Wordless Wednesday: Going, Going, Gone! Detroit Cleans Political House

Kwame Kilpatrick, former mayor of Detroit, received a 14 month to 5-year PRISON sentence for obstruction of justice and other felonies.

 

Monica Conyers, former president and member of the Detroit City Council will be start serving her PRISON sentence for extortion in July 2010.

 

Sam Riddle, former political consultant to Monica Conyers, will be in Federal PRISON for extortion in June 2010.

Posted via web from The DSpot Redeux Blog

Wordless Wednesday: Kwa-me a River?

Photo Credit: Detroit News

Ex-Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in a Detroit Courtroom testifying about his finances...

A little late for tears Kwame, don'tcha  think?

2009 Journalism Awards for Coverage of Black Politicians

Two famous African-American politicians, two different outcomes in 2008: 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winners in Journalism

Jim Schaefer, M.L. Elrick, and Free Press Editor Paul Anger

Photo Credit: Mary Schroeder, Detroit Free Press

Kwame Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty

On Monday, April 20, 2009, the Pulitzer Committee announced the winners of the Pulitzer Prizes for Journalism. Of particular interest to me was to the Detroit Free Press for Local Reporting:

For a distinguished example of reporting on significant issues of local concern, demonstrating originality and community expertise, in print or online or both, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Awarded to Detroit Free Press Staff, and notably Jim Schaefer and M.L. Elrick, for their uncovering of a pattern of lies by Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick that included denial of a sexual relationship with his female chief of staff, prompting an investigation of perjury that eventually led to jail terms for the two officials.

Euguene H. Robinson, Associate Editor President Barack Obama
Washington Post

Also, one of my favorite commentators on the MSNBC political shows, Eugene Robinson, was announced as a winner in the "Commentary" Category by the 2009 Pulitzer Committee:

For distinguished commentary, in print or online or both, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Awarded to Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post for his eloquent columns on the 2008 presidential campaign that focus on the election of the first African-American president, showcasing graceful writing and grasp of the larger historic picture.

A New Beginning for Detroit: Kenneth Cockrel Sr. and Jr.

Today is the first full day on the job of the new interim mayor of Detroit, Kenneth Cockrel, Jr.  For those of us who were around in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as those who were not, there is a certain "Circle of Life" feeling seeing Ken Cockrel Jr. become Mayor of Detroit: his father, Kenneth Cockrel Sr. almost certainly would have been Mayor of Detroit had he not died suddenly.

Ken Cockrel Sr. 1938 - 1989
(Courtesy: Detroit African-American History Project)

An attorney and politician, Ken Cockrel Sr. served as one of Detroit's most powerful voices for social justice in the 1960s and 1970s. A self described Marxist-Leninist, Cockrel relentlessly challenged the racial and economic status quo in Detroit through his defense of African Americans in the courtroom, as an activist against police brutality, and then during a term as a city council member. Through his efforts on behalf of the people of Detroit, Cockrel became a leader in the city and was widely touted as a future mayor at the time that he died suddenly from a heart attack.

Cockrel was born in 1938 in Royal Oak Township. His father worked at the Ford Highland Park plant and his mother was the first African-American graduate of Lincoln High School in Ferndale, Michigan. Both his parents died when Cockrel was twelve years old and he went to live with relatives in Detroit. Cockrel attended Northwestern and Central High Schools but dropped out when he was seventeen. He served in the United States Air Force as an airman second class. After his discharge in 1959, Cockrel entered Wayne State University and graduated in 1964 with a degree in political science. He immediately enrolled in Wayne State's law school and received his law degree in 1967.

After receiving his law degree, Cockrel became a partner in the law firm of Philo, Maki, Cockrel, Rubb, Spearman, and Cooper and immediately launched a legal career that would change the social and political landscape of Detroit. Through a series of highly publicized cases, Cockrel highlighted the oppressive social structure under which Detroit African Americans lived. In his first such case, Cockrel, defended Alfred Hibbitt, who was accused of shooting two police officers in a 1969 shootout at the New Bethel Baptist Church. Cockrel won an acquittal for Hibbitt by citing the racist activities of the Detroit Police Department.

Cockrel burst into the consciousness of all Detroit during the trial when he was charged with contempt for calling the presiding Recorders Court judge a 'lawless, racist, rogue bandit, thief, pirate, honky dog fool." He successfully defended himself against the contempt charge, partly by exposing that the Wayne County Jury Commission systematically insured that juries were overwhelmingly white, male, and middle class. In 1970 Cockrel successfully defended James Johnson who shot and killed a co-worker at a Chrysler auto plant. Cockrel won an acquittal by demonstrating the oppressive working conditions at the plant, which he argued pushed the defendant to a mental breakdown that resulted in the shooting.

 

Ken Cockrel Sr. in the 1970s (left) 

Cockrel also became the leader of the citizens group that led the protests against the Detroit Police Department's STRESS (Stop the Robberies-Enjoy Safe Streets) unit, which had a long record of police brutality in the African-American community. His successful defense of Hayward Brown, who was accused of shooting a Detroit police officer, hinged on demonstrating that Brown fired in self-defense because the actions of the STRESS unit had created a climate of fear among Detroit's African Americans. Coleman Young disbanded the STRESS unit when he became mayor in 1974.

Cockrel was elected to the Detroit City Council in 1977 where he continued his fight for social justice. He was particularly vocal in his opposition to the granting of tax abatements to businesses in an attempt to keep them in the city. Cockrel retired from the Council in 1982 and returned to private legal practice. Cockrel's dedication was recognized by a variety of organizations. In 1973 he received the Distinguished Achievement Medal from the Detroit branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Outstanding Leadership Award in Civil Affairs from the Cotillion Club. In 1976 he received the Frank D. Reeves Award from the National Conference of Black Lawyers.

Former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has left the building...

Ken Cockrel Jr.
Age: 42
(Courtesy of Detroit City Council)

Kenneth Cockrel Jr. was President of the Detroit City Council; which means he immediately transitions into the post of Interim Mayor of the City of Detroit. [Councilwoman Sheila Cockrel is Ken Cockrel Jr.'s stepmother.]

Kenneth V. Cockrel, Jr has served on the Detroit City Council since 1998. A former journalist, Wayne County Commissioner and community activist, Councilman Cockrel made history as the youngest person ever elected to this body in 1997. He was reelected in 2001 and was elevated to the position of President Pro Tem. Cockrel was elected to his third term in November 2005 and elevated to the position of President after receiving more votes than any other City Council candidate. 

In 2006, President Cockrel passed an ordinance designated the areas around public libraries, schools, parks, recreation centers, and public pools as drug free zones. The ordinance stiffens the penalties for those who are found to be trafficking illegal narcotics in these areas. President Cockrel is also currently working ordinances which target those who post illegal signs on city property and the owners of abandoned, dangerous buildings. During this year Cockrel also launched the Friendly Neighbor Program, a pilot project being done in partnership with Faith Community Homebuyers. The program seeks to place city-owned homes in need of in repair into the hands of residents who want first-time homes. In 2007, Cockrel passed an ordinance which prohibits Detroit Police officers and other city employees from racial profiling. That same year Cockrel launched the Detroit City Council Green Task Force which educates the Detroit Community on green principles and encourage the implementation of green practices in new construction, existing buildings, neighborhood communities, and government operations.

President Cockrel. is the son of the late attorney, community activist, and former Detroit City Councilman, Kenneth V. Cockrel and Carol Cockrel, a former Detroit Public Schools teacher. He is a native Detroiter with a strong commitment to the people of the City of Detroit. The President meets weekly with community groups and regularly holds town meetings on issues ranging from drug trafficking and illegal dumping to entrepreneurship and economic development. Each year, the President gives away more than 500 turkeys to senior citizens and needy families through his Annual Thanksgiving Turkey Give-Away.

A cum laude graduate of Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in print journalism, President Cockrel is a former reporter for the Detroit Free Press, the Grand Rapids Press and the Cincinnati Inquirer. He is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Michigan Political Leadership Program at Michigan State University as well as the Program for State and Local Government Officials at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.


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The Mayor and the Manoogian Mansion...Now What?

Now that Kwame Kilpatrick will be stepping down as of September 18, he and his family will also be leaving the Manoogian Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of Detroit since 1966.

Ken Cockrel, Jr., who will become the City's 61st mayor, has stated that he will not be moving into the mansion anytime soon. 61st mayor are saying that it is time, especially with the City in desperate financial straits, for Detroit to reject "The Mansion", as it sends the wrong message. I disagree. Many political heads of governments have official mansions; although the only other such "mayoral mansion" is in New York City. As mansions go, however, the Manoogian isn't actually all that big or flashy: it's only 4,000 square feet--my house in Boston-Edison is 3,000 square feet (OK, counting all fours floors including the basement!), although no one near with the opulence of the Manoogian. The Manoogian is also a part of a residential neighborhood, relatively close to the houses next to it; it doesn't have the expanse of lawn and adjacent property of the White House. I am sure that the neighbors of the Manoogian wouldn't want the mansion used for "events", etc.; we may all agree that one "party at the Manoogian" has been enough.

The Mayor can have an official residence without displaying or utilizing all of the gansta-like trappings such as a "posse" that Kwame liked to display. Additionally, since the Manoogian belongs to the City, it is going to have to be maintained anyway. Why pay/reimburse the Mayor for the expenses of the house he has, while at the same time paying for the Manoogian? Once we have an actual (not interim) Mayor, I vote for the Mayor and family to make the Manoogian Mansion their home for at least four productive, forward-thinking, and scandal-free years.

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Kwame Kilpatrick: Beginning, Ending, Beginning?

The Beginning...

In November 2001, Kwame Malik Kilpatrick became the youngest person ever elected to be Mayor of the City of Detroit. At the time, although he was only 31 years old, he had been a successful member of the Michigan State House of Representatives. Elected to as a state representative in 1996 to fill the seat left vacant by his mother, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick for her successful run for the United States Congress, Kwame Kilpatrick was selected by his legislative peers to be the first African-American to hold a leadership position as head of the Democratic Caucus. Mr. Kilpatrick’s political star continued to rise, being elected vice-president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors and as such, a “Super Delegate” to the Democratic National Committee. He even had a brief speaking appearance at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

As he stated in his first inaugural speech in 2002, Kwame Kilpatrick was a “son of the City of Detroit”, attending Pelham Middle School and Cass Technical High School. He graduated from Florida A&M University, where he was captain of the football team; but returned to Detroit to teach in the Detroit Public Schools and later earn a Juris Doctor degree from the Detroit College of Law (now named the Michigan State University College of Law).

The End...

Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press

Unfortunately, for Kwame Kilpatrick and the City of Detroit,very soon after he assumed office, a myriad of scandals started to unfold: too many to list here. As mayor, he oversaw many positive resurgences in Detroit,including the completion of Campus Martius, the development of the Riverwalk, businesses such as Compuware and Quicken Loans relocating to the City, conventions, the SuperBowl, the Baseball All-Stars Game,  the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, and the largest new housing boom in Detroit in decades. But he also, by his own actions, brought the most shame and disgrace to the same city he claimed he loved so much. The unearthing of each scandal brought apologies from the mayor, along with promises to "do better".

In 2005, after a hard-fought campaign, Kilpatrick narrowly won re-election for another four-year term as Mayor of Detroit. But the scandals and rumors of scandals continued. Two demoted Detroit Police Officers who were investigating some of these rumors sued Kilpatrick and the City for unlawful firing; and during the 2007 trial, Kilpatrick and his Chief of Staff, Christine Beatty, testified under oath that they did not unjustly fire the police officers, and that they did not have an affair. The trial ended with the police officers winning their case and being awarded over $9 million. But in January, 2008, the Detroit Free Press uncovered text messages sent back and forth on city-owned pagers that contradicted everything Kilpatrick and Beatty said on the witness stand. That was the beginning of an eight-month process, including indictments for perjury and obstruction of justice that concluded, on September 3, 2008, with Mayor Kilpatrick's admission of guilt, a plea deal that includes jail time, and finally his resignation from office. The governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, had already started holding hearings at the behest of the Detroit City Council to remove Mr. Kilpatrick from office; those hearings were indefinitely put on hold at 11:15 a.m. on September 3, 2008...when Kwame Malik Kilpatrick accepted that plea deal and resigned from office effective September 18 2008.

The Beginning?

Photo Credit: Detroit Free Press

On Thursday evening, flanked by his wife Carlita (whose orange-print dress matched her husband's tie), his mother Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, his father Bernard Kilpatrick (himself a target of an FBI investigation), and other family members and friends, soon-to-be former Mayor Kilpatrick delivered his "swansong". The almost ebullient Mr.Kilpatrick enumerated the accomplishments of his administration, took "responsibility" for his actions, and intimated that the City of Detroit did him a favor, saying: "...Detroit, you done set me up for a comeback." Although as part of his plea deal, he cannot run for elected office for five years, Kwame Kilpatrick may by channeling former Washington D.C. mayor Marion Berry. We'll see; but for now...

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12-Step Program for Detroit: Step 8--Kwame Kilpatrick Must Make Amends

It's Wednesday, and we are on Step 8 of the 12 Steps of Healing for Detroit! As you may know, each week we have been looking at ways that we, as people who live and/or work in our beloved and beleaguered City. We know that we are the ones we have been waiting for, and that we are better than our current leadership.

The whole point of this blog is to teach some, and remind others of the wonderful things about Detroit, the Detroit Metroplex, and especially the Detroit people. In the process, I will also point out what I believe is wrong with our current leaders (and, when appropriate, what is right), and I hope to hear your ideas in the comments section.

"Step 8", loosely based on the AA 12-step Program, admonishes those who follow the program to make a list of all persons harmed and be willing to make amends to them all. Well, Kwame Kilpatrick, Mr. Mayor, this step seems tailor-made for you!

Mr. Mayor, you have hurt the entire City of Detroit, you have hurt the entire region of southeastern Michigan and southwestern Ontario and northwestern Ohio, you have hurt the entire State of Michigan, you have hurt the entire Democratic Party and the candidacy of Barack Obama, you have hurt your family, including your wife, your sons, and your mother, you have hurt the police department, you have hurt businesses small and large that stayed in Detroit and/or came back to Detroit.

Mr. Mayor, you have hurt families, you have hurt children, you have hurt the national and international image and reputation of Detroit; you have certainly hurt the budget of the City of Detroit, which is OUR money.

It's time for you to make amends, Kwame Kilpatrick. It is time for you to realize that the world does NOT revolve around you, and that Detroit can and will survive and even thrive without you. You owe us even more than that $9 million...especially those of us who supported you while you lied to us and the world. You have no credibility left, and you cannot effectively conduct the business of the City anymore, and that is supposed to be your job. The fact that you even thought for a minute that you "should" have gone to the Democratic Convention and taken even a smidgen of a chance that your ruined image would badly reflect on our Presidential Candidate shows your arrogance and inconsiderate nature. You are (were) a Superdelegate; their votes aren't even necessary at this point. Believe me, no one even notices your absence.

The people who live in Detroit, work in Detroit, and love Detroit will pick up the pieces and carry on and work hard to repair the damage you have done; but it's time for you to go. It's time for you to make your list of all you have harmed and start to make amends (from far away from Detroit) to them all. It was/is not about "racism" at this point; it is/was about you and your wrongdoings. The sooner you grow up and realize that and move yourself out of the picture, the sooner Detroit can heal and move on.

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Kwame's Staycation...He HAS to Stay in Detroit!

There has been a lot going on in the Mayor's life lately, so Kwame Kilpatrick announced today that he needs a "two-week vacation". But because of the court-ordered travel restrictions placed on him--he must stay in the Wayne-Oakland-Macomb Tri-County area, Mayor Kilpatrick will have plenty of time to stay at home in the Manoogian Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of Detroit since 1966.

Why is the official mayor's residence called "The Manoogian Mansion"? Simple, the palacial home belonged to Alex Manoogian and the Manoogian Family for almost 30 years before they donated it to the City of Detroit in 1966. Alex Manoogian was an Armenian immigrant, businessman, and philanthropist who founded the Masco Corporation, most well-known for the development of the Delta faucet, as well as Merrillat and Kraftmaid Cabinetry. Masco is still located in Taylor, Michigan.

The Manoogian Mansion, which was built in 1928 at a cost of $300,000 and purchased by Alex Manoogian in 1939, certainly is spacious enough and has the beautiful views people love to see on vacation: the Spanish Colonial Revival-style home has over 4,000 square feet, 15 rooms, 2 dining rooms, 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, and 2 bedrooms and a bath for servants. There are huge windows on most sides, and of course a view of the Detroit River which is actually part of the home's "back yard". It is located in the Berry Subdivision, one of Detroit's Historic Districts.

It sounds like a beautiful place to have a "staycation", and after all, just like any vacationer, Mr. Kilpatrick is only "visiting" the Manoogian Mansion, as the home belongs to the City of Detroit--all mayors live there only during their tenure. Our next mayor will enjoy it just as much.

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12-Step Program for Detroit: Step 6

Removing all defects of character...

Well! Could this "Step" be more timely? As we move along our journey of self-discovery for making Detroit better, Step 6 says to "remove all defects of character"...

This weekly series is very loosely based on the AA 12-Step Program, and the purpose is to look to ourselves for the answers--not to blame others.

However, here in Detroit--especially because of the most excruciating developments of last week, most of us have come to the conclusion that the Mayor has to go. Even The Michigan Chronicle, Detroit's premier Black newspaper, has taken the unprecedented step of calling for the Mayor's resignation in this week's issue.

We here are looking for solutions that are best for the City of Detroit; ways to let go of the past and move Detroit forward. We have to realize that...

* The Mayor cannot be effective in running the City while he is embroiled in all of these legal and political distractions.
* The Mayor has lost all credibility in working with the regional and national people and business leaders necessary for continued growth in Detroit.
* The Mayor has brought shame and ridicule on his family, the City of Detroit, and the entire State of Michigan with his actions.

There are some who say that the media, the Wayne County Prosecutor, and the Michigan Attorney General have been unfairly "piling on" the Mayor; or that all of this is "racially based". While some of that may have been true in the past, if we really look at the facts, it becomes painfully obvious that the ""defects" that have caused this ever-worsening situation are those of the Mayor himself.

It is also true that the Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has brought many positive changes to the City, especially with his working relationships with businesses who are investing in Detroit, all of that has also been completely negated by his actions.

None of us is perfect; we all have "defects" in our character. But the actions of the Mayor and the ramifications for the people of the City of Detroit and the entire region and state can no longer be ignored, justified, swept under the rug, apologized for, or tolerated.

The Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity has "recommended" that mayor Kilpatrick step down; although several members disagreed with withdrawing support for Mr. Kilpatrick during his time of crisis.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm is holding a hearing on September 3 (three weeks from today) on a request from the Detroit City Council to remove the Mayor.

Meanwhile, we are the ones who still have to live and work in Detroit. We are the ones dealing with the repercussions of this whole situation. But we are also the ones we have been waiting for...we the people are the government. It is up to us to demand that our leadership reflect who we really are and we we really want to be. The government we presently have is not representing the best about us or our City; it is time for us to effect the changes necessary.

I look forward to your thoughts and ideas in the comments section...

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It's Finally Hit the Fan...Mayor Goes to Jail

Thursday, August 7 2008 11:00 am

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is going to jail. He cannot pass "Go"; he cannot collect $200.00. 36th District Court Judge Ronald Giles had tried--since the text message scandal broke in January leading to indictments in March against Mayor and his former chief of staff--to be understanding of Mr. Kilpatrick's position and job responsibilities. But after he (Kilpatrick) went against the Court's travel restrictions for a third time, violating the terms of his bond, the Judge had had enough.

No amount of explanations or personal pleading could get the Mayor out of this one. His attorneys ran across the street to another court to get an immediate stay, but no such luck. The soonest the appeals judge said he would hear the case is Friday morning at 9 am. So there.

So Mayor Kwame Malik Kilpatrick is now a guest of the Wayne County Jail--at least for tonight; seemingly because of his own arrogance...all he had to do was make a phone call to the Judge before leaving the country to go to Windsor on City business...but he didn't think it was important enough. Now he does.

Kandia Milton, the new Deputy Mayor, just appointed on August 1 2008, will take over day-to-day operations. At the beginning of July, I wrote a post expressing the need for emergency surgery for Detroit. I think the "doctor", Judge Ronald Giles, just made the first much needed incision...



My husband's companion post on The Mayor Goes to Jail...

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12-Step Program for Detroit: Step 5

We are moving along in our journey to make Detroit a better place to live and work for Detroiters and non-Detroiters alike. If you would like to go back and re-read the introduction to this series and the other Steps, they are here:

Introduction
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Step Four

In Step Five, we are to "admit the exact nature of our wrongs". This series is very loosely adapted from the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step Program; but it is incumbent upon us to figure out what has gone wrong in Detroit in order to know what we want to go right.

I look forward to your comments; and hope to see that everything that may be wrong with Detroit is not just political. The entire history of Detroit has impacted what is happening today as much as the current problems of the Mayor and Detroit City Council. The City/Suburb "Divide", the Downtown/Neighborhood "Divide", the economy, the environmental concerns, and of course the Iraq War are among the many issues that affect Detroit today.

What do YOU say? What has gone wrong? What can we make right? The whole premise is that WE are the ones we have been waiting for...the "Comments Section" is open...

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Guilt By Association Totally Inappropriate

The "D" Spot Redeux is not a political blog per se, but occasionally I feel I must speak up and speak out forcefully about issues about which I feel strongly.
So please allow me this second "op-ed" post of the week.

There is a primary election coming up in Detroit on Tuesday, August 5 2008. Several local positions and state legislature and congressional seats are on the ballot. Although the turnout is expected to be embarrassingly low (less than 20%), the election is very important. In recent Detroit history, the Democrat who wins the August primary is the all-but-official winner in the November general election.

One congressional seat being challenged is that of 13th District Congresswoman and Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick. Does that name sound familiar? Yes, she is the mother of the embattled Mayor of Detroit, Kwame Kilpatrick; and for the first time in many years, she is fighting to keep her seat: because she is the Mayor's mother. Congresswoman Kilpatrick is in her 6th term in the U.S. Congress, and in addition to chairing the Congressional Black Caucus, she serves on the House Appropriations Committee (the only Michigan representative on that committee), the Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services, and the Appropriations Subcommittee for Homeland Security. It takes years of service, political skill, and relationship-building to be appointed to such powerful committees. When voters go to the polls to make their choice, they should consider the entire personal life and professional accomplishments as they relate to what needs to be done for the Congressional District.

However, there is one challenger to Ms. Kilpatrick who is basing almost her entire campaign on conducting a smear campaign against the Congresswoman because of the alleged misconduct of her son. This challenger is currently running a distasteful TV commercial mocking the Congresswoman for her support of her son. The point of this challenger's campaign, as well as the TV ad, is to paint Congresswoman Kilpatrick with the same brush as her son. This challenger does not even seem to understand the ramifications of removing someone from such powerful apppointments; especially for Michigan...we need all of the financial help we can get from Congress. New members of Congress are routinely assigned to much less powerful committees; and it takes years to "move up the ladder". There is no way this challenger can even begin to have the influence that Ms. Kilpatrick has worked so hard to achieve over the years.

Although this post is not an official endorsement of Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, it is a denouncement of the tactics of one of her challengers. Back in the spring of 2008, when the mainstream media tainted the name and reputation of Reverend Jeremiah Wright of Chicago based on a 30-second clip of one of his sermons, then tried to condemn Senator Barack Obama just because Rev. Wright was his former pastor, many Democrats (especially those supporting the candidacy of Senator Obama), as well as other fair-minded people, cried "foul". It was patently unfair to transfer the alleged "transgressions" of Rev. Wright to Senator Obama.

In the same vein, I believe it is patently unfair to try to destroy the Congressional career of Congresswoman Kilpatrick based on the actions of her son. On the one hand, a mother is expected to support her son; and at the time of the plaintive cry for support that is part of that commercial (OK, I admit the rant was a little "ghetto"), the Mayor had not been involved in, or accused of the things he is now. On the other hand, the Mayor is a grown man, and as such, the Congresswoman cannot be held accountable for the alleged actions of her son even as she supports him as her son and the father of her grandchildren.

As a native Detroiter and (never-miss-an-election) voter, I denounce and reject the smear tactics of one of the challengers to Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick's seat for the 13th Congressional District of Michigan. I would hope that voters would make their decision based of the reputation and accomplishments of the Congresswoman, not that of her son.



This is cross-posted at my husband's blog: The "D" Spot

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12-Step Program for Detroit

Last week, I asked: "Does Detroit Need Emergency Surgery?" As part of that answer, I announced that I would outline a "12-step" Program for Detroit and Detroiters.

With apologies to AA, I will modify the "12-steps" into something for healing for Detroit. I will also attempt to approach this from a positive outlook--not "Pollyana-ish", but constant negativity/victimhood gets us nowhere.

Step 1: Admit that the Power Structure is broken; that it has become unmanageable

At the time of this writing, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is under a 12-count indictment, and there will probably be more charges coming soon. We, the citizens and voters in Detroit, have to admit that no matter what good things for Detroit that the Mayor may have made possible, it is almost impossible to Detroit "on the good foot" while under such a cloud of multiple scandals.


As if that weren't bad enough, some members of the Detroit City Council are under suspension because
of rumored corruption with a sludge-removal contract approved last year. The FBI has interviewed many of the Council members. The Chief of Staff for Council President Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. has resigned; but Council President Cockrel himself is not currently under suspicion. The Detroit City Council has become a laughing stock around the world: with cat-fights, name-calling and other childish behavior, ridiculous and unnecessary "resolutions"; all while trying to boot the Mayor out of office and keeping their own scandal problems under control at the same time.

Have all of these scandals made effective governing and oversight of the day-to-day issues of The City of Detroit unmanageable?

When I go to various venues in Detroit, I still see lots of people of all ages and races out enjoying themselves and benefiting from the wonderful attractions Detroit has to offer. Detroit has even been listed (finally!) as "travel destination"!

Are there ways to rescue the positive image that Detroit was again beginning to cultivate?

I'd love to hear your ideas...let's not just complain...let's do something: Detroit is now, and has always been, about its people.

Does Detroit Need Emergency Surgery?

The City of Detroit, after a couple of years of relative political peace and a re-invigoration of excitement and business infusions, is sick again.

As of this writing, both the Mayor and some members of staff the City Council are under investigation; and in the Mayor's case, actual indictment. Meanwhile, the Detroit Public School District is barely hanging on and very close to another state takeover; the new budget filed just under the wire on June 30 contains cuts, cuts, and more cuts.

Why is this happening AGAIN? What can we do about this "illness" that periodically recurs?

Last Monday, while listening to the Detroit Today program on Detroit's NPR station, WDET, I heard yet another suburbanite deride Detroit and Detroiters and suggest that "we just forget about Detroit--get rid of it"...(paraphrased). This caller to the program actually believed that the remainder of the State of Michigan could "do without" Detroit all together.

It has been said that Detroit and Detroiters suffer from an "inferiority complex". It is true that for years and years, when you said you were from Detroit, two things usually happened: 1) you hung your head as you quietly answered that question; and 2) then you started rationalizing to your questioner WHY you lived in Detroit.

Based on the aforementioned caller's comments, and many more like his, a thought came to me: if someone has a tumor, does the doctor operate to remove the tumor, or just kill the whole person and get rid of the tumor that way?

I think I'll pick Door #1 and think of ways we Detroiters can heal ourselves from the sickness of corrupt and self-indulgent politicians and government leaders, as well as our own psychological malaise.

On this space, I will be initiating my own "Detroit 12-step Program" in a secular and totally pro-active series of Wednesday posts. Stay tuned...

I look forward to your comments!