Detroit thread. Post Kwame, Monica, and $1 houses here.

[Savonarola]

I'll bet the Detroit City Council is glad they agreed to save Cobo Hall now:

Chaos erupts at Cobo as thousands jockey for federal aid
6 injured as long lines of Detroiters waited for chance to get fed help to pay their bills



George Hunter, Charlie LeDuff and Santiago Esparza / The Detroit News
Detroit -- The lure of federal cash assistance for needy Detroit families sparked pandemonium Wednesday at Cobo Center, as hundreds of city residents pushed, jostled and trampled others in a rush to apply for the aid.

In a scene that spoke volumes about the despair of one of the nation's poorest cities, about 50,000 Detroiters descended on downtown to pick up 5,000 applications in hopes of enrolling in a federal program that pays a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to low-income residents to help pay rent and utilities.

In fact, some 60,000 residents applied for the aid over two days, although the city will only be able to help about 3,400 families.

More info... Wednesday's line stretched for blocks and before the process could be completed at least six people were taken away by ambulance, 150 police were called to the scene and the city stopped distributing applications before noon.

The mayhem seemed to reflect the desperation of a city in which one in three lives in poverty and 28.7 percent are unemployed. Others said it was exacerbated by rumors the government was literally handing out cash. It wasn't.

Karen Dumas, a spokeswoman for Mayor Dave Bing, acknowledged the rumors, calling them "totally untrue." Dumas added: "There is a process."

Walt Williams, 51, arrived at Cobo before sunrise to get a good spot for the 10 a.m. opening of the doors. "This morning, I seen the curtain pulled back on the misery," a bewildered Williams said.

"People fighting over a line; people threatening to shoot each other -- is this what we've come to?"

Police said no one was believed to have suffered major injuries in the scuffles.

Detroit received $15.2 million from the Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program that helps pay rent, utility assistance and security deposits for families with incomes of less than $35,500. In Detroit, that's 58 percent of the households, states the U.S. Census.

Federal relief programs have sparked huge lines in other states, such as New York. But Wednesday's chaos over the program was unique to Detroit, said Andrea Mead, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Mead said she isn't aware of any similar incidents in the 535 cities, states and counties that got the grants through her office. She said HUD is sending more staffers to Detroit to help the city sort the applications.

"It really speaks to the need right now," Mead said.

On Tuesday, more than 25,000 applications were snapped up in less than three hours at Neighborhood City Halls, making the corridors of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center nearly impassable.

The city had moved the program to Cobo Center on Wednesday, hoping the cavernous facility could accommodate the need.

It didn't.

People in wheelchairs and others using canes were leaned on by other applicants too weak to stand. Some complained people were going through the crowd, snatching applications. Amid the pushing was a constant din of screams from people insisting they be let inside.

LaTanya Williams, a 32-year-old Detroiter, quickly filled out her form because she said "people are stealing them."

"I am hoping to get any help that they will give me," she said. "Everybody needs help."

After the applications ran out, some scam artists were selling photocopies of the originals for $20 each. They were doing a brisk business, even though the white original forms state clearly on the bottom: "Do not duplicate -- Must Submit Original Application."

Volunteers from the city of Detroit Planning and Development Department eventually handed out yellow photocopies themselves. Intended as temporary assistance to avoid homelessness, the stopgap help will be doled out after private agencies hired by the city ensure applicants meet program criteria.

"I'm not even sure the government will accept those applications," said volunteer Pam Johnson. "But it's almost like they had to pacify people. There was almost a riot. I mean, they had to call out the (Detroit Police) Gang Squad. I saw an elderly woman almost get trampled to death."

Kelley Turcotte, a Detroit dishwasher, was near the end of the line outside Cobo. The 27-year-old with a newborn son said he is only squeaking by financially.

"I hope the government sees this and realizes the city needs a lot more help than they are giving," Turcotte said.

Luis Irizarry, 35, drove from Flint for the chance he could get assistance, but found out only Detroit residents are eligible. He said it was a shock to see this many people in need.

"This is ridiculous," Irizarry said.

Tony Johnson came at 5 a.m. Johnson has not found a job in three years.

"There's no peace 'cause there ain't no jobs," he said.

Dan McNamara, president of the Detroit Firefighters Association Local 344, was looking down from his office window across from Cobo.

"This absolutely is representative of the struggling middle class in America," he said. "We've been betrayed by the government, Realtors and those who've got. The promise has been broken."

While I've never accused Detroit of being a runaway success; I'm surprised at how much we've failed.  When people are beating the crap out of one another in order to apply for Federal Aid your society has failed.

On the other hand that would be a good concept for a game show.

[Savonarola]

The Freep also has some great photos of the event:

[Neil]

"This absolutely is representative of the struggling middle class in America," he said. "We've been betrayed by the government, Realtors and those who've got. The promise has been broken."

It's funny how these people still consider themselves to be middle class.

What promise are they referring to?

[Savonarola]

"This absolutely is representative of the struggling middle class in America," he said. "We've been betrayed by the government, Realtors and those who've got. The promise has been broken."

It's funny how these people still consider themselves to be middle class.

What promise are they referring to?

THE PROMISE OF AMERICA!

[Caliga]

It's too bad Dracula isn't the Mayor of Detroit.  As soon as the building opened and people poured in, the doors would have been sealed and the place burned down.

End result: fewer people in Detroit are poor now!

[Berkut]

Why do people stay?

That guy saying he hasn't found a job in three years - wtf? Why would you just stay? Do you think there is going to be jobs in the next three years? Or the three after that?

[Darth Wagtaros]

It's too bad Dracula isn't the Mayor of Detroit.  As soon as the building opened and people poured in, the doors would have been sealed and the place burned down.

End result: fewer people in Detroit are poor now!

Cede Detroit to the PRC. 

[Savonarola]

Why do people stay?

That guy saying he hasn't found a job in three years - wtf? Why would you just stay? Do you think there is going to be jobs in the next three years? Or the three after that?

Historically the automotive industry has been cyclical in nature.  In periods of downturn people choose to stay in the Detroit area and weather the storm rather than move in search of work.  This time is different with the bankruptcies it's much more severe and it is unlikely that metro Detroit will return to its previous level of employment and prosperity in the foreseeable future; but with unemployment level nearing 10% nationwide it's hard to find work anywhere.

[Savonarola]

It's too bad Dracula isn't the Mayor of Detroit.  As soon as the building opened and people poured in, the doors would have been sealed and the place burned down.

End result: fewer people in Detroit are poor now!

No chance, Vlad's simply too white.  Blacula, on the other hand, has got a real shot:

[Malthus]

While I've never accused Detroit of being a runaway success; I'm surprised at how much we've failed.  When people are beating the crap out of one another in order to apply for Federal Aid your society has failed.

On the other hand that would be a good concept for a game show.

The guy with a cane has the edge.

[Neil]

"This absolutely is representative of the struggling middle class in America," he said. "We've been betrayed by the government, Realtors and those who've got. The promise has been broken."

It's funny how these people still consider themselves to be middle class.

What promise are they referring to?

THE PROMISE OF AMERICA!

But slavery was abolished years ago.

[Savonarola]

Only white people can save Detroit:

Why no black men among Time's saviors of Detroit?
By ROCHELLE RILEY
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

The photo shows eight people — six men, two women — standing boldly, purposefully, along Detroit's refurbished riverfront. It is obvious they are leaders.

The headline on the photo in Time Magazine's first of many installments on Motown is: "The Committee To Save Detroit." Its caption says in part: "...if Detroit is going to turn itself around, it'll happen because of the efforts of these locals and many others like them."

I have no quarrel with the people who are in the photo. They deserve to be there. But I'm concerned about who wasn't.

None of the people are black men.

And there's something wrong with that.

Let's not be petty. It's not a numbers or percentage thing. It's not that Time should have made sure to include a black guy in anticipation of criticism.

My concern is: Why? Is it that black men are not seen as leaders in Detroit, thanks to our recent time in the circus spotlight? Or is it that our crime rate and gang and drug problems are so closely associated with black men and boys that Detroit's black men and boys are seen more as culprits than leaders?

Here's the bigger issue — and where my heart breaks. What will Detroit's black boys feel when they see such a photo? If black men, who represent half of Detroit's population, many of its problems and some of its solutions, aren't believed to be helping, will that keep those young men from seeing themselves as leaders and future solutions?


Many are committed and qualified

I wasn't the only one to notice it. Greg Willerer, labeled The Nature Guy in the photo, lamented the absence and spoke on behalf of black urban farmers, leaders who he says deserve as much attention as he. John George, head of Motor City Blight Busters, also was in the photo. "Oh, my God. I hadn't noticed!" he said.


George calls himself "color-blind" and said he deals with "whoever's in the room."

"Everybody is invited to participate in the rebirth of the city of Detroit," he said. "But there are many, many, many, many African-American men who are committed to Detroit. ...There are dozens of individuals who run chess clubs or mentor programs who are all black males. So yes, it's important" to include them.

That is the saddest truth about the photo: There ARE black men who are already on The Committee To Save Detroit, men who are diminished and overshadowed by the murderers and loudmouths, by the crooks and selected officials, by the corrupt and the cannibalistic. But they are here. They are the ones who took Malcolm X seriously when he said 'if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

Represent the possible

There are too many to name who could have been in that Time photo, but I will mention anyway the names of George Jackson, head of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp., a man who has worked with several mayors to rebuild Detroit.

And Frank McGhee, the head of the Neighborhood Service Organization's Youth Initiatives Project, who is teaching kids to forgo violence and who literally is saving lives.

And Luther Keith, a former journalist and current blues band leader who took an idea for a community service network and created ARISE Detroit, a coalition of 300 community organizations and agencies working together to improve the lives of families and children.

And Robert Bobb, the emergency financial manager doing what Gov. Jennifer Granholm brought him in to do — save the city schools from financial ruin.

And Bryan Barnhill, the Harvard grad who had his pick of places to work in America, but came home and joined Southwest Solutions, a social service agency.

Sure. The photo is just a picture. But for many, it is a representation of what is possible.

And in Detroit, what is possible must include black men, those who need help and those who already are giving it.

Who should be on the Committee to Save Detroit?

It's your turn, Detroit. Tell me, who are Detroit's leaders? Who are the people, through the efforts they make every day and every week, who are changing Detroit, but who don't always get the credit or support they deserve?

Give me their names. Send your responses to [email protected] or to Rochelle Riley, Detroit Leaders, 615 W. Lafayette Blvd., Detroit, MI 48226.


And in a city where the state estimates the functional illiteracy rate at 52%, we won't truly hear from everyone without spreading the word. So I'm circulating this column to every church, every community center, every fraternity and sorority, to the Links and 100 Black Men.

I like that Kym Worthy made the list; if there's one person making Detroit one person at a time, it's the DA. 

If it were my list I would have put Robert Bobb and David Bing on the it; but the hard decisions they have to make as part of their job has made them controversial figures in Detroit.  Still, L. Brooks Patterson is universally detested in the city of Detroit and he made Time's list.

[The Minsky Moment]

A bigger problem with the Time 8 is that it doesn't include anyone who owns and operates a fleet of bulldozers.

[Savonarola]

And the list keeps growing:

In health care alone, halting fraud will save DPS $2.6M
By ROCHELLE RILEY
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

It just gets worse. Detroit Public Schools Emergency Financial Manager Robert Bobb has uncovered more than 1,500 employees carrying ineligible dependents on their district health care plans. And those are just the folks who turned themselves in.

An audit released in early August found 411 people -- including some who were dead -- covered by health insurance for which they were not eligible.

In an interview Thursday, Bobb said that come Monday, he's canceling health coverage for anyone else who hasn't responded to repeated demands for information as part of the audits being done to rid DPS of corruption.

"We're going to cut them off," Bobb said.

The district will see $2.6 million in savings next year just from the voluntary scofflaws, and plans to make the guilty repay premiums.

Rampant fraud still amazes DPS manager

Bobb said Thursday that his representatives will meet with Gov. Jennifer Granholm next week to negotiate an extension of his 1-year contract to clean up the district.

Thank God.

Because if the continued financial mismanagement, fraud and theft Bobb has uncovered in just the past month are any indication, he has much more work to do -- and more people to help send to jail -- than he could get done by March.

In an interview at the DPS central office, where Bobb has cut the staff by 72%, from 300 people to 112 people, he also revealed that:

• 1,545 DPS employees were carrying ineligible dependents on their district health care plans. And those are just the folks who turned themselves in. Employees who do not respond to requests for information by today will see all their health care coverage stop Monday. Just by eliminating the ineligible people, the district will save $2.6 million. And the guilty will be forced to repay for coverage or care to which they were not entitled.

"I know what I had to go through, my marriage certificate, documents that my son is a full-time student" to get health care coverage, Bobb said. "We're going back. We want to know how much we've actually paid for your ineligible dependents in premiums and claims. We now expect you to reimburse the Detroit Public Schools for those costs. Chrysler did it. We're going to do it."

• The district has arrested at least 20 people in the last three weeks for stealing $150,000 worth of goods from the schools.

"I want to take out a billboard ... and say 'These are the people whom we have arrested for stealing in the Detroit Public Schools.' Kids, adults, whatever. I want you to know who they are in case you live next door to them. I'm doing it! I'm going to take out full-page ads on these turkeys. I don't want to live next door to some person whose lifestyle is to go into schools stealing."

Bond issue looms

The insurance scandal and multiple arrests come as Bobb completes the latest in a series of financial audits designed to root out corruption, fraud and theft. He said his team has resolved 90% of the findings from the audits as he wages a citywide campaign to convince Detroit voters to approve a $500.5-million bond issue on the Nov. 3 ballot that would give the school district an additional $256 million in federal stimulus funds that Bobb plans to use to build eight new schools.

Bobb also reaffirmed continuing investigations into all real estate transactions in which DPS has been involved, including project management contracts from the last bond issue, especially for the new Cass Technical High School and the deal to move DPS into the Fisher Building.


"Why did we buy five floors of this building for $20 million in cash and spend $13 million to $15 million to renovate when we were in a building we owned outright?" Bobb asked.

Other discoveries

The insurance scandal and thefts were not the only revelations of recent audits. As a result of their discoveries, Bobb and his team:


• Evicted three community groups that leased space for their organizations but stopped paying rent or did not transfer utilities out of DPS' name. The district collected $462,000 from other delinquent leaseholders.

• Ceased payments to a national insurance company for covering grandfathered employees that the company could not name. "And I'm going to file a lawsuit against this company for reimbursement for as far as we can go back," Bobb said.

• Informed unions that DPS plans to end full health care benefits for part-time employees. "We have employees who are earning $8,000 a year, and we're paying somewhere between $13,000 and $14,000 a year for their medical costs," he said

• Fired a company that was negotiating $5 million to $6 million a year from Medicaid when the district is eligible for at least $60 million.


• Plan to fire at least 30 security officers who refuse to come to work. "When I looked at the number of persons who stood outside Cobo Hall yesterday for services, it brings tears to my eyes," Bobb said. "Those people want to come to work. And I have 30 to 40 security guards who ... don't come to work for one reason or another. So I'm going to start systematically firing people. ... And we'll take the grievances because there are so many people who do want to work."

• Cut outstanding bills from $80 million down to $25 million -- "and 90% of our bills are being paid within 30-60 days."

Heartbreaking reality

Despite all that he's seen in just seven months, Robert Bobb is still sometimes stunned by the rampant corruption.

The heartbreaking reality is that, in Detroit, people have been robbing children for years.

No more.

"We're closing the Bank of the Detroit Public Schools," Bobb said. "It's a new day."

The Detroit Public Schools has its own public radio station.  They have PSAs on telling how many opportunities await students at DPS, but it looks like there were much greater opportunities for DPS employees.

[Caliga]

The Detroit Public Schools has its own public radio station.  They have PSAs on telling how many opportunities await students at DPS

on many levels.