We The People of Detroit must be present on Thursday July 29, 2010 for two City Council meetings. Location: 13th Floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Building (called the City County Building) Corner of Woodward and Jefferson.
The first meeting is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. We are asking that you arrive earlier than that.
If the meeting is adjourned, the second meeting may be scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
email: wethepeopledetroit@gmail.com to get updates.
NEWS REGARDING WE THE PEOPLE EFFORTS:
A SUCCESSFUL COLLECTIVE GRASS ROOTS ORGANIZING EFFORT TO STOP MAYORAL CONTROL OF DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS WITH AN ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING. OUT OF THE 250 PEOPLE IN OUR COLLECTIVE GROUP, OVER 110 PERSONS WHO SAY "NO" TO PLACING MAYORAL CONTROL ON THE BALLOT WERE HEARD BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IN SPITE OF THE NUMEROUS TIMES PRO-TEM GARY BROWN, COUNCIL PRESIDENT CHARLES PUGH, COUNCIL MEMBERS SAUNTEEL JENKINS, ANDRE SPIVEY, JAMES TATE, WERE TOLD BY OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, CITIZENS, AND AN ATTORNEY THAT ANY MOVE TO PLACE MAYORAL CONTROL IS IMPROPER, PRO-TEM BROWN PUSHED TO HAVE IT PLACED ON THE AGENDA ANYWAY.
HOW MANY TIMES DOES NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS HAVE TO BE TOLD THAT IF YOU PUT MAYORAL CONTROL ON THE BALLOT YOU WILL BE SUED?
THE ANSWER IS: IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU TELL THEM ONCE, TWICE, OR TWENTY TIMES. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU TELL THEM IN PERSON, PRIVATELY, OR THROUGH CALL IN RADIO SHOWS. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF AN ATTORNEY TELLS THEM THEY WILL BE IN A LAWSUIT.
BY REPEATEDLY PUSHING TO GET THE ISSUE DISCUSSED BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IN SPITE OF NUMEROUS REMINDERS THE MICHIGAN HOME RULES ACT OR THE CITY CHARTER DOES NOT ALLOW COUNCIL TO ACT IN AN ADVISORY MANNER TO GET IT ON THE BALLOT, CERTAIN COUNCIL MEMBERS SHOWED DETROITERS AND ALL OF THE NEWS AND MEDIA PEOPLE THAT WERE PRESENT, JUST WHAT DISREGARD FOR THE LAW LOOKS, SOUNDS, AND ACTS LIKE.
SO LETS SEE HOW MANY RULES CAN BE BROKEN---
IT WAS REVEALED IN YESTERDAY'S MEETING THAT PRO-TEM BROWN DID NOT FOLLOW CITY COUNCIL RULES CONCERNING WHAT GETS ON THE AGENDA TO BE DISCUSSED AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS OR WHAT IS IN PLACE TO GET AN ADDENDUM TO AN APPROVED AGENDA PROPERLY SUBMITTED.
COUNCILMAN KENYATTA TOLD PRO-TEM BROWN THAT HE WAS TRYING TO "CHANGE THE RULES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME" AND THAT HE HAD JUST RECEIVED THE ISSUE OF PLACING MAYORAL CONTROL UP FOR DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL, "FIVE MINUTES" BEFORE COUNCILMAN KENYATTA ENTERED THE MEETING.
COUNCILWOMAN BRENDA JONES INFORMED THE NEWER COUNCIL MEMBERS, CHARLES PUGH, SAUNTEEL JENKINS, GARY BROWN, JAMES TATE, AND ANDRE SPIVEY, THAT HER TASK FORCE MADE THE RULES FOR HOW COUNCIL CONDUCTS ITSELF REGARDING AGENDA ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION, AND THAT IT APPEARED THAT THEY WANTED HER TO BREAK THE RULES THAT SHE HELPED TO ESTABLISH.
WHEN THE QUESTION WAS RAISED REGARDING HOW PRO-TEM GARY BROWN WAS ABLE TO GET THE MAYORAL CONTROL ISSUE PAST HIS OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS, HE CITED A CHARTER RULE THAT ALLOWS 'EMERGENCY SITUATIONS" TO BE PUT DIRECTLY TO COUNCIL PRESIDENT TO MAKE A DECISION.
SENIOR COUNCIL MEMBERS WATSON, KENYATTA, AND JONES ADMONISHED PRO-TEM BROWN FOR MIS-USE OF POWER AND INFLUENCE, AND, DISRESPECT OF OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS CONCERNING THE MATTER.
COUNCILWOMAN WATSON STATED THAT THE ISSUE WAS NOT A CITY "EMERGENCY" AND THAT THE DPS SITUATION WAS A MATTER OF THE STATE.
COUNCILMAN COCKREL WAS HELPFUL IN RAISING THE QUESTION OF A POTENTIAL LAWSUIT IF COUNCIL PUT THE MATTER ON THE BALLOT, OR, MOVED TO ADVISE IT TO BE PLACED ON THE BALLOT.
COUNCILMAN COCKREL ALSO ASKED WHO WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR THE LAWSUIT, IF CITIZENS SOUGHT TO SUE MEMBERS OF COUNCIL. HE WAS TOLD BY AN ATTORNEY THAT "THERE IS A 100% CHANCE OF FACING A LAWSUIT."
THE ATTORNEY TOLD COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THE CITY OF DETROIT AND DPS WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR THE LAWSUIT, WHICH MEANS MORE OF DETROITERS' TAX DOLLARS WOULD BE WASTED ON AN ISSUE THAT DOESN'T NEED TO GO TO COURT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
MORE PROOF THAT THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS APPEAR TO NOT BE SERVING THE INTERESTS OF THE VOTERS WHO VOTED FOR THEM--
PUGH, JENKINS, BROWN, TATE, AND SPIVEY AGREED THAT COUNCIL SHOULD CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE, EVEN THOUGH A GROUP OF OVER 110 CONCERNED RESIDENTS MADE OF ELDERS, PARENTS, STUDENTS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS AGAINST MAYORAL CONTROL OF THE SCHOOLS MADE THEMSELVES CLEAR BY SPEAKING OUT AND HOLDING UP "NO" SIGNS FOR MORE THAN 4 HOURS.
MANY RESIDENTS TOLD NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THEY LIED BY SAYING THEY WERE FOR "THE CITIZENS." ELDERS TOLD NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT THEY WERE ASHAMED AT THE WAY THEY WERE CONDUCTING THEMSELVES AND IT WAS APPARENT THEY WERE NOT SERVING THE INTERESTS OF THOSE WHO VOTED FOR THEM.
NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS STILL WANTED TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE TOLD THAT THEY HAD NO POWER TO DO SO ACCORDING TO THE LAWS THAT GOVERN THE STATE AND CITY.
BY THE END OF THE DAY, THE ISSUE MUST GO THROUGH COUNCILWOMAN JONES' SPECIAL OPS COMMITTEE IN ORDER FOR COUNCIL TO DISCUSS IT. ANOTHER MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW.
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THERE IS A MEDIA BLACK OUT CONCERNING GRASSROOTS EFFORTS ON THE FIGHT FOR FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND RIGHT TO VOTE FOR AN ELECTED BOARD IN DETROIT, THE DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOL CLOSINGS, AND UNION BUSTING EFFORTS. THEREFORE, MOST MAJOR LOCAL NEWS PAPERS AND TV STATIONS ARE "SHAPING" WHAT YOU READ AND SEE BY NOT TELLING YOU THE ENTIRE TRUTH OF WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING BY COLLECTIVE GRASSROOTS FOLKS IN DETROIT. THE HOW AND WHY OF THE RESULTS OF GRASSROOTS EFFORTS ARE NOT REVEALED TO THE PUBLIC.
WE BELIEVE THE " 30,000 VOTERS" SIGNATURES THAT ARE FREQUENTLY MENTIONED BY NEWS SOURCES ARE A HOAX.
THE "30,000 VOTERS WANT MAYORAL CONTROL" WAS A STRATEGY THAT WAS USED TO PUT PRESSURE ON COUNCIL MEMBERS TO PUT MAYORAL CONTROL OF DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS ON THE BALLOT.
THERE WAS NO DEADLINE OR PROPER FILING OF THE PETITIONS BECAUSE THEY WERE NEVER INTENDED TO BE VERIFIED BY THE CLERK'S OFFICE. THAT IS WHY THEY WERE RUSHED IN AND BASICALLY "DUMPED" ON CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO INFLUENCE MEMBERS THAT APPEARED UNSURE ABOUT THE ISSUE.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE NEWS LINKS THAT REPORTED WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK AND YESTERDAY. CLICK ON THE HEADLINE LINKS TO SEE THE ARTICLES. EXAMPLES OF WHAT IS BEING OMITTED FOLLOW A COUPLE OF LINKS.
"COUNCIL MEETING ON MAYORAL CONTROL GETS HEATED" WDIV CLICK ON DETROIT.
ANALYSIS: THEY DID NOT MENTION THAT THE 30, 000 SIGNATURES FOR MAYORAL CONTROL WERE NEVER INTENDED TO BE GIVEN TO THE CITY CLERK, AND, THAT COUNCILMAN COCKREL CONFIRMED THAT THE CITY CLERK DID NOT SEE THE PETITONS. THE NAMES ON THE PETITIONS WERE NEVER VERIFIED OR CERTIFIED. THE NAMES AND ADDRESSES OF THOSE WHO SIGNED WERE NEVER VERIFIED AS BEING ACTUAL RESIDENTS OF DETROIT.
NEITHER DID THEY MENTION THAT AN AGENCY PAID $3.00 FOR EVERY SIGNATURE THAT WAS BROUGHT IN. SEE BY ALL MEANS NECESSARY (BAMN) PRESS RELEASE.
"COUNCIL FALLS SHORT IN VOTE..." THE DETROIT NEWS. THE ARTICLE SAYS "AFTER HOURS OF HEARING FROM RESIDENTS, THE COUNCIL FAILED..."
ANALYSIS OF THE WRITER'S SENTENCE: THEY FAILED TO SAY, "FROM RESIDENTS THAT OPPOSED MAYORAL CONTROL AND VOTED TO ELECT A SCHOOL BOARD" OR "FROM OVER 110 RESIDENTS THAT TOLD COUNCIL "NO" TO MAYORAL CONTROL"
THEY ALSO FAILED TO STATE THAT PERHAPS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY THEY DID NOT GET A MAJORITY OF 6 VOTES WAS BECAUSE PRO TEM GARY BROWN TRIED TO SNEAK THE ISSUE ONTO THE DAY'S AGENDA AT THE LAST MINUTE AND INAPPROPRIATELY ADVANCED THE ISSUE DIRECTLY TO COUNCIL PRESIDENT CHARLES PUGH AND DISRESPECTED SENIOR COUNCIL MEMBERS.
"DETROIT COUNCIL CALLS FOR THURSDAY VOTE ON SCHOOL OVERSITE" FREE PRESS.
"DETROIT CITY COUNCIL FALLS SHORT IN VOTE TO PUT DPS MAYORAL CONTROL ON NOVEMBER BALLOT" CRAIN'S DETROIT BUSINESS
WHEN YOU SEE THE WORD "VOTERS" IN A SENTENCE, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE WORD IS USED WITHIN THE CONTEXT THAT SUPPORTS MAYORAL OR STATE CONTROL OF THE SCHOOLS.
"VOTERS" IS GENERALLY WRITTEN TO GIVE THE IMPRESSION THAT ALL VOTERS WANT MAYORAL CONTROL WHEN MANY OF US OPPOSE MAYORAL AND STATE CONTROL, OPPOSE THE DESTRUCTION OF FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION WITH AN ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD, AND OPPOSE TEACHER UNION BUSTING EFFORTS THAT LEADS TO MORE LOSS OF JOBS.
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