If a white Detroit policeman kills an African American could we be next?
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If a white Detroit policeman kills an African American could we be next?
No.
Understandably, Detroiters are already pretty defeated, calloused and apathethic...
Nope. Not since Coleman Young integrated the DPD
Ain't much left to burn. 'Burbs could catch the dickens.
Mike Brown and Freddie Gray and Eric Garner [[and ...) weren't outliers. Their deaths ignited massive protests because the communities they were a part of had endured a lot of abuse leading up to their deaths.
I don't have my ear to the ground in terms of Detroit police and their relations with the public. But it doesn't sound like the DPD has that kind of contentious, abusive relationship with Detroiters.
if I had to guess, I'd say the likelihood of rioting due to police misconduct is much higher in the suburbs. I'm remembering some recent incidents in Grosse Point, Inkster, and Warren. I can also imagine something going awry with all of the private security in the downtown area. But again, if there is a pattern of chronic misconduct, as a reasonably news-addicted Detroiter, I am not aware of it.
Wayne County in general and Detroit specifically tend to treat these issues as seriously they should.
Guilty[[Budzen Nevers) or innocent [[Weekly) they get their day in court [[and that piece in shit in Redford will soon see). Which is ALL that can be asked.
It's one of the few things this area can stand tall about.
The DPD has like two white guys on the force.
I'm kidding, but really in an majority black police force, the citizens trust the police more and the issues are usually with non-DPD police personnel who tend to be majority white.
Either way, I can't really imagine there'd be a riot over it because there's not many areas of value within Detroit. What, is a mob going to burn down a strip mall at 7 Mile and Gratiot? In an area that already has hundreds of burnt out buildings? No one would know the difference between what was already there and the aftermath.
Wasn't Detroit the first Fergusson, or Baltimore?
Detroiters are not apathetic rather the majority of us are too old to react. The police are integrated and generally respectful and responsive. Neighborhoods peaceful. Neighbors have no problems ratting out scum. We are mostly home owners and respect each other.
Rioting is insane, along with looting, arson etc. We saw/lived the damage from 1967. Doubt we will accept that scenario again.
If the prisons would quit dumping dregs into Detroit we will be just fine.
The justice system works well and rogue cops go to jail.
There are way more "younger" people in Detroit than there are in Baltimore, so that has nothing to do with it.
The fact is people in Detroit are more so concerned about not getting shot or robbed by their fellow "neighbors" while attempting to save what's left of their fractured neighborhoods after 6 decades and counting of rapid decay and decline.
If Detroit were still the densely populated, bustling, economically prosperous city it was in 1967, things would be a different story IMO.
Look at all the new development on Woodward. Couldn't any incident be used as an excuse to riot and pillage? There are a lot of bad people around that would do it with any opportunity.
A series of urban riots between now and Nov 2016 would lead to election of a Republican president.
For those of old enough to remember, in 1967 Detroit was one of the most advanced in race relations until 12th Street started to burn and the national guard was called in. It may happen again.
Baltimore, if anything, has a blacker power structure than Detroit. Black mayor, black police chief, black police force, and a much blacker metro area and state.
Obviously if it can happen in Baltimore it can happen in Detroit. The assumption that riots are less likely to occur if an area has black leadership and/or a black police force isn't based on anything.
That's what I was thinking. These riots, if they continue, or are followed by others, will ensure a Republican president. Looting of liquor stores and lottery outlets, while laughing and taking selfies, will not be interpreted as an act of political protest in Middle America.
I think it's extremely naïve to think any one incident couldn't quickly escalate in Detroit as easily as dozens of other cities. There are plenty of white officers working for the DEA, FBI, Homeland Security, etc. The shooting of a fugitive yesterday by a black officer caused a small disturbance that could have quickly escalated. Fortunately the Detroit Police seem well aware of this and Chief Craig quickly came to the scene to calm matters.
Precisely right.
Mayor Young's integration of the force also makes it less likely.
But never say never. The affected cities probably didn't see this coming either. Detroit isn't a tinkerbox -- but these protests are the tail wagging the dog. Sometimes the dog does get wagged.
If you have bothered to read my posts over the years, I am well aware of the issues and city problems. Viable neighborhoods have had to fend for ourselves.
Yes I have great neighbors so what is your problem?
We have strong block clubs, street associations and area associations. We have excellent relations with our police precinct. Our rec center has no funding, so community has created activities for our youth.
Detroit bashing is getting tiresome.
I usually try to avoid your posts, to be honest.
Great, you've got good neighbors. Therefore this situation can't happen in Detroit.
The neighborhoods are peaceful. Therefore the crime in Detroit is a fabrication.
Realism and bashing are not the same thing. Take off your blinders. Think before you post.
The sad truth is what is left in the neighborhoods to loot? Their are plenty of empty buildings to burn, but that is a regular occurrence now. Ferguson is a suburb. Inkster or Southfield are the more likely candidates.
Now this? sheesh. An ICE officer?
ICE Officer ‘Faced With A Threat’ Fatally Shoots 20-Year-Old Man In Detroit
April 27, 2015 5:53 PM
Quote:
DETROIT [[WWJ) – An Immigration and Customs Enforcement [[ICE) officer shot and killed an 20-year-old man Monday afternoon on Detroit’s northwest side.
Police say the agent — part of a fugitive task force involving ICE and officers with the Detroit Police Department — was attempting to serve an armed robbery warrant at a home in the 9500 block of Evergreen near W. Chicago when the shooting occurred.
“I am told there was no forced entry into the residence, that they were allowed inside,” said Detroit Police Chief James Craig. “And I’m also told that the agent may have been faced with a threat, and it was at that point when he decided to use deadly force.”
Craig would not talk more specifically about that alleged threat.
The suspect — a black man — had a prior criminal record including weapons charges, according to police.
WWJ’s Russ McNamara reported Craig was “trying to calm” neighbors at the scene expressing anger and frustration as they demanded answers.
One woman shouted at the chief as she described what she claims happened.
“It was 10 bullets…and did it take 10 bullets? When he came out, they didn’t have the handcuffs on him!” she said. “They shot him! He was not able to run to do nothin’. Y’all didn’t give him a chance!”
Craig promised a thorough investigation.
Sounds like we're now a step closer to erupting into chaos like it's 1967, sadly.
Your idealism is wonderful and in other circumstances may have merit. But, in this case, please spare me trying to turn what is happening now into making a political stance. That makes you sound like you are condoning the behavior which I'm sure you don't want to do. The mom, clip now on TV, who recognized her son looting and went out and grabbed him certainly wasn't condoning his behavior. I'd hate to be him when she got him home based on her reaction while yanking him off the street.
I was quite nervous when Andrew Jackson Jr. took a beat down by white cops right after carjacking a grandmother back in January. However, the community seemed to rally around the grandmother, and nothing else came from it.
I kinda of thought that last night, but when I think about it, those organizations are usually going directly after known criminals, unlike the local PDs who may or may not know the identity of the suspect they're dealing with.
Of course, the feds can screw up and something unfortunate can happen. But I also feel like federal organizations are more likely to take responsibility for their screw ups than would local departments. I'm sure there's corruption to some extent, but I think since most people interact with local departments more often, many more issues are likely to stem from there.
From today's Globe and Mail - an essay about life in Baltimore
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe...ticle24149659/
Is Detroit much different? Somehow, I think Detroit has turned a corner toward the better.
I lived in Baltimore from 1986-1994. I was actually back to visit last weekend. Race relations there have been contentious since before the 1980s. Having grown up in a very diverse community, I was shocked at how rudely black people treated whites and vice versa. Even more strange is the lack of interaction between races in much of the city. There can be a neighborhood that is 95% black and a neighborhood that is majority white literally across the street from each other but it's like there's a wall between them.
That said, the article you posted is pretty ridiculous. The author was living in a bad neighborhood near Johns Hopkins Hospital, which was once one of the most dangerous parts of the city but has now been pretty gentrified. She could certainly have afforded to live in one of the many safe, nice neighborhoods in Baltimore City but apparently chose not to for some reason. I never had any problems with crime and I lived in fairly poor areas for several years.
I mean this with all due respect... This is a stupid question.
The right needs to realize that this disquiet is based on a real problem. Its not OK to riot. Its also not OK to create a system that isn't trusted by a minority.
The left needs to realize that the genie they've let out of the bottle will destroy race relations far more than it will help. Sure, something needed to be done. This sure isn't it.
Here's what I consider to be a response which is not ugly. These are not mutually exclusive issues. You can care about an unjust killing and think that the property destruction is wrong, and in fact counterproductive.
Anyone who's house was burnt down cares about the property destruction. The seniors who cannot move into subsidized housing because their complex was destroyed might give a hoot. The employees not working at CVS any longer are probably concerned. Anyone who's looking at the bus schedule because their car was torched might be upset. The neighborhood residents who realize that its now much less likely that jobs and investments will take place in their neighborhood might care as well. And all at the same time they are mad about the killing.
Many people don't like it when the "Detroit sucks" narrative is broken.
I live in the burbs and I'm white, so many people feel safe to bash Detroit around me. When I start correcting\challenging some of their beliefs with a positive tone and examples of good things happens, and bad things that have gone away, I see it "click" in their minds.
This issue is a complex one.
- Police brutality is bad, and should be stopped
- Abuse of police power is bad, and should be stopped
- Being a criminal is bad, and they should be arrested, tried, and put in jail
- Running from the police is bad, and those doing it should be apprehended
- Not every instance of a black man dying at the hands of a white cop is an injustice
- Not every instance of a black man dying at the hand of a white cop is justifiable
- Black lives do matter
- Cops lives do matter
- There are instances where lethal force should and can be used
- There are instances where lethal force should NOT be used
- Cops improperly using lethal force should be prosecuted
- Thugs forcing cops to use lethal force should not be martyred
- Protesting is fine
- Burning police cars, looting stores, and beating people is not
Everything needs to be evaluated for its merit. Every instance of police lethal force, every protester, etc... Just because a cop killed someone doesn't mean it wasn't justified, and just because someone is in the street protesting doesn't mean that they're a thug, looter, rioter, etc...
Because the issue is so complex and because most episodes involving a fatality are complex, it requires time for the legal system to investigate. There is nothing wrong with protesting if one believes that there is not a proper investigation taking place or there is a cover up of some sort, but to immediately protest that there has been an injustice every time a life is taken is wrong.
Certainly. And I previously implied it was uneducated and misguided.
That said, I don't think anyone here is one of the people you described. I'm certainly not. And the much larger problem was the police here. That affects me. That affects everyone. The CVS, not so much.
The police were the catalyst. Let's address that. Maybe it'll solve the looting problem.
Hopefully those caught burning buildings and assaulting others are arrested very carefully and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Arson threatens lives and is a felony. The view that destroying cities somehow makes things right is bullshit.
I think the last thing on an arsonist's mind is whether his city will brighten up somehow after the fire.
I also think that the rioting is picture perfect for big media, and overshadows all the peaceful demonstrations that have taken place in Ferguson, Baltimore and elsewhere, sadly.
The results of investigations are not in, but there are signs of unusual force in cases where someone's spine is severed or 10 bullets are driven into them. The gun culture has to be replaced by something less sensationalistic and sexy but more rewarding in the long run, more befitting a rich, enlightened nation. Everybody is a victim in this, not the least the police, but not the most either.
I'm watching a live feed from one of those Youtube journalists and there's a marching band and some dancers near the area where that CVS caught on fire yesterday. It kind of looks like any old summer festival going on. Doesn't really seem like a protest, but it's better than the alternative. Haven't been paying attention to any mainstream news outlets.
A common misconception is that these 'mobs' are of one mind. I believe that 99% of these mobs are fine people who have serious concerns about police brutality. But like any crowd, there are a few idiots. And it only takes a few.
If you listen carefully, you'll note that it Ferguson at least there was great tension between the local protesters and some 'professional' agitators. Not everyone is there for the same reason. Some want to peacefully protest. Others want to loot and burn. And some others have political agendas.
Never understood what burning your neighborhood does. Detroit is essentially burned down.
Still, disturbances may still flare up in the suburbs-most likely Warren, Hazel Park, Oak Park, Southfield, Livonia, Inkster, Dearborn, River Rouge, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Wyandotte or Pontiac.
After all, Ferguson is a suburb of Saint Louis and the 1992 Rodney King riots did spread into several Los Angeles suburbs.
It sounds like some of you actually WANT it to happen here! Me, when I hear about the racist bs the cops are pulling in some other places, it makes me grateful most Detroit police are actually pretty cool.
I have to agree with you. Our police are well trained. Shame more don't live in the city but they make their own choices. Detroit won't explode but check the burbs
So sweet, a neighbor just called, Worried our house was dark. She said we usually look like Christmas lighting. Forgot to put our porch light on. One lantern of two exterior to porch is out but need an electrian to fix. Have a good one, just waiting for the new month. Nice if our street lights worked.
Our area kids are involved in a bicyle club, a community garden and field trips to museums and community orgs with projects.
Don't ever ever ever tell me I don't have great neighbors again! Jealous maybe? Sumas
Watching "Morning Joe' on MSNBC.
They are making a big thing about the development in the Inner Harbor, downtown, etc. but what about the neighborhoods? 'Two Cities' is how they describe it: Uptown and downtown. Have and Have Nots.
Also as gentrification proceeded police action stepped up to protect the gentrified neighborhoods with aggressive policing. Aggressive policing seems to be 'in vogue' be in NYC, Baltimore, etc.
BTW, the problem in Ferguson has a very large racial component to it. Baltimore [[and Detroit) are very different. The power structure in Baltimore has very large minority component. William Donald Schaefer hasn't been mayor for decades.
Getting back to Detroit and this thread and this forum:
I do want to say that Detroit faces the same problem of a rebuilding downtown [[midtown) but still tremendous problems in the neighborhoods. There are a LOT of parallels.
Couple other thoughts:
1). Since the 2008 Great Recession the recovery has been very uneven. Most of corporate America and folks who have [[financial) skin in the monied game [[financial markets) have thrived. But the urban neighborhoods have not. They 'thrive' on good jobs, not a strong stock market.
2). Lot of talk these days about factories which USED to be in Baltimore. [[We can say that about Detroit, Camden, etc.). S&P hits a new high [[#1 above). Manufacturing employment hit lows in this recession.
3). In the 1990s, President Clinton championed community policing. Crime declined greatly in the 90s. Maybe community policing [[small part?) Strong economy?
4). [[since I'm 'on a roll'): Detroit needs to make automotive parts, helmets, etc. Anything job which gives a person looking for a job a chance to have a decent job [[and I hope these jobs pay a fair wage).
5). [[still rolling): If the state and country would rebuild its infrastructure [[e.g., roads and bridges, for starters) it could create hundreds of thousands of good paying job. Give a man [[or woman) a good job building/rebuilding roads, your car a better [[smooth) ride, your neighborhood a neighbor who has the $ to keep up his house, etc. etc.
Rather than read my general thoughts, an excellent, detailed article referenced on "Morning Joe" by Tim Swift of BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32499923
So the majority black Baltimore police force is now "racist"?
Baltimore's police force is as black as that of Detroit, and it's power structure is blacker. There may or may not be police misconduct in Baltimore, but it has nothing to do with racism. It's a black city, just like Detroit.
What a dumb article. Who knew that Baltimore had a black underclass? Gee, that obviously makes Baltimore totally unique in the American urban context.
And riots don't correlate with poverty. Hispanics and poorer and far more numerous than African Americans, yet there is no comparable Hispanic unrest. Detroit had the worst 20th century riots, yet the wealthiest black community [[at the time), and was headed by a progressive technocratic mayor in a city where there was [[at the time) a very high degree of black economic mobility.
Are you kidding me? Haven't all of the riots been in poor areas? [[the correlation is strong, in statistical terms, it would be point-bi-serial, correlating two variables, e.g, income/wealth which is continuous ranging from poverty to wealth and the other dichotomous, riot or no riot.
So 'every' riot has been in a relatively poor city and none in an affluent area.
Have there been riots in Birmingham? Grosse Pointe? Bloomfield Hills? [[and hundreds of other affluent areas across America).
I remember the 1967 Detroit riots, they didn't happen in the most affluent parts of Detroit. [[I wanted to drive 'near' the scene and was told by a Michigan State Police to get the hell out of here). [yes, I was young and dumb].
So 'every' riot has been in a relatively poor city and none in an affluent area.
The 1970 Memorial Park riots did spill over into Birmingham. Plus, quite a few Beverly Hills and Hollywood storefronts were vandalized in the 1992 Los Angeles Rodney King riots.
I don't think there were any disorders in Grosse Pointe or Bloomfield Hills-although there was unrest in Pontiac at the very same time as the 1967 Detroit riots, so that's close.
I hear you, but they were city riots which spilled into nearby areas.
I do remember the 1967 riots where Dearborn [[I assume) police guarded the area by Michigan Ave., Ford Rd., Wyoming, etc. to prevent any spill over.
Far cry from saying the folks in San Clemente [[CA) might decide to riot because of lack of water for their lawns [[Gov. Brown's water restrictions) or some other cause.
Its not the residents burning the neighborhood. Its a small subset of troubled youths and misguided adults. They don't speak for the community -- who may have a grievance -- but wouldn't burn down their own 'hood.
You ask 'what burning your neighborhood does'? 1) Gets attention, 2) Is fun.
The participants who are rioting at the protest are not socialized adults, but people with the mentality of a child. Get attention. Do whatever feels good in the moment to be important. Don't care about others.
Its very childish behavior.
Lot of it, as I understand it, were high school students who were released from the nearby high school and went to the mall [[as I understand it, the mall, high school and Coppin State are all pretty much adjacent). The Balto police were ready for it and then on to North Ave. where mob mentality took over.
As far as outsiders, local adults, etc. I haven't heard much good info.
Time to look at the forest here, folks. In the past, I will usually be the first to drag out a laundry list of past offenses. Yet, when I see an all too popular trend, I am quick to mistrust it.
This thread blew up all too quickly by someone [[and I will agree with Ihearthed here, it is a dumb question) named "noggin" [[who should be named "eggin'", as in "eggin' a situation on"), who if you look at their posts, so far, seem to be based on very one-routed imperative/implicative questions [["huh? huh? don't you think? HUH?!"-style). Also, I can't help but see a clear distinction between more level-headed veteran posters [[and I wish some of them wouldn't bicker amongst each other back and forth, at this time, please) and a slew of obscure names [[sock puppets?-check their user backgrounds-do they have generic "I'm from Detroit" profiles) who just happened to jump into the scene to chime in what appears to fan fire for white-conservative paranoia and "clamp down" ideology.
Yes, Detroit has been through it [[for the same reason if there were ever a "religious takeover" from an "apostate" church as apocalyptic nuts like to speculative-it wouldn't be from the Catholics, because-as a movement that takes a longer time to age, than say, a person does-they've been through their "terrible twos")-and Detroit is a little more mature because of it. Police in Detroit are mildly corrupt [[I've seen them at afterhours huffing NO2) shakedown artists who are in a constant state of trying to keep the crack and guns on the streets to a minimum. They are no where near as bad as L.A. or Cincinnati. Yet, I do see a more developed race relations between cops and people and the folks between themselves here. Those are observations not to overlook. IF [[big "I" big "F") this were to go down-yes, I'd see Inkster or Southfield as being more likely candidates for such things. Yet, I'm not going to encourage such thinking. Which leads me to...
Also, in short [[heh!), as I stated quite clearly in other posts-and this is very important to consider-the recent trend for the media to put a disproportionate magnifying glass heavily on police brutality [[which was always there and greatly ignored by the media in selectively-no-less devisive times past. For it is obvious the corporate media serves as an arm for a larger shadowy purpose.) may be to inflame folks to riot and lead up to vast urban pacification, curfew-imposition, lockdown, and incarceration. This can also lead to putting Obama in a bad pinch-position catch-22 that will look bad for him, and yes, steer all public sentiment to getting a conservative candidate [[and none of the silly red herrings like Jeb or Trump thrown out there to make us speculate like a bunch of dumb Kardashian gawkers.) in the White House.
I also think that the best thing to consider in all of this is how Rev. Charles Williams and Rev. Wendell Anthony are amassing protests [[which is a right of the people-from women's suffrage, to labor, to civil rights, etc.) and insisting folks stay disciplined and peacefully controlled during them. This is no different than the family of Walter Scott encouraging folks to be peaceful and forgiving.
What is [[or continues to be) downright suspiciously prominent is a.) how such peaceful sentiments go under-reported in the media, b.) should a a riot suddenly blaze forward from such a peaceful protest, you can guarantee it was from a group of agents provocateurs [[good term to look up here folks-oldest trick out there straight from the Machiavelli playbook) who suddenly appeared on the scene and took prominent presence to incite violence and make things look really bad [[saw it firsthand with the Boston occupy from hooded, nondescript groups who just jumped out of nowhere to discredit the protests-people do have low-prices or strict assignments from their fellow clubs), and c.) folks better start questioning the paranoiac tone put forth by the originators and perpetuators of "white fear" that characterizes this thread.
Detroiters so far have no reported civil unrests since the 1967 riot. Here justice has been served from Malice Green to Floyd Dent. If if there's no justice for both of them. Then riots will happen and out ghetto-hood will be burned down like just the Chaka Zulu's tribal capital in 1823. It will spread like wild fire one place and other. This keystone cops tomfoolery against unarmed black folks must stop. If only cops followed simple check the perp and go scenario, then more black men from Michael Brown to Freddie Gray would have lived.
WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET!
In Memoriam:
Django, Guy Fawkes, Neda, George Stinney, Rodney King, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Dana Troup and Malice Green and Walter Scott.
Wise. The usual suspect isn't usually the guilty party -- or sometime even involved.
I see the logic, but I just don't think the right is that smart. In spite of my agreement with you on 'mistrust', sometimes a cigar is a cigar. So maybe those inflaming the rioting really are radical leftists who detest the police state. It might be simple.
But regardless, we should realize that we are being fed 'a line' here. The truth is that police brutality isn't out of control, and the rioters aren't protesters. We and the media area being played.
News is really not as big of a political conspiracy as people on the far right or left would like you to believe in my opinion. It is just about money, ratings or clicks, simple as that. If more people watch because the media covers story X than they cover story X more, higher ratings equals higher ad revenue. If more people click on stories about dogs or weather disasters than we get a dog story everyday on the internet and wherever the weather is worst they are covering it on TV. Almost all the time they could care less what side of a issue you take they just want you to care enough about one side to get you to tune in and collect the money for your attention. Controversy sells. If people are not talking about any given story then media has little interest to cover it and then we get another story about another amazing dog. [[P.S. Nothing against dogs, I like them to.)
You know what the problem is; we are looking for a reason to these riots, where there are none, not even, sadly the biggies like Detroit 43, and 67. You could win or lose a Stanley cup like happened in Montreal and anything is good enough to burn police cars and trash and loot businesses. Even sweet Vancouver had one of those for no reason other than the thirst for loot and destruction.
We need to put a logical distance between organized peaceful protest and riots. Riots can be a pretty handy tool for Police forces to justify their positions. It comes down to how you can take the burr off Police brutality on an individual. So, riots don't really mean all that much. There is a lot of evidence about the Los Angeles riots and how they could have been contained.
??? Most advanced prior to 1967? Where do you get that? Even up until 1967 [[prior to the heavy white flight), Detroit was heavily segregated within it's own borders. The whole Northwest side was mostly white. Let's not forget riots prior [[like the one on Belle Isle in the '40s.) to 1967. Maybe Detroit mentality now and the relations with cops isn't as bad as Cincinnati, L.A., or parts in the South, but prior to 1967, it wasn't super.
Now I may be wrong, and don't know enough about their history or how they fair now, but Pittsburgh [[and only because we are doing comparisons of cities here---at least when I see old photos by Teeny Harris and such of old time Pittsburgh) always seemed rather developed in decent race relations.
Detroit had the wealthiest black population on earth in 1967. It had almost full employment, and high wages. It had a progressive pro-civil rights mayor. It had some of the highest homeowership figures anywhere. No one claimed it was perfect, or even good, but Detroit was essentially the last city in the U.S. expected to burn to the ground in '67.
Rich blacks moved out after the riots. White Flight accellerated. Businesses fled. Ever wonder why there's a shortage of grocery stores in Detroit? A: Riots.
The riots of the 60s destroyed black America - which until then was on an upward trajectory. Today's riots won't harm blacks as much now. Most blacks have escaped the City too. But the remaining population is gonna feel the pain. CVS might not promote the next executive who wants to build in Northwest Baltimore.
I often wonder who really benefits from the riots. Who has the incentive to take a peaceful protest for valid causes and turn it into something that destroys the very people it purports to help.
I'm not sure, but I do know that the 60s riots hurt black America -- and were much of the cause of Detroit's problems today.
Was watching this on television [[forgot who said it).
Some cities [[e.g., D.C.) rebuilt after their riots [[D.C.'s 14th street, 7th street corridor), while Baltimore still hasn't come back.
Supplanted, I think. 14th and U. [[where D.C. has a government building) was a victim of the riots and now an 'place to be' with very expensive new housing going up.
Fmr. Mayor Marion Barry decided to try to jump start that area with a big D.C. government building but it seemingly led to gentrification.
Well, guess what?
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...lice/26633109/
Quote:
Detroit — Concern Thursday about the fatal shooting of a suspect by a federal agent turned to a discussion about rioting in Baltimore and how Detroit police might handle a similar situation.
At a meeting of the Detroit Police Board of Commissioners, some members of the civilian oversight panel were concerned the discontent seen after armed robbery suspect Terrance Kellom's shooting could escalate.
"I sit on the advisory board for Comerica Bank, and I'm getting asked: 'What is the plan if something like Baltimore happens in Detroit?' " Commissioner Eva Garza Dewaelsche said. "Corporations downtown want to know."
Assistant Police Chief Steve Dolunt said there is a strategy mapped out. "An evacuation plan would go through Homeland Security," he said. "We have plans in place if there's a problem."
After the meeting, Detroit Police Chief James Craig told The Detroit News: "There has always been a plan in place to address civil unrest and the potential for unrest. People got a snapshot this week of how we would respond to problems: We talk to community leaders, we work with them, but if someone commits a crime, we'll take appropriate action.
"I'm not going to publicly say how we'll stage up if we anticipate unrest, but we continually train and make sure our officers have proper equipment. That's not just something we're doing now; we do that on a regular basis."
Officials involved with local tourism and philanthropic efforts agree that turbulence in the streets has the potential to harm business as well as other areas in Detroit.
Pursuing a preventative strategy "is very forward thinking and very proactive," said Robert Thornton, a senior program officer at the Skillman Foundation. "What happens in Baltimore can happen in any community if the stakeholders are not responsive to challenges that face the community. I think it can very much happen here, I just happen to think that there are a number of people in the community that are beginning to come together to ensure that it does not."
Bill Bohde, senior vice president of sales and marketing at the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Thursday night his group isn't currently engaged with city authorities about a specific strategy but "will be prepared if anything were to occur."
"Right now we are very optimistic about what is going on in Detroit," Bohde said.
After U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer Mitchell Quinn on Monday shot and killed Kellom, 20, a group the next night protested the shooting, spilling into the street, blocking traffic and cussing at officers who were monitoring the protest.
"They came real close to crossing the line and getting arrested," Craig said Thursday after the video of the protest surfaced.
Immediately after Kellom was shot during a raid in a home in the 9500 block of Evergreen, Dolunt responded to the scene, and said the crowd that gathered outside the house was on the verge of getting violent.
"The last person they wanted to see was me, because I'm Caucasian," Dolunt said. "I understand that, which is why I called the chief to come to the scene."
Quinn was part of the Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team, multi-jurisdictional task force of city, surburban and federal officers. They had an arrest warrant for Kellom, who was wanted for the armed robbery of a pizza delivery man. Craig said he lunged at agents with a hammer before he was shot.
"A lot of citizens feel uncomfortable with these task forces because they feel like they're white invading armies," Dolunt said. "Most of the federal agents are Caucasian." Quinn is black.
Dolunt called Craig, who responded to the scene and immediately spoke with Kellom's family, before addressing neighbors.
Commission Chairman Willie Bell complained the police board isn't being included in responses to the Kellom shooting.
Although the City Charter mandates the 11-member board oversee the police department, its powers were usurped when Kevyn Orr was appointed emergency manager. When he left, he issued Order 42, which transitioned power over the police department to Mayor Mike Duggan.
"When you hear the hue and cry across the country for more police oversight, I'm frustrated that we're still being kept out of the process," Bell said. "We want to be involved in the public safety of Detroit."
Bell and Ron Scott, director of the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, lambasted ICE officials for not talking to the public about the incident, although ICE Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Adducci did address a crowd during a community meeting Wednesday.
"People thought DPD was involved, because ICE isn't making any statements," Bell said.
The shooting is being investigated by Detroit Police and the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General. A Homeland Security spokesperson could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Dolunt said investigators have gotten statements from every officer who was present, except Quinn.
While most of the protests of the shooting have been peaceful, a shaky 3:05 video emerged Thursday of Tuesday's protest.
A line of squad cars is seen moving slowly down the street, as members of the crowd yell, "Shoot! Shoot!" At one point, one man, clad in a T-shirt with the number 32 on the back, appears to pantomime striking the police cruiser.
After a few seconds, the crowd backs away, allowing the squad car, driven by a female corporal, to pass. Members of the crowd cheer, raising their arms and chanting "hands up!"
Another police car approaches, but is halted when a man walks into the street. "He got a hammer!" people yell as the man turns around, lifts his shirt, and says, "My back [[is) right here."
One man is heard yelling: "Don't get close to that car! You've got to know the law." Another man replies: "My back [[is) right here. They [[the police) don't know the law."
Craig said local community leaders were instrumental in calming things down.
"They did a good job of defusing things," he said.
"We will facilitate a peaceful protest, and we even give a little," Craig said. "Even though we don't want them in the street, because it impedes traffic, we've been allowing that, as long as cars can safely pass. We've been very compromising.
"But the other night, they got close to going to jail."
Interesting news day:
The indictments of six police in Baltimore and this Wayne County asst prosecutor who resigned after an inflammatory comment on her Facebook page [[not smart).
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/new...post/26707025/
Now this kind of statement can inflame...
It may be true that her comment was uncharacteristic according to one of her friends, but if I had been in her position as a prosecutor, I would have been extra careful to "stay in character".
Or else, somebody's got to help her quit drinking.
Social media sites are a big burden to a growing number of folks aren't they?