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

[Savonarola]

A retrospective of the Detroit City Council's greatest hits (some involving a bat):

Did Detroit get another crazy council?


Nolan Finley

Few things have amused me over the years more than the antics of the Detroit City Council.

I was in council chambers in the early 1980s when the late Jack Kelley loudly interrupted a resolution ceremony for two Japanese businessmen. Kelley, deep in his cups, produced a Louisville Slugger and banged it ferociously on the table while ranting about the purchase of the baseball bat's manufacturer by a Japanese company. "You're buying up America!" Kelley screamed at the terrified businessmen with every crack of the bat.

During that same time, Kenny Cockrel Sr. and Clyde Cleveland got into a wrestling match outside their offices. Cockrel was a scrapper, but the much beefier Cleveland got the better of him. A few days later, Cockrel meekly seconded a motion made by Cleveland, advising his colleagues, "Don't mess with Clyde. He'll kick your ass."

Nobody does public corruption like Detroit. Recall Councilwoman Kay Everett, who just before her untimely death was accused by the feds of taking $150,000 from a city contractor. But all deals need a sweetener. In this case, it was the 17 pounds of sausage the contractor tossed in that tipped the scales for the councilwoman.

Everett also threatened to "go east side" on Sharon McPhail during an angry debate over a topless bar ordinance. The threat wasn't carried out, disappointing observers curious to see what "going east side" looked like.

McPhail was no slouch herself in the crazy department. She once accused former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick of rigging the electric massage pad she kept on her council chair to deliver shocks to her bottom. She didn't hold a grudge, though, later agreeing to be Kilpatrick's legal counsel.

No era was nuttier than the one that included Monica Conyers, Barbara Rose Collins and Martha Reeves. There was plenty of preaching, praying, shouting and singing at council meetings in those days — and name-calling too. I can't look at Ken Cockrel Jr. and not think "Shrek" — the insult an angry Conyers (who went to jail for corruption) threw at him during a meeting.

I feared the fun was over four years ago, when voters elected a council with a majority of competent adults. That council batted well above average until the very end, when President Charles Pugh up and disappeared after seeming to ignore former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards' admonition not to be "caught in bed with a dead woman or a live boy."

This week, a largely new council signaled a return to form. It elected as its president the longtime obstructionist Brenda Jones, and as its second-in-command George Cushingberry, a slick political operator who has had his snout in the public trough for nearly 40 years.

Cushingberry responded to a Detroit News editorial harshly criticizing the elections by advising the newspaper to "Go to hell." We can take it. What we can't take is the real likelihood that Cushingberry and crew will continue the Detroit City Council tradition of taking the city to hell.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140109/OPINION01/301090025#ixzz2pvyaqy52

[Savonarola]

And almost as if by magic Nolan Finley's column from yesterday gets answered:

Cushingberry says he did nothing wrong in Detroit traffic stop

George Hunter and Christine Ferretti

Detroit— Detroit police officials have launched an investigation into why a police supervisor decided not to arrest newly elected City Council President Pro Tem George Cushingberry Jr. after officers stopped him Tuesday night outside a northwest-side strip bar with, sources say, an open intoxicant and marijuana in his car.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig told The Detroit News the incident happened about 10 p.m. as Cushingberry drove near Livernois and Northfield.

A police source familiar with the investigation said the councilman was leaving Starvin Marvin's and almost hit police officers. Two sources confirmed that marijuana and an open intoxicant were found in Cushingberry's car.

"There was a legal stop made by a Detroit police officer, and a supervisor was contacted," Craig said. "A decision was made that warranted a review by this administration, and an internal complaint was opened against the supervisor. There was no arrest made; the decision was made by the supervisor to only issue a citation."

Cushingberry did not respond to multiple phone calls by The Detroit News seeking comment Thursday night. In an interview broadcast on WDIV-TV (Ch. 4) at 11 p.m. Thursday, he said he wasn't coming out of a strip club but a lounge on Livernois.

"I was coming out of the Penthouse Lounge, which is one of the places I've campaigned in all year," Cushingberry said.

Council member Saunteel Jenkins said if the allegations are true, they are unfortunate.

"After all that this city has gone through at this time in our history, it's more important than ever to have elected officials to serve with the utmost integrity," she said.

Because Cushingberry, 61, hasn't been arrested or charged with a crime, Craig would not comment on what officers found.

According to sources, the officers gave chase after almost being hit, but the councilman did not stop. Another squad car was called in to help with the chase.

The source said officers finally stopped Cushingberry's car and spotted the open alcohol container and smelled marijuana.

"When they finally stopped him, he took off again," the source said. "Then, he was stopped a second time and (Cushingberry) flashed his City Council ID card. There was another guy in the car who had a medical marijuana card, but it doesn't matter; you're not allowed to smoke in the car. A supervisor came over and put the kibosh on it, and issued a ticket for failure to signal. The officers did exactly what they were supposed to do."

Craig declined to go into details about the incident. The department released a statement late Thursday confirming the stop but did not add details.

"Because there was no arrest, I don't want to get into the nature of the stop," Craig said. "But because (Cushingberry) wasn't arrested, we're looking into all aspects of the investigation."

Craig said the officers who pulled over the councilman acted properly by legally stopping Cushingberry, and that they followed department protocol by immediately telling their supervisor about the incident.

"Whenever officers initiate an investigation involving a public official, they're required to notify a supervisor," Craig said. "The notification is also supposed to go to the chief's office, and we're also looking into why we weren't notified."

Cushingberry told WXYZ-TV (Ch. 7) in an interview aired at 11 p.m. Thursday that he and his friend had a drink at the Penthouse Lounge but there was "no way" he was legally drunk.

"I wasn't doing anything wrong," Cushingberry told WXYZ, adding there was no alcohol in his vehicle, only an old bottle from the week prior that had not yet been discarded. He said he was not given a sobriety test.

"I think it's because I've been shaking up so many things," he told the station. "I think it's a part of what I call driving while black syndrome amongst these white cops in Detroit who are picking on people with old cars."

Detroit-based political analyst Steve Hood said "it'll be bad," if the allegations are true, but they won't end Cushingberry's career.

"It's always damaging," Hood said. "Is it career ending? No."

On Monday, Detroit's council elected Cushingberry to act as its second in command. Cushingberry, a former state legislator and Wayne County commissioner, made waves this week for responding online to an unfavorable Detroit News editorial about him by typing "go to hell."

Shortly after being elected the council's pro tem Monday, Cushingberry told the media he and Council President Brenda Jones "made a deal" and were able to "put together a coalition" that secured his rank on the panel.

Cushingberry has also said Detroit has been "dysfunctional" over the last four years and touted plans to balance its the city's budget and improve the quality of life of its residents.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140110/METRO01/301090128#ixzz2q0YZ5UMd

Honey, I'm going to the strip club to listen to a campaign speech.

[Malthus]

Perhaps he was busy polling the electorate?

[Savonarola]

Oakland County's Patterson swipes at Detroit - again

The Detroit News
Patterson (Daniel Mears / The Detroit News)

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has never been shy about his views of Detroit, and his remarks in the New Yorker have sparked familiar ire.

In a feature titled "Drop Dead, Detroit!" due out Monday but available to subscribers earlier, Patterson gave a magazine reporter an extensive tour of Oakland County and offered his take, again, on Detroit.

"Anytime I talk about Detroit, it will not be positive," Patterson says. "Therefore, I'm called a Detroit basher. The truth hurts, you know? Tough (expletive)."

Patterson tells Paige Williams: "I used to say to my kids, 'First of all, there's no reason for you to go to Detroit. We've got restaurants out here.' They don't even have movie theatres in Detroit — not one." He went on: "I can't imagine finding something in Detroit that we don't have in spades here. Except for live sports. We don't have baseball, football. For that, fine — get in and get out. But park right next to the venue — spend the extra twenty or thirty bucks. And, before you go to Detroit, you get your gas out here. You do not, do not, under any circumstances, stop in Detroit at a gas station! That's just a call for a carjacking."

The article included an anecdote about Patterson speaking at a roast for an employee who moved to Kentucky. When the worker saw a bumper sticked that read "I miss Detroit," he "broke the window, stole the radio and left a note that said, 'I hope this cures your homesickness,'" the article quoted Patterson as saying.

Williams asked Patterson what Detroit could do to fix its financial problem.

"I made a prediction a long time ago, and it's come to pass. I said, 'What we're gonna do is turn Detroit into an Indian reservation, where we herd all the Indians into the city, build a fence around it, and then throw in the blankets and corn."

The remarks drew criticism from a community activist. The Rev. Charles Williams II, president of the Michigan chapter of the National Action Network, called for a public apology from Patterson and a meeting with L. Brooks Patterson, the American Indian community and local Detroiters.

"These remarks are repulsive and racist," Williams said in a statement. "Not just because the city of Detroit is over 80 percent African-American, but because it is also a direct slight to the American Indian who occupied the land before Detroit was Detroit and Oakland County was Oakland County."

Bill Mullan, spokesman for Oakland County, said the story about Patterson "cast him in a false light."

"It is clear Paige Williams had an agenda when she interviewed County Executive Patterson," Mullan said in a statement. "She cast him in a false light in order to fit her preconceived and outdated notions about the region. Mr. Patterson's record on advancing regional issues in a transparent and responsible manner is unparalleled. His initiatives have had a positive impact on the region such as Automation Alley, CLEMIS, and his leadership on the Cobo Authority."

Patterson, known for his blunt remarks, over the years has weighed in on issues facing Detroit, including former Kwame Kilpatrick's downfall — "This is the end of a long Greek tragedy" — threatened a rift in regional alliances over such issues as selling Detroit Institute of Arts paintings, where he "draws a line in the sand," millage payouts for the Detroit Zoo and the proposed creation of a Metro Detroit regional water authority over fears of higher water rates for county residents.

He tried to lure the auto show, going on now in a renovated Cobo Center in Detroit, to Novi. The center now is run by an authority consisting of members appointed by the governor, Detroit — and county executives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb.

Mayor Mike Duggan, through his spokesman, declined to comment late Monday on Patterson's remarks. Duggan met with Paige Williams and Patterson for a portion of the magazine interview.

Bill Nowling, spokesman for Detroit's Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, and some members of the Detroit City Council didn't immediately return requests for comments.

Haven't the Native Americans suffered enough?   

[MadImmortalMan]

I guess that Family Guy joke about giving up and handing it back to the Indians was closer than we thought.

[Ed Anger]

Raciss

[Jacob]

Why does some dude in Oakland have such strong views on Detroit? And why would anyone care what he says?

[garbon]

Why does some dude in Oakland have such strong views on Detroit? And why would anyone care what he says?

For the first question, that's because his county is in the vicinity of Detroit.

[Jacob]

Why does some dude in Oakland have such strong views on Detroit? And why would anyone care what he says?

For the first question, that's because his county is in the vicinity of Detroit.

Ah... I see. Not Oakland in California. Oakland County, next to Detroit. That makes more sense. Thanks

[Alcibiades]

Just read up on Kwame's wiki page, truly unbelievable the amount of corruption he was able to, for the most part, get away with for so long.  And the city council too. 

[Savonarola]

Just read up on Kwame's wiki page, truly unbelievable the amount of corruption he was able to, for the most part, get away with for so long.  And the city council too. 

The Mayor of Detroit is the chief thief and everyone works for him.  It's the Detroit way.

[Savonarola]

In any event here how Detroit has fared in the State of the Union over the years:

[garbon]

The non-smiling presidents look a bit more presidential.

Well maybe not McKinley who looks like a creeper.

[Eddie Teach]

Nothing says "gravitas" like a powdered wig. /bb

[The Brain]

Great head of hair on Ronald.