City wants man to prove he's black

[Searay215]

This story should tell everyone who wants to do business in Detroit to stay away.....The city says minorites should get preverntial treatment when it comes to doing business in the city......Wait....the city is 80% black, would someone tell me who is a minority in the city? Oh one can say that blacks by in large in society over all are a minority.....but not in the city.
This to me is why the city will never get better....they have to loose that its us vs them attitude....Just my 2cents.

So I guess I want to ask all of you out there.....are the city fathers racist? It seems like its a city of exclusion, rather than inclusion.......your thoughts please.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/n...z/-/index.html

[MikeyinBrooklyn]

Successful people are successful in spite of government, not because of it. Those "benefitting" from government are actually harmed by it. When individuals- black, white, or brown- realize that, they will be free of the shackles, low expectations, and condescension of well-intentioned statists.

[Meddle]

... should get preverntial treatment ...

Took me a minute to figure out that you probably meant 'preferential'.

[9mile&seneca]

Once you have established a "chosen people", why shouldn't you have to prove it? Carry the silliness to the extreme. Remember the civil rights act of 1964? Something about no regard to race?

[aoife]

"It's somewhat insulting, yes, it is. But I understand the character of the people that we're dealing with," said Morgan.

I think Mr. Morgan sums it up best. After reading the article it seems like the Bing administration is targeting him any way they can because they want to give one of their cronies/friends the rights to run the marina. Disgusting on so many levels.

[ResurgetCineribus]

"Man angered by City's attemp at accountability, expected hand-out to be easier to obtain."

[MidTownMs]

Took me a minute to figure out that you probably meant 'preferential'.

It took that long?

[noggin]

This is the dark side of affirmative action. Be careful of what you wish for.

[313WX]

This is the dark side of affirmative action. Be careful of what you wish for.

There is no affirmative action in Michigan.

[poobert]

Regardless of his merits or the conflict, this is downright creepy:
"Morgan has been doing business in Detroit for years. Now, the city is asking him to submit a birth certificate showing who is[[sic) parents are and what their race is.
"

Apartheid, anyone?

I'm picturing the old phrase "Your papers are not in order!" except instead of with a German accent, B. A. Baracus saying it.

It's the same reason the Charles H. Wright Museum receives over a MILLION DOLLARS EACH YEAR FROM A BANKRUPT CITY [[while the Detroit Historical Museum and DIA receive about 10% of what the CHW receives, and theirs will probably drop to zero). It's the same reason JoAnn Watson is on City Council. The old institutionalized race-baiting game. Nothing new to Detroit city politics or government.

[Scottathew]

Isn't this discrimination based on a protected class?

[iheartthed]

The city says minorites should get preverntial treatment when it comes to doing business in the city......Wait....the city is 80% black, would someone tell me who is a minority in the city? Oh one can say that blacks by in large in society over all are a minority.....but not in the city.

Just because the city is 80% black in population does not mean that 80% of the businesses are black owned.

[thnk2mch]

"Adoption of practices and policies to facilitate Detroiters as owners, not just consumers. Detroit’s population is 85% African American and business, contract awards and investments should reflect same."

From JoAnn Watson's City of Detroit webpage.

http://www.detroitmi.gov/CityCouncil...AnnWatson.aspx

[Danny]

Why does Detroit City Government going "coloreds only" all the sudden? Race cards, race cards I'm sick and tired of race cards. It seems to me that when you move to Detroit you have to be black. Plantation politics its worst. If Detroit City Government wants Jerome Morgan to be proven black, he just go right into City-County building and show his blackness to any city employee.

[401don]

It would seem that a lease to operate the marina is valuable. If the existing lease is expiring, why isn't there open bidding? Aside from what should be a legal issue, isn't the city, given its current financial state, obligated to generate as much revenue as possible? This seems like a job for the financial review team. The city should be more worried about green than black or white.

[Scottathew]

"Adoption of practices and policies to facilitate Detroiters as owners, not just consumers. Detroit’s population is 85% African American and business, contract awards and investments should reflect same."

From JoAnn Watson's City of Detroit webpage.

http://www.detroitmi.gov/CityCouncil...AnnWatson.aspx

She's weird and racist.

Under that logic black people wouldn't be allowed to be awarded contracts in many suburban communities.

[iheartthed]

She's weird and racist.

Under that logic black people wouldn't be allowed to be awarded contracts in many suburban communities.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that there aren't many contracts awarded to minority firms in suburban communities as it is.

[corktownyuppie]

"Adoption of practices and policies to facilitate Detroiters as owners, not just consumers. Detroit’s population is 85% African American and business, contract awards and investments should reflect same."

From JoAnn Watson's City of Detroit webpage.

http://www.detroitmi.gov/CityCouncil...AnnWatson.aspx

You know, I actually agree with Councilwoman Watson on this. Contract awards and investments should reflect the constituency.

Howeva.

Even though I'd like to see this happen, Ms Watson and I choose very distinctly different routes to get there. Ms Watson wants the political process to be used to accomplish the goal. And, yes, you accomplish the goal...but at what price? The city's mission is to offer the best services to its citizenry. Doing it Ms Watson's way is veering off-course -- and sometimes in direct contradiction -- to that mission.

I take an opposite tack. If you want more contracts to go to blacks and black-owned business...then the people [[not necessarily the political leaders) need to do everything in their power to make those potential contract-bidders the most competitive bids submitted for consideration.

It's the same with the percentage of black-owned businesses. I would LOVE to see the percentage of black-owned businesses be more in line with the demographics of our city. But the solution to that isn't to just hand over businesses to black citizens.

The solution is for community leadership teach the next generations about how to become business owners. How to run those businesses successfully. How to understand and apply the laws of reaping and sowing. How to run an organization. That the laws of business dictate that the owner works for the customer, not the other way around.

So Ms Watson...I'll be happy when you are no longer councilwoman; not because we have opposing visions, but rather because I believe that your route to get there is the very thing preventing it from happening.

There was a time and a place when civil disobedience, anti-establishmentarianism, and assumption of political power were the only ways to accomplish some of Ms Watson's visions. And in no way am I trying to state that we live in a socially just world and that it should be every man for himself.

The problem is that the Watsons of the world have been so over-focused on using political power to grant her constituents economic power that no one ever learned that they needed to eventually learn to keep and create economic power through non-political means.

In other words, sometimes you need to fight the man to get your piece of the pie...especially at the beginning. But at some point you need to focus on how to make the pie instead of fighting the man. You know we're at that point when there's literally no more pie left. We're there.

[iheartthed]

The solution is for community leadership teach the next generations about how to become business owners. How to run those businesses successfully. How to understand and apply the laws of reaping and sowing. How to run an organization. That the laws of business dictate that the owner works for the customer, not the other way around.

So Ms Watson...I'll be happy when you are no longer councilwoman; not because we have opposing visions, but rather because I believe that your route to get there is the very thing preventing it from happening.

There was a time and a place when civil disobedience, anti-establishmentarianism, and assumption of political power were the only ways to accomplish some of Ms Watson's visions. And in no way am I trying to state that we live in a socially just world and that it should be every man for himself.

The problem is that the Watsons of the world have been so over-focused on using political power to grant her constituents economic power that no one ever learned that they needed to eventually learn to keep and create economic power through non-political means.

In other words, sometimes you need to fight the man to get your piece of the pie...especially at the beginning. But at some point you need to focus on how to make the pie instead of fighting the man. You know we're at that point when there's literally no more pie left. We're there.

I do agree with a lot of this. I'm not gonna say that we're near a point where we can disregard race-conscious policies... But the major flaw of race-conscious policies is that they are hardly ever implemented with programs that help to make minority populations more competitive. That latter part is crucially important when you're dealing with marginalized racial minority communities that have been isolated from all but the lowest levels of the economic system.

[Wesley Mouch]

...
The solution is for community leadership teach the next generations about how to become business owners. How to run those businesses successfully. How to understand and apply the laws of reaping and sowing. How to run an organization. That the laws of business dictate that the owner works for the customer, not the other way around.
...

Great post Yuppie. You can't force outcome.

[Wesley Mouch]

Great post Yuppie.

By the way, my favorite quote from the article:

"Upon review, Ms. Hall-Wagner no longer requires his birth certificate to confirm his minority status. However, his application requires other documentation that he needs to submit as part of the required approval process. She was unaware of any issues Mr. Morgan had with Harbor Hill Marina when she reviewed his Human Rights applications."

Well here's the answer about what the Human Rights Department does. Is this work more important than police or fire? You can bet that they spend all day reviewing such applications for 'human rights' and screening based on race.

[izzyindetroit]

If Detroit City Government wants Jerome Morgan to be proven black, he just go right into City-County building and show his blackness to any city employee.

Maybe Morgan is a real life Kirk Lazarus? He is just your average blonde haired, blue eyed, Australian getting preferential treatment for Detroit while posing as a black man.

[Meddle]

Contracts should be color-blind, period. The best, most qualified bid should win based on the ability to fulfill the terms of the contract at the best price.

[corktownyuppie]

Maybe Morgan is a real life Kirk Lazarus? He is just your average blonde haired, blue eyed, Australian getting preferential treatment for Detroit while posing as a black man.

Never go full retard.

[Scottathew]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that there aren't many contracts awarded to minority firms in suburban communities as it is.

Yes, but there's nothing outlawing it.