Residents Rate Mayor Duggan's COVID Response On Pandemic's Anniversary

(CBS DETROIT) – From the summer riots, to testing sites and vaccine distributions, Detroiters have a lot to say about Mayor Mike Duggan's performance in the pandemic and they're not holding back.

"I think Detroit was the first site of where you can go get tested at which was at the state fairgrounds. He made that happen. So he did great," said Ortagus Jackson.

Mayor Duggan is receiving both support and criticism for his COVID-19 response.

"The city could do a better job at promoting who's eligible and allowing the people who are eligible to know about it because even for some of my direct family members they didn't know that because they were teachers or they didn't know that because they worked in schools that they can get the vaccine until other people came and told them," said Tray Little.

On the one-year anniversary of the pandemic residents are speaking out about Duggan's leadership through the crisis.

"I think that we need those testing sites still to be active the ones that have been closed down because there's still a lot of people who don't know where to get tested at," said Anne Lynn.

In addition to the health emergency the pandemic presented, social tensions and uprising also reared its head during an already chaotic period for the Duggan administration.

"Could it have been handled better yes, if everybody would have listened to get (their) point across," said Jackson.

"When he came out to respond to how some of the protests were going and he was looking for more non-violent protest and I feel like, you know I felt good that he acknowledged that the non-violent protest that we were leading was something that was making a difference in our city," said Little.

And as we move forward to push pass the pandemic residents say they what the mayor to continue putting his best efforts forward to keep the city safe.

"It's not to speak negative against anybody because I want to assume everybody is doing the best that they can but are you doing all that you could? You know, I do understand that you're doing the best but is there more?" said Muat Bulu.

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