Bad news for Mr. Kilpatrick. Derrick Miller has plead guilty:
http://detnews.com/article/20110912/...rruption-probe
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Bad news for Mr. Kilpatrick. Derrick Miller has plead guilty:
http://detnews.com/article/20110912/...rruption-probe
Someone is going to be snitchin'
What's sad about this is that the city had all these young people, Kwame Kilpatrick, Christine Beatty, Derrick Miller ready to take the city into the 21st century and look what we got. A city on the edge of a cliff. Very sad.
It is heartbreaking. I don't condone any of this, but as a young black professional who was raised in the city, I'm one degree removed from the players -- if I were 5-6 years older, this would have been my cohort. I feel as if they've ruined the city AND ruined the lives of friends that I know, who were not privy to the shenanigans, who hitched their wagons to a star and who are now trying to re-tool their entire lives.Quote:
Originally Posted by R8RBOB
I haven't spoken much about the KMK scandals here. It's too close, too near... there but for the grace of God go I. I am angry, infuriated, and most of all, sad.
These are all my classmates. It's very surreal.
I was living in California at the time and I remember the election of 2001. It was public knowledge that Dennis Archer was not going to run for a third term and Gil Hill was angling himself for a run at the job and then I was hearing about this guy who was my age wanting to run for mayor. I had high hopes for Kilpatrick because he was my age and I believed the city needed young blood for an new time. My cousin who was working at Greektown was introduced to Kilpatrick and Kwame was talking entrepreneurship in Detroit. He had my cousin believing that Kilpatrick could be a good mayor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandman
Ten years later, Detroit is so fractured it is depressing. Maybe, just maybe these young people had good intentions and they were seduced by the power and they lost their way or maybe they were rotten from the start. We will never know.
The election of KK was so hopeful for Detroit. He talked a good show, and if the core had been as pure as the talk, the results would have been amazing. So sad.
That was pretty much my thinking as well. When I voted that year, I was pretty excited that someone my age was running and thought he would be this generation's Jerry Cavanaugh.Quote:
Originally Posted by R8RBOB
What I found most disappointing was that, he had all the potential to demonstrate the fallacy of judging a book by its cover. That just because someone had a diamond earring and listened to hip hop did not mean that he was a gangster and a criminal.
All he did was prove all those idiots right. Thanks, Kwame.
As someone who wears a diamond not as big as Kilpatrick old earring and still listens to older hip-hop, not that bullshit being made by the likes of Lil' Wayne and Rick Ross, I know I was never a gangsta but Kwame did run Detrot government as a form of gangsta government. He was just one bad apple that wore a diamond and listen to hip-hop.Quote:
Originally Posted by corktownyuppie
To me, the most astounding aspect to the entire KK mess is his relection. It was common knowledge around town he was getting paid off though Bernard- he was absolutely brazen about accepting money for everything he possibly could. After his first term, I thought it was all over, then election night came and the lights went out.
Rot in jail.
Watching these crooks steal from Detroiters has really cheesed me off! Paybacks have tasted so good!
You will never convince me that a lot of Hendrix ballots in the second election didn't end up in the Detroit River.Quote:
Originally Posted by softailrider
When most people reach an important postion they act and dress a certain way that is befitting of that position. It's not being a conformist, it's about wanting to project a positive and serious image. Kwame wasn't smart enough or he just didn't care enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by corktownyuppie
Stupid is as stupid does.
I passed on every opportunity I had to vote for KK. My sixth sense told me he was not the one to take Detroit into the 21st century.
I'm fortunate that I never voted for him either.Quote:
Originally Posted by MidTownMs
I did, back in 2001. It was him or Gil Hill. [[I don't remember how I voted in the primary -- my primary choices, whether local, state, or national, rarely make it into the general.)
I was no longer a Detroit resident by November '05, although I could have voted. I was just as surprised as anyone by the result. I was sure Hendrix had it. [[BTW, I was SO glad not to be a city resident at the time -- my friend base was divided between Kilpatrick & Hendrix, and I was getting campaign emails from both. Very happy to tell both camps "I'm neutral!")
We are all "rotten from the start." And yes, we do know.Quote:
Originally Posted by R8RBOB
Washed In The Blood, he testified. He was. Every moment was [[and still is) a choice for Mr. Kilpatrick. He chose to follow the lord of this world.
Real-time Bible story this is.
Not nearly to the book of Revelation, yet -- almost like two places as once: Luke 10:18 and Revelation 12:7-12.
Complex, but true.
I just witnessed a young black woman on Fox 2 state that Miller is a liar and he's just another cog in the machine to take down Kilpatrick for being a hope-dispenser to the residents of Detroit.
Just another scary, scary reminder that Kilpatrick would have a shot of being elected to office by the citizens of Detroit.
I can't express to you how much this pisses of suburbanites, including ones that want to see Detroit come back as the center-piece of the region.
Oh how pity is one of KING KWAME'S black mafia fallen!
Seems the Kwamester thinks he'll be cleared.
http://www.freep.com/article/2011091...leared-charges
Well, this pisses off Detroiters. One woman [[who may have a CRUSH on Kwame, or a vested interest in this tangled-up situation) doesn't express the views of the entire city, or even the majority of residents. There are hundreds of thousands of Detroiters who are saddened and sickened by this entire situation.Quote:
Originally Posted by 48091
What's sauce for the goose is good for the gander, in my opinion. Let's talk about what annoys the heck out of many city residents, especially black city residents who don't subscribe to black nationalistic thought. Let's really have a talk about it. Because we hear about the views of suburbanites in the comment section of the Freep all the time...
Oh wait. The comments on Freep articles don't express the majority opinion in the 'burbs?
I rest my case.
LOL. I see your point.Quote:
Originally Posted by English
However, not too many Freep comment makers would read their comments to a television camera; they would be too embarrassed to display their racist ways. This woman on Fox 2 was proud to be a kool-aid drinking "blame the man" apologist for Kwame; a man that raped Detroit of its resources for his own gain.
Also, just the fact that Kwame got re-elected after all the scandals of his first term goes to show that this woman may not be in a minority school of thought. The prosecutors pushed for a mandate not to allow Kwame to run for office because they knew they had to.
Also, I didn't say that all Detroiters would elect him, but I think there's enough for him to at least win a primary!
But your comment about Freep posters does resonate with me, as I would not want someone to use them as an example to represent me! Some of those people are the worst, most racist scum.
It is not surreal and it happens all the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandman
Charles Beckham was a classmate of mine at Cass Tech. In 1984 he was convicted of bribery and racketeering over sludge hauling [[deja vu) and spent two years in the federal pen.
What is surreal is this:
[[1) KK appointed him as his COO and several other positions in his administration
[[2) In 2001 Beckham wanted to run for may and said that a felony conviction should not bar someone from becoming the mayor of the City of Detroit.
LOL! Gotcha. It's true that most Freep commenters are anonymous. And I think most Detroiters believe that it's just a few people with too much time on their hands. As the years wear on, more people have diverse groups of friends, and even diverse family members. The old barriers continue to suffer the collateral damage of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by 48091
Seriously, 48091, Kwame keeps much of his female support because a certain kind of sista who likes a certain kind of man is reallly attracted to him. He is/was hecka flirtatious. Very charming. I think he has flirted with half the women in Detroit. He even flirted with me when I first met him half a lifetime ago [[I was cuter back then, LOL)... but big talkers and bling aren't really my type. [[I'm a nerdy girl who's always liked nerdy guys.)
And I think he gets his male support from disaffected brothers who are all about sticking it to the man. Think the same impulse that led to 20 years of support from Coleman Young, but without the actual, lived experiences of the pre-1960s United States. Black men have their own opinions and lived experiences. As a woman, I can't comment on that -- but I'm telling you, that woman who was going on and on is turned on by the brother. I'm sorry, but you ought to hear some ladies go on and on about how "if this hadn't happened, Kwame might have been governor or even President." Honey, I just look at them. Yes, he is brilliant, but Deval Patrick or Barack Obama, he is not.
Detroiters never get credit for:
1) almost defeating Kwame in 2005. [[Some of the older people who voted for him both times did so "because of his mother." Carolyn Kilpatrick had much support among older Detroiters, and remember, the older demographic will go to their grave not trusting the white establishment -- and honestly? For those over 60? It's difficult to judge them.)
2) two terms of Dennis Archer, someone whose legacy remains curiously unexamined. He isn't exactly a Black Panther.
3) electing Dave Bing -- there WERE choices in the field that were far more "black nationalist" in flavor. Detroiters are weary of it -- as I told friends, Kwame's indictment was a symbolic defeat of black nationalist ideology. Nationalism is so very late 19th and 20th century -- no one under 40 can really be a true nationalist. They might talk the talk, but then hop on Twitter and Facebook and chat about Contagion with people all over the country and the world.
4) throwing some of the deadweight off City Council last time. Some people here were ridiculous in November 2009. Sure, there are still some councillors who need pink slips, but this group in the CAY is an improvement over tiaras and Shrek. We may not agree with them, we might think some are shysters, but give some credit here.
5) approving council by districts last time. Do you want to see a more "diverse" CC? Well, the majority demographic in Detroit handed over some power, as requested for 40 years.
In turn, we don't give suburbanites credit for not fleeing the 'burbs wholesale now that the inner ring is diversifying. I don't see too many people fleeing Farmington Hills yet. Time will tell.
English, thanks for your well thought out post. I can feel with you on the "nerdy" thing, I'm a computer geek myself for a living.
I would have preferred Crockrel myself, and I don't understand how Bing could get elected considering the fact he had to move to Detroit in order to run. However, I absolutely don't Bing's character or motivations; I feel they are pure. I might not always agree with how he goes about things though, but his heart is in it, and his motivation is to improve Detroit. He doesn't need the money or the power.
We have our voting oddities in the 'Burbs too. For example, Jim Fouts is the mayor of Warren, and judging by his 75% vote grab in the primary he'll be our mayor for another four years. Fouts has bloated out city hall with his cronies, depleted the cities fund balance, all while declaring that all is good in Warren. Folks just don't see through his act and I don't know how they can't. He panders to union works with his "Buy American" empty gestures, he panders to the religious with his prayer station in city hall, he pander to old people via his fight against the non-existent "ageism". And on top of it all it looks like he was re-animated a decade ago and is in need of it again.
As for the inner-ring diversifying, it most certainly is true. I bought my home in 2006. I live south of 10 Mile, and between Ryan and Mound. The neighborhood was all white when I moved in.
In 5 short years my neighborhood now has a lot of middle-eastern folks and a lot of blacks. My neighborhood now has a lot of taxis going about it [[because the middle-eastern women don't drive). My neighbors speak broken English. Some of my middle-eastern neighbors [[mostly the really old ones) don't even smile or wave back when you say hello to them! The women won't look men in the eyes, but I understand they mean no disrespect to me. My neighborhood now has a grocery store for middle-eastern folks as well as a Mosque on Ryan Road.
I'm not saying these are bad things [[minus the rude folks), but the change is most apparent. It also has the very positive side effect that foreclosed houses don't linger, they quickly get bought up by middle eastern families moving out of what I'm told is Hamtramck because they want a better, safer life.
Right now, our main financial goal is to get out of our home. We bought it for 155k back in 2006. I estimate it is optimistically worth 60k-70k right now. We still owe about 105k on it. Right now we have literally more than TRIPLED our mortgage payments, we are throwing an additional 2K a month in principle into our house. This will make it so we will break even in 2013.
As for the motivation to move, it's educational. We live in the Center Line Public School district and their test scores are much lower compared to districts where I grew up like Clawson, Royal Oak, and Troy. Our daughter is almost 2 years old and we want the best for her.
A secondary motivation for us moving is safety. Warren is worlds safer than Detroit and has a great police and fire response. However, we just don't feel safe in our neighborhood. I don't know why that is. Is it because somewhere in my subconsciousness my mind is equating diversity with danger? I hope not.
A third motivation is to live in a subdivision with less main-road intersection. In the south side of Warren most of the roads run dead north-south or dead east-west, and they almost all intersect with main roads. In the newer suburbs, subdivisions have entrances and only a few streets that go out to the main road.
Back to broader topic, I feel that this region won't be whole again until the imaginary racial and socioeconomic boundaries are gone. Eight Mile Road is the divide between the haves, and the have-nots. Those that have, wouldn't choose to live there, because it's a bad place to live, and if you had the money, wouldn't you not choose to be somewhere safe, with police, fire, and medical response?
It's already starting to happen, the lines are blurring. The haves have less, and the haves not have more. I wish it would happen faster, but lingering attitudes and slow economic growth will slow down our progress.
Detroit needs to tackle issues in this order:
1) Fix the police response issue
2) Fix the schools
3) Bulldoze houses that need it
4) Continue to grow downtown and mid-town
If they can fix those things they might be able to stop the black-flight that happens when black families break the poverty cycle and flee to the 'burbs.
I think that these things are happening, albeit slowly.Quote:
Originally Posted by 48091
This is off topic, but I feel as if your heartfelt post deserves a response in kind. As a parent, you have to do what's best for your children. I've had good friends of all races who have apologized to me for choosing a certain school or district for their kids. As a non-parent, that just bewilders me, because if I had kids of my own, I'd be a total mama bear, and any and all comers could kiss my rear end if they had an opinion about what I did on their behalf.
In that regard, I am a total hypocrite, and I know full well that I am. I live in Detroit, sure, but I'm not married and don't have any kids. If I had kids? The only way they would do DPS is if I navigated it personally, and then, they'd only go to the schools that I went to [[Bates and Renaissance). Otherwise, I'd pay for private school OR I'd be in an upper middle class suburban district. I'm a former teacher, and I research education. I know the stats. Absolutely my kids couldn't go to a neighborhood school OR even most Detroit and inner-ring charters. I've been fighting to keep my niece and nephew out of them, but this year has been difficult on my sisters' families. They are struggling and we have stupid home rule that prevents kids from remaining in their schools if they leave tiny district boundaries -- even if they're in the same county. [[Thank you, 1970s era parents.)
Yes, I believe we should strengthen neighborhood urban public schools, but not on the backs of my children. I know better, and so I can do better. My parents didn't leave me to attend Courtis, Noble, and Mackenzie in the 80s and 90s out of some wonderful principle -- when I told my mother in seventh grade that I hated the bourgeoisie kids at Bates, and I wanted to go to school in the 'hood, she just ignored me. Even my grandparents refused to send their younger children to Noble in the 70s and put them in Ann Arbor Trail.
You can fight and fight hard for a more just society, and you can fight for other kids to have better living conditions and life circumstances, but it's against evolutionary biology to hobble your own. You do what you have to do, and for heaven's sake, don't feel guilty about it. I can't even imagine how effing hard it is to raise kids today, which is why I'm deeply ambivalent about ever becoming a biological parent.
English, your last two posts - bravo.
Especially this "Yes, I believe we should strengthen neighborhood urban public schools, but not on the backs of my children. I know better, and so I can do better." People that expect parents who can get their kids elsewhere to "dig in" on this don't get it.
English, I know we don't always see eye to eye, and that's ok. I sometimes imagine how different our community would be if there were more of you. I really appreciate your passion for the city, your depth of understanding, and your ability to articulate your perspective. Thanks for continuing to fight for a better Detroit.
LOL, he's dellusional to the end. He's going for the big ride, minimum 20-30,Quote:
Originally Posted by Detroitej72
and daddy's going to roll out of Federal prison in a wheelchair if he rolls out at all.
Would some of his sicophants vote for him again? They would raise him in a sedan chair and carry his fat @ss right into city hall.
Thanks, bartock and corktownyuppie. Apparently 600 Detroiters showed up to hear KMK interviewed today:
http://www.freep.com/article/2011091...text|FRONTPAGE
Crowd turns out in Detroit to hear Kilpatrick at book signing
"sicophants" LOL! I did not vote for him the second time 'round and would never vote for him again. Feds will have the last say....Quote:
Originally Posted by dtrrman
600 people screaming and cheering like Jesus himself showed up. Idiots, I think Kwame's sister is right.
Stromberg2
...I hope that Mr. Miller lives to give his testimony when the time comes.. I wonder if he will now get portrayed as an "FBI informant" by the Kilpatrick camp.. I wonder how the remaining defendants feel, privately, about him?
...Is this pastor that the event was held at related to Charles Ellis of Greater Grace? I am disappointed at the number of clergy who are willing, even now, to give him an active forum..
..I wonder if everyone who attended the event really felt that Kilpatrick got bounced just because he got busted in an affair?
... I hope everyone who bought a book is willing to vote in the next elections..
There is an upcoming trial that will go before selected jurors, that will decide that. Let's leave it to that. It's the best we have. The man had and still has charisma.Quote:
...Is this pastor that the event was held at related to Charles Ellis of Greater Grace? I am disappointed at the number of clergy who are willing, even now, to give him an active forum..
..I wonder if everyone who attended the event really felt that Kilpatrick got bounced just because he got busted in an affair?
And when I say charisma, to mean allow to everbody's want . Including the Kilpatrick's. Which has been too much of the Detroit budget. Am I the suburban nut job that people don't allow?
Yes - and for a reason - ?????