http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...FREE/910059978

Judge tells Detroit International Bridge Co. to take down fence in park
By Bill Shea
A judge has ruled that the Detroit International Bridge Co. must remove
a 150-foot security fence around the base of the Ambassador Bridge in
city-owned Riverside Park within 90 days.
The bridge company, owned by Grosse Pointe trucking tycoon Manuel “Matty”
Moroun, sued the city in May to halt eviction proceedings. The company
said former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer gave it permission to erect the
fence as a post-9/11 security barrier.
36th District Court Judge Beverly Hayes-Sipes acknowledged that there is
a security need for the bridge in her ruling, and gave the bridge
company 90 days so it could reach an agreement with the city and U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, said Phil Frame, director of
communications for Warren-based CenTra Inc., the parent company of the
firm that manages the bridge.
“The city does own the property, which we acknowledge,” he said.
The city argued that permission from Archer was null because the Detroit
City Council never approved it.
The bridge company says it plans to immediately pursue talks with the
different governments to reach a new accord on security.
A cadre of activists has been protesting the fence for the past 18
months, and say Moroun needs the park for a $1 billion second span
project rather than for any security concern.