My Political rant today concerns the city of Detroit. Maligned and often misunderstood, the City of Detroit is a microcosm of our world today. There is wealth and beauty and diversity as well as poverty, crime and dispair. The city of Detroit has been on a roller coaster for decades while deflecting the humility of being the punchline for many jokes.
Last summer, two Detroit Police Officers sued the city of Detroit and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick for wrongful termination. The two cops, Officers Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope worked very close with the Mayor’s security team. The two police officers were also investigating improprieties by the Mayor and office. There were allegations that the Mayor was using city funds to send his niece to college, security details that spent city money while the Mayor met his mistress at hotels, wild parties at the Manoogian Mansion (Detroit Mayors Residence), the purchase of a Cadillac Escalade for the Mayor’s wife and the cover up of the murder of an exotic dancer who was last seen at the Mayors residence.
Kilpatrick, a well-spoken, tall, ex-football player with style, charisma and the gift of a quick tongue was informed of the investigation. Left with no other choice (than allowing the investigation to run it’s course), Kilpatrick fired the two officers.
Of course the officers sought out legal advice and took their case to court under the “Whistle-Blowers” law that protects citizens against such repercussions. The two officers won their case and were awarded $8.4 million while the Mayor spent over $9 million of the taxpayers money to defend himself. This was even after council for the Mayors office suggested settling the case for $400,000 for each plaintiff.
During the trial, the subject of the Mayor having an affair with his Chief of Staff, Christine Beatty came up. The Mayor defiantly denied any affair as did Miss Beatty. In fact, Kilpatrick SCOLDED the media for treating women like whores and implying that a man and woman could not work together without scandalous rumors flying about.
About 3 weeks ago, the Detroit Free Press wrote a 3 page article on the Mayor and his Chief of Staff. They produced text messages between the two that all but proved the inappropriate relationship between the married Mayor and his subbordinate. The article went on to shed additional light on the murder of exotic dancer Tamara Green.
Miss Green had been hired to dance for a party at the Manoogian Mansion in April and was later found dead in her car. Victim of an alleged “drive by shooting” but speculation has always been that she was killed at the mansion and the shooting was staged. Attorney for the Green family are trying to subpoena text messages from SkyTel dating back to the date of Tamara Greens shooting.
RANT!!! Kwame Kilpatrick has done so much for the City of Detroit. Not only did he bring the Super Bowl to Detroit but he has also lured 42 new businesses into the city during his tenure. Kilpatrick had set himself up to be Mayor for life had he simply kept away from the red zone. Unfortunately, the Mayor put himself above the people that trusted him to run their city. Unfortunately, the Mayor cut programs and jobs while costing the City of Detroit and the taxpayers over $17 million in legal fees and settlements in this case. Unfortunately, the Mayor felt that he could lie and get away with it. But the most unfortunate thing about this whole thing is that the people of the City of Detroit are already starting to forgive this buffoon. Call it the Marion Berry syndrome. In a city that has more poor people than rich people, the constituency is much more forgiving of wrongdoing than those with less tolerance for self-rewarding entitlements.
Kilpatrick has already been defiant by shoving and pushing reporters and cameramen. He has refused to have a press conference but he has gone on local television to ask that the citizens stay out of his personal life. Ummmm WHAT? You’re the Mayor and you spent the money of your taxpayers to fund an illicit affair, pay for hotel rooms, romantic getaways, scandals, cover-ups and lies…but NOW you want your privacy? You want people to stop reporting on this story and the deception?
God help us!!!
