can live in dignity,” she says when asked to summarize the DSA's message.
“For me personally, universal health care is important.”
Taking a stand against ICE
For many Swedes, the arguments for affordable child care, universal health care and free higher education are relatively easy to understand. But in its national platform, the DSA also takes a stand on other issues. Among other things, it argues for a Palestinian state, for the U.S. Department of War (Department of Defense) to be abolished, and for the Senate to be dissolved in favor of a unicameral Congress - proposals that are controversial among both Republicans and Democrats. The DSA also believes that the immigration police, ICE, should be abolished and undocumented immigrants should be given amnesty.
“People do not want to see their neighbors thrown into modern-day concentration camps. Here in Detroit, people are being arrested while sitting in their cars - and children are being left alone in the back seat. It is all inhumane,” Bickner says, adding that ICE has wrongfully detained several American citizens.
Arresting and deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally was one of President Donald Trump's most prominent campaign promises. ICE's sometimes brutal raids are divisive and have led to widespread protests.
Bickner says she believes there should be a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Does that include criminals?
“We should follow the law and give everyone a fair trial,” she replies.
Trump warns
The DSA platform has many in the Republican Party seeing red. President Trump repeatedly attacks DSA candidates, claiming they are not socialists but communists and lunatics. He has also warned that communism is “the greatest threat to the United States ever.”
At the Republican Party's local headquarters in Oakland County, north of Detroit, most volunteers agree with him.
“To me, socialism and communism are the same thing,” says retired auto worker and former Marine Larry Mareinkowski.
“It scares me. I don't want it in our country.”
His colleague, retiree Cara McAlister, is busy handing out campaign materials for local candidates. During a break, she says the DSA wave is dangerous.
“They want open prisons and open borders. If they take over, we'll go bankrupt.”
New correctional services?
Donovan McKinney dismisses the claims. He has worked in Michigan's correctional system and has strong opinions on prison policy, among other things. The DSA platform states that the police force should be “demilitarized” and eventually dismantled, and that prisons should be closed and replaced with community service and care.
“We spend enormous amounts of tax money on - what?” McKinney asks rhetorically.
“Do we rehabilitate people or do we just lock them up without results?”
Most people who end up in prison will eventually come out, and the question is how tax money is used to ensure that they then become productive citizens, McKinney argues. He advocates community service, care and job training, with the goal of keeping offenders from falling back into crime.
But how does he view dangerous violent criminals such as serial killers?
“The courts must deal with such people. But the state already allows mass murderers to work in kitchens, for example, in places like Mississippi and Kentucky.”
Everyday life in focus
At the DSA office, Lila Bickner, who works for a tech company by day, emphasizes that the plans for the police and the Senate lie far in the future. For now, the focus is on improving everyday life in a U.S. where food and fuel prices are painfully high.
“The Republicans are trying to whip up the ‘red threat.’ But when I knock on doors, I get mostly positive responses. People are less afraid of the word ‘socialism’ and increasingly interested in our ideas.”
What do you think?