Suspect Charged in Corktown Beating/Dragging

[detroitsgwenivere]

LOTS of facts have been left out of this story. And since I live across the street from this *sshole and have been witness to some of his lesser b*llsh*t, let me be the one to fill all of you in on the omitted details.

Steve is well known not only for his community service, but for his incredible temper. When he attended Corktown Resident's Council meetings you could guarantee a loud and obnoxious meltdown that would make any "normal" person cringe. He has been aggressive and demeaning not only to the homeless in our community but to kids, black folks, and residents of the Clement-Kerns Gardens across the street from his house. Several of the people unfortunate enough to cross paths with DiPonio have walked into Resident's Council meetings complaining of his behavior for years, and after receiving no support, have since left the neighborhood searching for more accommodating pastures [[except the homeless of course, many of their social services are located in the area). This is because of his relentless obsession with removing "criminals and drug users/dealers" from our area, which is not exactly known for being a drug den. In the past, he had his house fire-bombed and truck vandalized after sending police on wild goose chases after residents he swore were dealing drugs that were cleared of any wrong doing.

He has a prior arrest for an incident that took place right in front of my house where he took a baseball bat to two homeless guys who happened to walk past his house on the wrong day. When one of the guys couldn't get Steve off of the other, he grabbed something and hit Steve's truck window hoping that it would distract Steve long enough for the other guy to get away. It worked, cuz Steve went after him, then jumped in his truck and proceeded to attempt to run these guys over. Let me repeat, RUN THESE GUYS OVER WITH HIS VEHICLE. All in broad daylight in front of passing motorists traveling on Trumbull. When police couldn't find the homeless men to testify against Steve in court, the charges were dropped, much to the shock and dismay of several of my neighbors.

Steve is known for having extreme emotional issues, some also mental I'm sure, and also happens to be related to the DiPonio family construction company, which is why he was able to post bond and acquire the legal services of one of Kwame Kilpatrick's former legal council. He's not married nor has he any children.

I should also disclose that the night before this incident, a Resident's Council meeting just happened to take place at Holy Trinity Elementary where we were graced with the presence of one of DPD's finest. Steve informed the audience and the officer about the homeless man who was sleeping regularly at the rear entrance to the school [[and who would also promptly leave as soon as the soup kitchen opened before any of the kids would show up). The officer took down the info and stated that he would do his best to remedy the situation. After the meeting ended, Steve told me he planned to go after this guy if he wasn't gone the same night. I played it cool long enough to hear about Steve's [[and supposidly a few other Corktowner's) plans to get the soup kitchen closed down because of their discomfort with having to see homeless in their neighborhood.

That being said, I don't blame only Steve for his abhorrant behavior. There are people in this neighborhood who have prompted and supported Steve's behavior all along, knowing that he has a loose screw and not having the balls to do this shit themselves. Corktown has a history of serving the poor that goes back over 150 years, and some of our less tolerant community members seem to think that the answer to dealing with the more recent criminal activity against their property lies with the removal of the homeless and less fortunate element in our community. I've got news for them, it won't. Most Corktowners I've spoken to agree with my assertion that the majority of criminal activity has come from outside of the neighborhood, stepping up ever since I-75 was shut down for the Gateway Project, detouring motorists through our residential streets. The homeless are just the scapegoat, and because of this Steve became the truck welding vigilate d-bag.