Wow, it's a fast growing movement! 40 in the morning, 100 in the afternoon, add in the folks on the bus to Cleveland and you have the makings of a blip.
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Drove by @ 10:30, there might've been twenty-five people there.
Heard that by eleven, NO MORE than fifty people showed up. That was from a bird's-eye view in the middle of the street crud floors of One Woodward.
Channel Four just reported a 'few dozen' showed.
What a rush. Though it was going to be a ruckus...
Sheesh, go on active duty for a couple months and Jackson comes to Detroit and Rodman goes to North Korea. That's it, I can't leave you kids alone anymore.
What the hell business is it of Jesse Jackson's to be in Detroit protesting this? Seriously, the guy is a freaking civil rights leader, this has nothing to do with civil rights. Detroit is in bad shape and obviously people like Dave Bing have done an awful job of running Detroit, starting with Coleman Young and going all the way now to Dave Bing this city here has lacked professional leadership ever since. The only mayor of Detroit that I ever thought had his head on right and was actually trying to make Detroit a better place was Dennis Archer, outside of him everyone has been awful since Coleman. Jesse Jackson needs to go back home, he has no business being here protesting this.
Maybe Mr. Jackson would care to toss a couple of Cleveland's into the hat towards the purchase of some police cars and ambulances?
yes, it does. in many ways. first, it usurps the citizens of the right to self-governance. second, the legislature did an end-around of a voter-created amendment to the state constitution.
even though I believe it is needed because the City Council has done nothing to help the city, I hate the idea of it
well, the citizens of the State will have a chance to speak to that "end around" in the coming elections. Won't they? Ken Cockerell summed it up perfectly:
It would only be a usurpation if there was no recourse. Each and everything about this entire situation can be overturned by electing candidates that will do it. First step would be not sit out in non presidential election years.Quote:
"The city of Detroit by far is the largest city in the state of Michigan. We also have the largest concentration of voters. But you know what the problem is? Most of those registered voters don't go to the polls. They don't vote," Cockrel said. "There is absolutely no reason that the city of Detroit doesn't hand-pick a governor every four years."
I just couldn't let this pass unnoticed. "Those who share our lack of interesting pigmentation" is the most colorful description of a white person I may have ever seen, lol.
Anyway...on topic. In general, I do not think there's a mass outcry and demonstrations because what are people demostrating against...having elected officials power taken away. However, Detroit's voter turnout was 22.7% of registered voters in 2009 when the mayor & city council was elected [[http://www.detroitmi.gov/Portals/0/d...20COMBINED.PDF). I'm sure many don't care that people they didn't vote for are being superseded by someone else they didn't vote for. Plus, it's not even like the mayor and city council are that popular.
The best analogy I can give is this: it's like Detroiters are children given the choice between 1. staying with biological parents that say they love them but can't feed them and abandon them for days at a time [[city politicians) or 2. going with an adoptive parent that says he will feed them and take care of them, but was never a parent before and never had a real background check [[EFM).
Neither choice is "wrong" per se. But when a city neglects its citizen's needs, it's a little tough to expect "mass protest" to keep the status quo.
p.s. I'm not calling Detroiters children in need of coddling. That was meant purely as an analogy.
What exactly happened that was not part of the democratic process? A law was enacted. The "people" were convinced to repeal that law. They did NOT amend the Constitution. Prop 1 was a referendum on the law, not an amendment to the constitution. ANOTHER law was drafted that was/is different than the law repealed by the voter referendum and was lawfully passed and enacted. It will stand until it is either shown to be unconstitutional or is repealed.
What right is it exactly that is being 'usurped'? There is no unfettered right to make your own local decisions. You can elect Marion Berry, but he can be removed from office. You can pass voting poll taxes in Alabama to keep blacks from voting, but your power to do so can bu 'usurped' by the voting rights act. You can spend more money than you have, but your right to spend will be 'usurped' by an empty wallet.
Having said all that, I actually do see that the EFM is a tool of those in power. They don't want bankruptcy, so they stretch the rules a bit to avoid what really should happen -- payless paydays for bondholders and workers.
Kudos to whatever brilliant PR operative created this idea that EM/EFM is anti-democratic. Totally untrue. But so many people blindly buy into it because it fits their viewpoint.
All local decisions are subject to reality.
Jesse Jackson is an ass hole. No one takes this man serious. His son and possible daughter in law are headed for jail. Operation Push is nothing more than a fund to pay his expenses.
Y'know, I've always been more concerned about my Civil Responsibilities than I have been about my Civil Rights. Guess that makes me some kind of nut, I suppose.
Maybe Jesse Jackson could make himself useful and ask of there is anything that he could do to help? It's funny that he's saying that Detroiters civil rights are beig violated, yet he's tying to stop a black man from going to work! Really!??!
"I'm not equating local anti-EM demonstrations with the civil-rights movements of the '60s, the truth is, King, Parks and their colleagues in protest were almost always greeted in much the same way that the Freep column greets those who are vocally opposing the undemocratic imposition of emergency managers on their cities — with disdain and a sincere wish that they would go away and find better things to do."
Darrel Dawsey