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

[Admiral Yi]

All it will take is some hard bargaining.  That has always worked in the past for unions. 

[Savonarola]

And it's back to bankruptcy:

Court of Appeals halts order to withdraw Detroit bankruptcy petition
Chad Livengood
Detroit News Lansing Bureau

Last Friday, Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina issued a temporary injunction against Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and Gov. Rick Snyder and ruled the bankruptcy filing violated the state constitution because it could impair constitutionally protected pension benefits for 10,000 city workers and 20,000 retirees.

A three-judge appeals panel on Tuesday granted Schuette's motion for a stay in the case. It also granted the attorney general's request for immediate consideration of three lawsuits filed by current and retired Detroit city workers and the city's two pension funds.

The Court of Appeals' action comes one day before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes is set to consider Orr's motion to remove the three lawsuits from the state's court system and take jurisdiction.

Appellate judges Michael J. Kelly, Patrick M. Meter and Stephen L. Borrello signed the orders. The Court of Appeals has given attorneys for the plaintiffs until 5 p.m. Friday to respond to Schuette's appeal of Aquilina's initial ruling.

On Monday, Aquilina scheduled a July 29 hearing on the merits of the lawsuit brought by Detroit's General Retirement System and Police and Fire Retirement System. The appellate court's action effectively cancels that hearing.


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130723/METRO01/307230098#ixzz2ZttabFli

[DontSayBanana]

Yeah, as a long-time Detroit politician, I'd asssumed he was in jail by now.

That's his wife.

[Savonarola]

Because nothing is more important to the city of Detroit than George Zimmerman:

Detroit council supports calls for federal investigation of possible civil rights charges against George Zimmerman

10:05 PM, July 23, 2013   | 


Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

The Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution calling for a federal investigation to see whether civil rights charges are warranted against George Zimmerman, who was acquitted July 13 of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the killing of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

The resolution, sponsored by Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, sparked a discussion over the need for city leaders and others to focus more on violence in Detroit.

"We need to have that same level of outrage with respect to the black-on-black crime that takes place in our community," Councilman Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said. "How many people were shot — maybe even shot and killed this past weekend in the city — mostly likely by folks who look just like them?"

Watson said there are many events held regularly to address violence in Detroit. "Because the so-called major media does not cover all of the expressions does not mean it does not happen," she said. "So that's not correct."

It's a shame that Jesse Jackson never shows up for those many events held regularly to address violence in Detroit.  I guess he has more important things to do.   

[garbon]

hahaha

[CountDeMoney]

It's a shame that Jesse Jackson never shows up for those many events held regularly to address violence in Detroit.  I guess he has more important things to do.   

I'm quite sure the Detroit PD is doing maintaining their closure rates in arresting and shuffling off all those black shooters of black victims to jail.  It's when police agencies don't arrest and shuffle off white shooters of black victims to jail that there's a problem.

But you crackers don't comprehend how that could be a problem with certain communities.

[Syt]

In hindsight it seems that the Robocop movies actually showed an optimistic vision of Detroit's future.

[Barrister]

Because nothing is more important to the city of Detroit than George Zimmerman:

Detroit council supports calls for federal investigation of possible civil rights charges against George Zimmerman

10:05 PM, July 23, 2013   | 


Detroit Free Press Staff Writer

The Detroit City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution calling for a federal investigation to see whether civil rights charges are warranted against George Zimmerman, who was acquitted July 13 of second-degree murder and manslaughter charges in the killing of Florida teen Trayvon Martin.

The resolution, sponsored by Councilwoman JoAnn Watson, sparked a discussion over the need for city leaders and others to focus more on violence in Detroit.

"We need to have that same level of outrage with respect to the black-on-black crime that takes place in our community," Councilman Kenneth Cockrel Jr. said. "How many people were shot — maybe even shot and killed this past weekend in the city — mostly likely by folks who look just like them?"

Watson said there are many events held regularly to address violence in Detroit. "Because the so-called major media does not cover all of the expressions does not mean it does not happen," she said. "So that's not correct."

It's a shame that Jesse Jackson never shows up for those many events held regularly to address violence in Detroit.  I guess he has more important things to do.   

To be fair I don't think Detroit City Council ahs much power to do anything in Detroit these days...

[Darth Wagtaros]

In hindsight it seems that the Robocop movies actually showed an optimistic vision of Detroit's future.

The Day After actually showed an optimistic vision of Detroit's future.

[Phillip V]

The Unsteady States of America

'It is not just Detroit. American cities and states must promise less or face disaster.'

http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21582258-it-not-just-detroit-american-cities-and-states-must-promise-less-or-face-disaster



'The hole in Illinois’s pension pot is equivalent to 241% of its annual tax revenues: for Connecticut, the figure is 190%; for Kentucky, 141%; for New Jersey, 137%.

By one recent estimate, the total pension gap for the states is $2.7 trillion, or 17% of GDP. That understates the mess, because it omits both the unfunded pension figure for cities and the health-care promises made to retired government workers of all sorts. In Detroit’s case, the bill for their medical benefits ($5.7 billion) was even larger than its pension hole ($3.5 billion).
...
Governors and mayors have long offered fat pensions to public servants, thus buying votes today and sending the bill to future taxpayers. They have also allowed some startling abuses. Some bureaucrats are promoted just before retirement or allowed to rack up lots of overtime, raising their final-salary pension for the rest of their lives. Or their unions win annual cost-of-living adjustments far above inflation. A watchdog in Rhode Island calculated that a retired local fire chief would be pulling in $800,000 a year if he lived to 100, for example. More than 20,000 retired public servants in California receive pensions of over $100,000.'

[CountDeMoney]

Damned dirty commie unions.

[Savonarola]

More than 20,000 retired public servants in California receive pensions of over $100,000.'

Heh, there are only five in Detroit and the city still went bankrupt.

Detroit is in an unusual predicament; in most cases a city or state can raise taxes to pay their pensions.  Detroit has hit the cap that the state of Michigan allows a municipality to tax.

[Savonarola]

And from the vanilla suburbs:

Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs restaurant closes in Sterling Heights
Serena Maria Daniels
The Detroit News

Sterling Heights — Where you at, boyyyyyyyyyy?

That's what fans of Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs, the short-lived Metro Detroit restaurant are asking following word the eatery has closed this week, after barely eight months in business.

The former Public Enemy rap legend (otherwise known as William Drayton) set out with business partner Gino Harmon of Shelby Township-based Forza Development to come up with a restaurant that "brings his passion for bold and innovative fare straight to the heart of Metro-Detroit, MI," says the restaurant's website.

According to the Flavor Flav's Chicken & Ribs official Facebook page, the restaurant is moving to an undisclosed new location.

"No worries we are relocating!!! Stay tuned for our official announcement later this evening!!!," according to the restaurant's Facebook page on Wednesday.

A single post a day later read: "DETROITTTTTTT WHERE YOU AT?????"

Aside from chicken and smoked ribs, the eatery — that until this week was located at 8200 15 Mile — offered comfort food sides such as mac and cheese, sweet potato fries and baked beans, and featured waffles: either as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or as a dinner with traditional or Southern-style chicken.

As reported by TMZ last month, the former "Flavor of Love" reality show star hadn't paid rent on the property since opening in December and was facing eviction.

According to TMZ, the Sterling Heights location was the last remaining Flav's Chicken & Ribs in the country.

Attempts to reach Flavor Flav on Friday were unsuccessful.


From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130726/ENT03/307260074#ixzz2aBc54pPw

Did Flav tell his landlord: "I can't do nuttin' for ya man."

[Admiral Yi]

When you eat chicken and waffles are you supposed to put them together like a sandwich?

[Ed Anger]

No.