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    • Obama implores Detroiters to vote: ‘It’s about values’
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    Obama implores Detroiters to vote: ‘It’s about values’

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    Crowds lined up early to enter Huntington Place to watch former President Barack Obama urge Detroiters to get out and vote for Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris.

    The former president received a rock star welcome from several thousand people after he was introduced on stage by rap icon Eminem.

    “It’s great to be back in the Motor City,” Obama said. “I heard there was another meeting on Friday evening, but it was a little smaller than this.”

    It was the first of several digs at Harris’ rival, Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. Obama said Trump thinks only of himself and attributes most of the country’s problems to immigrants.

    “Every election is about more than policy, it’s about values ​​and character,” Obama said.

    Obama said progress is made by making small changes over time and repeatedly urged the crowd to vote. He described the different ways Michiganders can now vote and told them to not only vote themselves, but also make sure their family and friends had plans to vote.

    He kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of Trump. When the crowd booed Trump’s name, Obama stopped them and said it was better to vote than to boo.

    “Whether this election makes you excited, scared, hopeful, frustrated, or anything in between, don’t sit back and hope for the best,” he said. “Don’t just hope, get off your couch and vote. Vote for Kamala Harris.”

    Obama spoke for about 45 minutes in a barren convention center. A few bleachers surrounded the stage, but most people stood on the concrete floor. The only decorations were some blue curtains, a few American flags and campaign signs.

    Lions Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson opened the evening, greeting the crowd with “Whatupdoe, Detroit?”

    play

    Lions legend Calvin Johnson endorses Kamala Harris during rally in Detroit

    Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson appeared on behalf of Athletes for Harris at a Kamala Harris campaign rally in Detroit.

    Johnson said he was part of a group called Athletes for Harris and called out Trump for insulting the city in an Oct. 13 speech at the Detroit Economic Club.

    “If anyone said anything negative about Detroit during my playing days, I made them feel me on Sunday,” Johnson said. “So Detroit, let’s make Trump feel us at the polls on Election Day.”

    Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters of Michigan, and U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, who worked for Obama and is running to replace the retiring Stabenow, also addressed the crowd.

    At previous stops, Obama has specifically called on black men to be more involved in the voting process.

    Black men who attended the rally said they planned to vote for Harris, though some expressed lukewarm support.

    “Overall, I’m excited, but I wouldn’t say I’m getting a tattoo of her name on my arm,” said Matt Bell, 53, of Detroit.

    Bell is a flight attendant who attended the meeting with his fiancée. He said his schedule allowed the meeting and he wanted to hear from Obama. He once tried to see the former president in Chicago, but arrived late and never got in.

    More: Report: Eminem appears with Barack Obama at the Harris campaign rally in Detroit

    More: Watch replay: Former President Barack Obama rally for Kamala Harris in Detroit

    He said he will definitely vote for Harris and that he hopes to hear more about tax breaks for first-time homebuyers. He believes Harris will win. He said he doesn’t see a lack of enthusiasm in his circles, but he understands it is there.

    “I think it’s more about the state of affairs,” he said.

    Durand Eubanks, 50, of Southfield, is an ironworker with IBEW Local 25. He said he is looking forward to voting for Harris and plans to do so in person on Election Day because he likes to tabulate his ballot himself stops and makes sure it’s right. counted.

    “I’m excited to vote, but I believe all the misinformation being spread is confusing a lot of people,” he said. “They just feel like raising their hands about the situation. The system did nothing for them, so they wasted their time. That’s not the way to look at it, but that’s how some people see it.”

    Levell Baldridge, 64, of Detroit has been selling Fords for nearly 40 years and is a pastor at New Birth Church of God in Christ on the east side.

    He attended the meeting to hear Obama speak and to support Harris. He roundly rejects the idea that people can delay the process and calls on men to do their part and vote.

    “People say I’m not going to vote because I don’t like who’s up there, which means you like what’s happening,” he said. “And it’s sad that a lot of things that happen in America shouldn’t happen because we are the land of opportunity.”

    Baldridge said he owes it to his children and his country to vote.

    “The concern is that we have to leave a legacy for the next generation,” he said. “If the family wants to be whole, the man has to participate in these kinds of situations, right? It starts with people.”(This story has been updated to add new information.)

    Contact John Wisely: [email protected]. On X @jwisely.

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