The power of small newspapers lives on in Elias Gutiérrez and his Latino Press

Three decades into publishing his Spanish-language weekly newspaper in Detroit, Elias Gutiérrez is still restless. There's much to be done. Even now.

"There is too much to do. It is not possible," to stop, said the founder and publisher of Latino Press.

In fact, the 70-year-old said he rarely does. "I still get up around 5 or 6 in the morning, and I work until, well, I work until things get done. And, you know, there is always something that can be done."

Gutiérrez is marking a significant milestone this year as his newspaper celebrates its 30th anniversary. For a paper that he started publishing out of his home basement, it now reaches about 200,000 a week, Gutiérrez said. It also has a website and digital edition.

He was honored last week at an event at the Detroit Institute of Arts with small business owners and representatives of large corporations that included a video message from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to the Chilean-born publisher.

The DIA event and Gutiérrez' longevity is proof a small newspaper serving an often-overlooked segment of the population can not only thrive but play a key role as community advocate.

"I'm feeling good for myself," he said of his 30 years as publisher. "For the community side, I'm still restless. There is still much to do when it comes to improving education and political representation," he said.

"I saw many Latino small businesses grow up in 30 years. Now, some of them are millionaires," Gutiérrez said. "Years ago, I had to show some of them how to write a check because they did not know how," he said.

Gutiérrez has lived the plight of many immigrants. He's been ripped off and shunned by far too many businesses and institutions for him to count, he says. He recalls the first home he bought home in the area― only to learn later that he hadn't had been given the proper paperwork that would have given him ownership.

But Gutiérrez also a found a strong network of Latinos that he knew yearned for more information in their native language. Without any experience in newspaper publishing or journalism, he founded Latino Press, which he started he says because he saw the need for a Spanish-language newspaper for the established and growing community in the area.

"Anytime I went to a (Latino) restaurant or grocery store, I didn't see a paper," said Gutiérrez.

For years, he worked out of his basement while he also worked construction and other jobs. He wanted to help celebrate local Latino artists and businesses and people. He also wanted to keep Latinos in touch with some news of their homeland and national issues.

Today, he relies on a staff of eight to write the paper's content. Some of the writers are in Mexico, another is in Argentina and some are local. Staffer Claudia Rivera is pivotal in making the office and daily operations function smoothly.

He cites the publisher and editor of Dearborn-based The Arab American News, Osama Siblani, as someone who has always been supportive and offered key advice through the years.

Siblani, who founded The Arab American News 39 years ago, has known Gutiérrez for 12 years and described him as a "good friend."

He and Gutiérrez are part of New Michigan Media, a consortium of local newspapers geared toward specific communities. The group sometimes shares stories and help connect the publications to corporate advertisers, among other things, Siblani said.

"The newspaper business is tough," Siblani said. "It takes determination. You have to get up every day, regardless of losing money, or maybe people are upset at you because what you have may have written, and you have to go to work and prove yourself again."

Siblani has given this advice to Gutiérrez: "There is an ocean of media. But nobody can tell the stories that you can tell. The purpose of the Latino Press and The Arab American News is the same to some extent: to advance our communities, to give our communities a seat at the table."

The impact of Latino immigration

The first few years of the Latin Press were lean, Gutiérrez said. Then a surge of new Latino immigration into the area in the late '90s and early 2000s changed everything.

"Suddenly, the businesses who wouldn't even return my phone calls, they start to call me," Gutiérrez said.

That momentum continues today, he said. He operates now out of a former bank building, which he owns, on Michigan Avenue in southwest Detroit, one of the city's few enduring ethnic enclaves. Southwest Detroit is home to roughly 44,000 residents, many of Latino descent.

Latinos in southeast Michigan make up about 5% the total population and continue to grow at a much higher rate than the overall population. From 2010 to 2020, Latinos in southeast Michigan grew by 59,000, or a little more than 24%, to around 242,000, according an analysis of U.S. Census date by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, SEMCOG.

Many Downriver communities are experiencing an infusion of Latino residents who are breathing new life into small municipalities south and west of Detroit. The result is Downriver experienced a small population growth for the first time in 40 years, according to an analysis of 2020 census data by the SEMCOG.

POSSILBE CUT? NOT SURE WE NEED THIS In the 18 Downriver communities that stretch from River Rouge to Gibraltar, the total population grew 2.6% in the past decade to 356,601 residents. But Downriver’s Latino population grew 53.5% last decade, adding 12,915 residents, according to SEMCOG. Lincoln Park is the epicenter of the Latino change. At some point in the last decade, it became the city with the highest percentage of Latino population of any municipality in southeast Michigan at about 26%. It surpassed Pontiac, whose population of more than 61,000 residents is 22% Latino.

Where Latino Press is distributed

The Latino Press is distributed in many Downriver locations, as well as other locations in Wayne, Washtenaw and Oakland counties.

The weekly publication is free and distributed at nearly 200 different locations, from restaurants and medical offices to hair salons and auto repair shops. A recent edition was chockful of ads ranging from major financial institutions, immigration attorneys, dentists, Wayne State University, a couple of flooring and tiling businesses and a variety of state, county and city government agencies.

Beyond his role as a newspaper publisher, Gutiérrez plays a key role as community advocate, according to two of his supporters.

Daniel Davidson, executive vice president and COO of Alliance Catholic Credit Union, says the publisher has provided much guidance and insight into the Latino community. The Farmington Hills-based credit union has 12 branches in Metro Detroit, including one in southwest Detroit and Lincoln Park.

"He was the probably first leader in the community who stepped forward and helped us out," Davidson said. Gutiérrez has done everything from providing insight on the kind of financial literacy the Latino community could benefit from but also has help find members and even employees.

"The publication is a great resource, and so is he," Davidson said.

Ernesto Nava works in the bakery of Prince Valley Super Market on Michigan Avenue in southwest Detroit. He said Gutiérrez understands that it's important to support local businesses and have many community events.

"He often works with us," Nava said.

In addition to the free weekly Latino Press, the company also publishes De Mujer a Mujer that's geared toward women and a Spanish-language directory that not only lists many Latino businesses but also information to a wide range of government agencies, educational institutions and nonprofits.

And Gutiérrez isn't just publishing a newspaper (it also has a digital edition now). He also has founded the Latino Press Foundation, a nonprofit that has helped arrange yearly charitable events ranging food giveaways, goods for new mothers, free dental care, and a backpack full of school supplies for students.

But advancing educational opportunities for Latinos is something he wants to improve. He's in talks with his many contacts in a wide range of public and private sectors to address the issue.

"It is an unfinished job," he said. "This is why I don't believe it is possible for me to stop."

laguilar@detroitnews.com