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Motown Star Lends A Hand For Upcoming Detroit Legends Plaza

DETROIT (WWJ) - A legendary Motown singer was in the spotlight Thursday, putting their handprints on a historical display coming soon to Detroit.

Songstress Martha Reeves had her hand prints cast into cement blocks to be part of the Detroit Historical Society's outdoor exhibit called "Detroit Legends Plaza" -- an outdoor tribute featuring local top athletes, broadcasters, writers, entertainers and others to be unveiled this fall adjacent to the historical museum.

"It feels great to know that I'm going to be a part of a wonderful historic movement in the city of Detroit," said Reeves.

Reeves said she doesn't miss being on Detroit City Council, but she's still concerned about what's happening in the city. One of the biggest problems plaguing Detroit, she said, is high taxes.

"There were three million people here and now you can count maybe 850,000. One of the largest municipalities in Michigan and we're lacking residents because of the taxes. You can't keep taxing people and expect them to pay more for taxes than they do their actual mortgage or principles on their properties here in the city," she said.

Reeves is also against an emergency manager idea, saying Detroit City Council and the Mayor should buckle down and work together.

"We don't need an emergency manager, we just need a better collaboration between the Mayor and the City Council. We can get a lot of things done if they would just get together and decide collectively what the fate of this city should be," she said.

Reeves hand print casting was held at the new Emagine Theater in Royal Oak, during a screening of the documentary called "Regeneration Music Project" in which Reeves and others are featured.

Detroit Legends Plaza is part of the society's "Past>Forward" campaign, a fundraising effort to raise $20.1 million towards new and expanded exhibits, technology upgrades, educational offerings and enhancements to the Detroit Historical Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum and the Detroit Historical Society Collection.

Other Detroit stars to be featured in the legends plaza include Red Wings hockey legend Gordie Howe, Tigers hall-of-famer Al Kaline, Detroit Mayor and former Pistons player Dave Bing, longtime radio host Dick Purtan, writer Elmore Leonard, the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin, national recording artist Kid Rock and many more.

For more information, visit www.detroithistorical.org.

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