Community Action at Riverside Park 6/3 5:30!

**urbanoutdoors** · June-01-11, 08:12 AM

3 years ago some DYesers hosted a softball game at Riverside, This started friends of Riverside Park...

On Friday June 3rd at 5:30 PM we need roughly 200 people to converge on Riverside Park, as we are taking the park back for the community! I hope DYes can come out and represent!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=232497303432265

-Urbanoutdoors!

**Homer** · June-01-11, 11:16 AM

Sawz-alls, bolt cutters, axes, shovels, winches, pitchforks

, needed....

**urbanoutdoors** · June-01-11, 10:16 PM

Ambassador bridge protest: ‘Take back our park’
JUNE 1, 2011
BY CURT GUYETTE
Leaders of the groups Friends of Riverside Park and Bridge Watch Detroit don’t want to lay all their cards on the table just yet, but they are promising some big excitement will be provided this Friday afternoon [[June 3) for the adventurous souls who head on down to the Riverside Park Extension in southwest Detroit adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge.
You know the park. It is the one where Matty Moroun and his Detroit International Bridge Co. have erected an illegal fence that they refuse to tear down. The city has been tied up in court trying to get these squatters off of their property for more than 2-1/2 years now.
The flier we received about Friday’s event says this:
“Let’s rally for Riverside! Now is the time to come together to mobilize a few hundred people to take back our park. Invite all your friends and family of all ages as we want a critical mass of people for this event!”
The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. For more info e-mail detroitbridgewatch@gmail.com.

http://blogs.metrotimes.com/index.ph...back-our-park/

**gnome** · June-01-11, 10:21 PM

Grrr the bride has plans for some couple time... shopping for duvet covers or pillow shams. Let me try to poke out one of my eyes and maybe I can join you. I'll be the other guy in an eyepatch.

**gnome** · June-03-11, 06:50 PM

Well, ... maybe Urbanoutdoors should make an official announcement, but let me say it was very nice seeing U.O., Homer and Marge, and JF1972's mom. A very interesting event. You should watch the late news tonight on channels 7 and 2.

Cops, guns, Bridge Trolls, and bolt cutters ... details at 11.

**urbanoutdoors** · June-03-11, 11:04 PM

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...-20110603-wpms

**urbanoutdoors** · June-03-11, 11:18 PM

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/...t-up-illegally

**Lowell** · June-04-11, 12:12 AM

Bravo! Nice citizen justice for the scofflaws who constructed that illegal fence. Dan Stamper's lame 'we were going to do it anyway' was laughable. To top it off today the big 4 of SE MI - Ficano, Patterson, Bing and Hackel all lined up solidly behind the DRIC in a joint conference up at Mackinac.

**Hamtragedy** · June-04-11, 12:20 AM

I do not believe for one second after Dan Stamper saying the bridge company agreed to take down the fence that they would actually do so. They have not complied, or stalled with every ruling handed down to them in the past.

Radical group, my ass. You guys rock.

**barnesfoto** · June-04-11, 01:41 AM

^^What he said^^.

**gnome** · June-04-11, 05:15 AM

Urbanoutdoors gets a huge attaboy for all the planning and prep that went into this event. Not only did he arranged for a team of lawyers to be on site to observe and advise the citizens, he brought a diverse group of folks together and outfitted them with the courage and direction to do the right thing.

A tip of the hat to a real live hero.

oh, yeah... if anyone knows some scrappers, I know where there is a nice load of fencing that is just laying around.

**Danny** · June-04-11, 08:16 AM

Marty MAROON! has no business fencing half of Riverside Park and W. Jefferson St. to secure his Ambassador Bridge. So the people of Detroit rebelled to tear down that fence so that people can play. He only owns the land under the bridge. He can fence that there. He also don't own W. Jefferson St. therefore itthe street must be open, too. However what does Marty have to do about the terrorism problems? He had to negotiate with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and find ways to secure his precious 'troll' bridge.

WORD FROM THE STREET PROPHET

Because taking back Detroit ghettohoods takes community action NOT TALK for Neda's sake.

**kraig** · June-04-11, 09:19 AM

Just be careful. It would be a shame if anyone got hurt while taking down the fence.

**oldredfordette** · June-04-11, 12:19 PM

From all first-hand accounts, the event went off peacefully and successfully. Why anybody thinks a person has the right to fence off a city-owned park just because he is wealthy is a mystery to me.

**Lowell** · June-04-11, 02:34 PM

Ambassador Bridge 'security' on the Canadian side.

You will notice there is no illegal fencing. Once can walk under the bridge without any obstruction.

The bridge company's fiction about security is no more than a deceitful cover for its illegal land grab attempts. They know there is NO security for that bridge. Otherwise they would have to inspect every vehicle before it crossed. They know that a bomb-laden vehicle could drive straight onto the bridge from either side and they do nothing about that possibility.

They have created their own public relations nightmare from their slum-lording of the MCD to the their illegal duty-free shop to their contempt of court citation. They are desperately running a mud-slinging political-style ad campaign to smear their opponents and, tsk, tsk, it isn't working.

**stromberg2** · June-04-11, 06:12 PM

Bravo!! Nice job, everyone!!

Stromberg2

**JohnnyFreddy** · June-05-11, 12:40 PM

Ditto to all congratulations extended above.
I completely forgot this was going to happen.
I totally would have been there.
Anyway....GREAT JOB !!! to all who did remember, showed up, and took action.
F@#K the DIBC and their lying spokespersons!!!!

**socks_mahoney** · June-05-11, 09:07 PM

Right on. Thats what I'm talking about. I'll be sure to make my way down there on the bicycle ride this week.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE. We need to tear down more fences in this city, physical and otherwise.

**gnome** · June-06-11, 01:03 PM

From the Windsor Star:

About 100 residents of southwest Detroit stormed a riverfront park in protest and ripped down fences billionaire Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun had installed to block public access and claim the land as his own.

"We are taking back our park," exclaimed Detroit resident Deb Sumner. "I love it. It's absolutely exhilarating to take our park back from Matty Moroun who thinks he can do whatever he wants. We want him off public lands. It's the people's park and we want it back."

Moroun requires the park property on Detroit's riverfront for his twin span proposal, but recent court rulings determined he had no right to fence it off and claim it.

This symbolizes justice," said State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents the neighbourhood where the bridge is located. "I can't just take a public park, President Obama can't take a public park. This feels good. The message today is clear that we are tired of being trampled on."

Tlaib also helped lead a protest against Moroun earlier Friday outside the former Detroit rail station just east of the bridge which has become a colossal eyesore under the businessman's ownership.

"Today I feel my community has been empowered and I can't express the excitement," Tlaib said.

Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Detr...#ixzz1OW9uum8w

----

A word needs to be said to praise retired Freep reporter, and Kalamazoo College grad - Joel Thurtell - who first blogged about his tangle with Matty's armed mouthbreathers. When our own RealityCheck brought Joel's blog post to this forum's attention it created a small firestorm resulting in one of the worst softball games of all time.

A smallish clutch of out-of-shape forum members, Hubbard Farmers and a couple of homeless dudes took to the field to play softball and protest Matty's seizure of public property.

This small game lead to more games and the eventual resurfacing of the ball diamond. Last spring volunteers - lead by UrbanOutdoors - picked up shovels, wheelbarrows and rakes to move 10 tons of slag to the infield. Holes were filled, grass mowed, benches built. All of this done quietly and under the shotgun armed gaze of Manny's goons. All done without any real help from the City and all done by volunteers.

Now, there are folks who wonder what kind of tangible good this forum actually accomplishes. For all the unicorn horn polishing that goes on here, .. you should head down to Riverside Park and not look at the three foot weeds, not see an abandoned lot filled with chip bags, not see armed men chasing children off a ball field, not see fake trespassing signs.

Some times even non-athletes can hit a home run.