Matty sues feds

[urbanoutdoors]

looking at racial and income stats for both zips they are very similar...
Delray is in 48209
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet...ord=&_industry=

Hubbard Richard/Hubbard Farms is in 48216
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet...ord=&_industry=

[hubbardfarmer]

Not all of Hubbard Farms is in 48216. Hubbard Street is in 48209, as is everything southwest of there.

[urbanoutdoors]

Not all of Hubbard Farms is in 48216. Hubbard Street is in 48209, as is everything southwest of there.

thanks for the correction I did not know the boundry....
Also if anybody is more skilled and can hone in on an area it would be interesting to see what the individual neighborhoods demographics are...

[MIRepublic]

Does it matter?

[kraig]

Does it matter?

If it's a component of the lawsuit, yes.

[Retroit]

All evidence shows that the DRIC bridge is unnecessary and a massive waste of taxpayer money. Moreover, it would destroy the value of the Ambassador Bridge Gateway Project -- a privately financed project -- before it even opens. Existing crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge, have sufficient capacity to handle traffic volumes for the foreseeable future.

Amen. As usual the government is wasting OUR money when they don't have to.

Bill [[yes, you, BShea), don't feel the need to defend yourself against every belittling comment from the peanut gallery. You and your paper do a great service keeping Detroiters informed. [[Same applies to you Steve...Wilson.)

[kraig]

Amen. As usual the government is wasting OUR money when they don't have to.

Bill [[yes, you, BShea), don't feel the need to defend yourself against every belittling comment from the peanut gallery. You and your paper do a great service keeping Detroiters informed. [[Same applies to you Steve...Wilson.)

It's too bad that MDOT doesn't show the same commitment and effort to the state roads and bridges that our tax dollars are intended to pay for as they do the DRIC.

[kraig]

Does it matter?

I don't know if you were at the hearing that the Coast Guard held a couple of months ago. But, at the point in the meeting when the majority of the black people were leaving the room, Rep. Tlaib ran up to the microphone and abruptly yelled "they don't live in my district". The look on the faces from the Coast Guard was that of pure shock and even some disgust. If that portion of the video is shown in court along with eyewitness testimony that Horace Sheffield, a black man, was assaulted for speaking out in support of the DIBC span, you can see where race could become a very big deal very fast in a courtroom.

[urbanoutdoors]

Kraig,
Point taken there in terms of how that could be misconstrued. The problem is is that Horrace Sheffield paid those kids to come shuttled them in to show opposition but they were clapping for both sides of the argument and yes they did not live in her district... The crowd was quite a mix of folks without those 20 or so people, so to say that that the majority is not correct in my opinion... Matty is a smooth operator and I am sure that will be an argument that is made and it is quite unfortunate...
Here is a video that shows the make up of said crowd and feel it was quite diverse her point was that they were not from her district no race involved...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYGokniYXmc

[SWMAP]

You know that those protesters brought by Horace Sheffield were special education students paid $30 per to attend, by their own admission.
They were bussed in from out of the neighborhood and their views about the environmental impacts on SW Detroit did not reconcile with those of the impacted residents.
As well, I was present and watched the Coast Guard's faces and I did not see any disgust at all. The Coast gurd was completely impassive for all of the meeting.
Kraig, I am finding it harder and harder to respect you.

[kraig]

You know that those protesters brought by Horace Sheffield were special education students paid $30 per to attend, by their own admission.
They were bussed in from out of the neighborhood and their views about the environmental impacts on SW Detroit did not reconcile with those of the impacted residents.
As well, I was present and watched the Coast Guard's faces and I did not see any disgust at all. The Coast gurd was completely impassive for all of the meeting.
Kraig, I am finding it harder and harder to respect you.

You know those protesters were brought in by Horace Sheffield, I know those protesters were brought in by Horace Sheffield. However, in court it's a matter of being able to prove that Horace Sheffield brought in those protesters. You and I are not going to be a part of any trial, even if it gets that far. The judge can only rule on evidence and proof. The point I made about Rep. Tlaib has been documented and videotaped. The point I made about Sheffield was even witnessed by some of the Coast Guards own staff. How well do you think it's going to play when Federal employees are giving testimony that goes to prove Matty Moroun's case. Now, if you're finding it harder to respect me because my recollection of the meeting differs from yours, fine. That's your prerogative.

[MIRepublic]

Bridge playing race card called 'ludicrous'

By Dave Battagello, The Windsor Star

May 15, 2009

The Ambassador Bridge is playing the race card in a “ludicrous” attempt to derail construction of a new border crossing, Coun. Ron Jones said Friday.

Jones said the bridge’s attempt in a U.S. lawsuit to portray Sandwich Towne as a white “majority racial community” that received preferential treatment from government border crossing planners is misguided.

“The bridge company should do their research,” Jones said. “They are on their last leg and using everything they possibly can to win. They are shuffling chairs on the Titanic.”

The bridge company’s lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, says race and income discrimination is behind a binational government decision to locate the next Windsor-Detroit crossing in Brighton Beach and link with the underprivileged Delray section of Detroit instead of favouring the company’s twin span proposal in Sandwich.

“For [[bridge president) Dan Stamper to play the race card in west Windsor is just ludicrous,” Jones said. “Obviously he has not been in west Windsor. I invite him to walk the streets with me. It’s the most diverse community in all of Windsor, and Windsor is the fourth most diverse community in all of Canada.”

The student body of Forster high school, just a stone’s throw from Moroun’s bridge entrance, speaks 54 languages and represents an even greater number of nationalities, a school official said Friday.

...

A local dentist in Sandwich said bridge owner Matty Moroun’s attempt to drag race and income into the debate shows his desperation.

“He has exhausted all the arguments and is scraping the bottom of the barrel,” said Dr. Greg Hanaka. “He is trying to pit community against community. We don’t agree with his philosophy of race and economic barrier. To pull this final card out of the deck is an act of desperation.”

Hanaka said the billionaire businessman has engaged in a blockbusting strategy in Sandwich which belies his expression of concern for neighbourhood.

“There is a sense of irony he is supposedly so concerned about Delray, yet thinks nothing about Sandwich,” Hanaka said. “He has sent his minions in to damage our town for years and now he wants to be perceived as standing up for the little guy. It’s all bogus.”

West-end businesswoman Mary Ann Cuderman said she was not surprised at the lawsuit. “What it shows to me is [[Moroun) is down to his last bag of tricks,” she said. “He must be getting pretty worried to go this far.”

If he hadn't, already, dude's finally jumped the shark. lol Guess the Coast Guard's breath was becoming too warm on his neck. It's really too bad, and shows a lot of hubris, that he didn't think he'd be called on being one of the worst neighbors and landlords in the United States and Canada; poor thing.

[FlyByDon]

June 6 2009

Attachment 1615

[drjeff]

The fact is that there should not be privately owned bridges at international crossings. We already have one in Detroit. We do not need another. Add to that the fact that Maroun is one of the most irresponsible property owners in the city and it becomes a "hell no" kind of proposition.

[SWMAP]

Who/what agency cares about maintenance of the privately-owned Bridge. I am telling you that the DIBC has a "demotion by neglect" agenda going on. If you are a Bridge user, can you remember when you last saw the seasonal painting/rust removal crews working on the Bridge? Its been a few years. Look at the iron barricades on the south [[east) side of the Bridge [[the side facing the downtowns). many of them are rusted through with holes that you can put your fist through, especially as you approach the Canadian side. The bridge is being neglected and I wonder if the DIBC wants to use references to its bad shape in order to argue for 'retiring' it. There is no reason to have this state of disrepair if the DIBC keeps up an annual maintence schedule. But what is that and who monitors it?

[4real]

whats wrong with a privately held bridge crossing on an international border?
at least people have a choice.

[Corktown Mark]

The DIBC bridge currently is a monopoly. A span at Delray would ADD competition. One additional thing to consider. Until the public began to look at a new bridge the DIBC had no interest in a replacement bridge. The DIBC only needs to kill the new span at Delray. When that is accomplished DIBC can "delay" it's own new bridge forever.

[kraig]

Who/what agency cares about maintenance of the privately-owned Bridge. I am telling you that the DIBC has a "demotion by neglect" agenda going on. If you are a Bridge user, can you remember when you last saw the seasonal painting/rust removal crews working on the Bridge? Its been a few years. Look at the iron barricades on the south [[east) side of the Bridge [[the side facing the downtowns). many of them are rusted through with holes that you can put your fist through, especially as you approach the Canadian side. The bridge is being neglected and I wonder if the DIBC wants to use references to its bad shape in order to argue for 'retiring' it. There is no reason to have this state of disrepair if the DIBC keeps up an annual maintence schedule. But what is that and who monitors it?

Check with Modjeski and Masters Consulting Engineering. The Project Manager is Michael Borzock. He may be able to provide you with inspection info. They're the same firm that inspects the Blue Water Bridge and will probably inspect the DRIC when/if it ever happens. They're arguably the best when it comes to bridges.

[kraig]

The DIBC bridge currently is a monopoly. A span at Delray would ADD competition. One additional thing to consider. Until the public began to look at a new bridge the DIBC had no interest in a replacement bridge. The DIBC only needs to kill the new span at Delray. When that is accomplished DIBC can "delay" it's own new bridge forever.

Here's one of the problems with trying to compete with a private entity. Since the state has tied up so much of its money for a road/bridge project [[DRIC) that won't open for at least another six years, the money that could be used for the state's 20% in matching funds for 704 million dollars in federal funds isn't available. Not having the money causes the state to cancel 137 projects. We're trading 137 projects for 1 project all in the name of "competition". So, while you're everyday ride on the freeway 365 days a year will be screwed up, at least you will have the pleasure of knowing that your state and federal government is providing competition to the bridge that most people in michigan only drive on once every few years.

[BShea]

The DIBC bridge currently is a monopoly.

And all of a sudden that's a problem for MDOT?

The feds haven't cared since 1929, when the bridge opened. The feds control the bridge because without customs agents, no one crosses.

Any Canadian argument in favor of competition is utter nonsense because the desire there stems from the authoritarian sense that the government must control more of life than it does on the U.S. side.

[Detroitnerd]

I think most Americans have had a pretty dim view of monopolies since the days of the robber barons. So, for me, fighting the monopoly is a pretty good tactic. Actually, say "monopoly" to most people and they respond unfavorably. Unless they're too busy kissing a billionaire's hinder parts.