Racism at the root of Detroit's issues, Michigan Roundtable attendees say

MLive ^ | 3/31/2014

[Pecos]

You have to admit that the “Reverend” Jackson showed them how to make charges of racism pay off. His attacks on banks and S&Ls in the 1980’s were straight out of Alinsky’s playbook. Take a little greed, mix in a bit of white guilt, add a heaping spoonful of “they owe me” and threats of riots, and you make a very tidy profit.

[boycott]

Now is a good time to show the picture of the buildings in Europe 2000 years ago and the straw huts in Africa now.

Whitey is to blame for all of blacks problems. Yeah, it has been that way since the beginning of time.

Blacks took the keys to the city of Detroit. What have they done with it?

[kearnyirish2]

“When blacks stop blaming whitey and take a good hard look in the mirror, they will solve their issues...”

Some just prefer to research ways to continue siphoning money from white taxpayers long after they’ve fled. At this point they’ve chased out taxpayers on the city, county, and even state levels; they need Obama and the Democrats to nationalize the socialism that has run rampant in the northeast, upper midwest, and west coast so that taxpayers in “America” are feeding, housing, clothing, and schooling gibsmedats in those dying areas.

ObamaCare is simply the latest example of this.

[Recompennation]

“I think racism is a mechanism to create division because their whole goal is to get us to draw a line in the sand along race, along religion, along sexual identity,”
Um, sounds familiar for the first black president voter pep talk topics ah divisiveness tool box use.

[bert]

Racism is a fig leaf to cover culture.

It was the corrupt, inept and racist black culture that destroyed DEEtroit.

[cripplecreek]

That sounds like a complete contradiction to me.

It is and the people are obviously figuring it out as displayed by the fact that the attendees wandered away before it was over. They know BS when they see it.

[GeronL]

These people are all insane

[Enten]

They are professional victims. With solutions, they loose their jobs.

[Liz]

3/31/14 DETROIT FREE PRESS / How political corruption
deepened Detroit's crisis / By Tresa Baldas and Jim Schaefer

Kwame Fitzpatrick mug shot.

EDITED Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison for running a "money-making racket" out of city hall that steered millions to himself, his family and friends while the impoverished city hobbled along.

Kilpatrick was convicted on 24 of 30 counts of extortion, racketeering, bribery. Prosecutors had argued he deserved stiff sentence because he never thought he did anything wrong

Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison for running what the government called a money-making racket out of City Hall. Kilpatrick had steered millions to himself, family and friends while an impoverished Detroit hobbled along, prosecutors said.

Kilpatrick, 43, was found guilty March 11 on 24 of 30 counts of corruption, including five counts of extortion, racketeering, bribery and several mail, wire and tax fraud charges. On three counts he was found not guilty, and on the remaining three no verdict was reached.

Kilpatrick took bribes, misused nonprofit funds and "used his power as mayor ... to steer an astounding amount of business" to his friend and co-defendant, Bobby Ferguson, who also was convicted on charges of running a racket out of the mayor's office. He chose to waste his talents on personal aggrandizement and enrichment. We lost transparency. We lost accountability.

Judge Nancy Edmunds, U.S. District Court said she will recommend Kilpatrick be sent to a prison in Texas, where his family lives. The judge said Kilpatrick lived the high life, hosting lavish parties, accepting cash tributes and loading the city's payroll with friends and family.

"He chose to waste his talents on personal aggrandizement and enrichment," Edmunds said. "We lost transparency. We lost accountability. ... That way of business is over. We're done." Detroit's present mayor, David Bing, echoed that sentiment.

The involvement of city officials and others compounded the seriousness of Kilpatrick's crimes, Edmunds said. Thirty-four others, including Kilpatrick's father, have been convicted in this public corruption case. (Kwame's mother, Carolyn, was also jailed for corruption while serving in Congress).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Chutkow called the Kilpatrick case one of the most significant cases of public corruption in the country. While Kilpatrick was mayor, Ferguson received more than $127 million in contracts, according to the government. Of that, at least $76 million in contracts were obtained illegally through the pair's extortion scheme, which involved elbowing competing contractors out of deals and shaking down others to cut Ferguson in on their contracts.

Contributing: Gina Damron and Tammy Stables Battaglia, Detroit Free Press

SOURCE http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/10/detroit-mayor-kwame-kilpatrick-sentencing/2958517/

What's next

• Friday: Kwame Kilpatrick's co-defendent and long-time friend, Bobby Ferguson will be sentenced at 10 a.m. on nine convictions including racketeering, bribery and extortion. Prosecutors have asked for a maximum 28-year sentence; the defense wants 10 years.

• Oct. 17: Kilpatrick's father, Bernard Kilpatrick, will be sentenced at 2 p.m. on a single tax charge. He faces up to three years in prison.

• Derrick Miller was Kilpatrick's former right-hand man and co-defendant who testified against the former mayor at trial. Miller pleaded guilty to bribery and tax evasion. He faces up to 10 years in prison but likely will receive a shorter sentence because of his co-operation.

• Victor Mercado, former head of the city water department, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and steering contracts to Ferguson. He faces up to 18 months in prison and a $100,000 fine.

[cripplecreek]

Monica Conyers is a perfect example of the racism that hurts Detroit. A few years back she made it clear that white contractors need not apply for city contracts.

The good thing is that its dying in Detroit as the black nationalists flee the city. Guys like Kwame Kenyatta fled the city and ran off to Jackson Mississippi because his BS isn't selling in Detroit anymore.

Louis Farakkahn wants everybody in Detroit to give him a dollar and the people aren't buying it.

LeDuff: What about this neighborhood, Minister Farrakhan?

[from occupied ga]

...racism ...

It isn't racism when black crooks and black idiots (not necessarily two different groups) in public office mismanage a city into the toilet. It's cause and effect.

[yldstrk]

yeah in Kansas City there was talk of attempts to reach across state lines into Johnson County to tap the wealthy tax base there using the specious argument that Johnson Countians “benefited” from being proximate to Kansas City, snort!

[WayneS]

I stopped reading at:

Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Baack Obama's Chicago pastor whose known for controversial sermons damning America and saying the government brought 9/11 upon itself, was the keynote speaker.

[Netz]

AGAIN with the Race Card? Some things never change.

I grew up in Detroit until 1965 and then lived in the North West “burbs”.

Only on the day that Detroit's leaders take a good long look in the mirror where they FINALLY don't see “color” but instead, total ineptitude, graft, mismanagement, cronyism, racial bias (theirs), corruption, rampant crime, urban blight and denial will they BEGIN to heal the city, attract business and make the streets safe.

It would also help the city if the Ford family would sell those damn, losing Lions to another owner. IF the Lions beat the Packers twice in one season, then...there is hope for Detroit!

[Magnatron]

Coleman Young is alive and well...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Gimme a break !

[amnestynone]

Detroit is nothing but a graveyard for dead industry and warehouse for worthless people.

[edcoil]

Racism at the root of Detroit’s issues, Michigan Roundtable attendees say

True blacks hate everyone.

[98ZJ USMC]

Is anybody really surprised by one word of this?

I hope not. All predictable.

[98ZJ USMC]

According to attendees, the event drew several hundred people, though the number had dwindled to less than 75 by the time the event concluded at 4:30 p.m.

They got sick and tired of hearing the same tired lies. Now, they need to get vocal and denounce this BS for what it is.