Kwame Kilpatrick shames Detroit...again

It was before my time but Detroit once was the bright shining City upon the hill. It was the embodiment of industry, progress and the American dream.

Unfortunately, during my life Detroit has been plagued with abandonment, crime and poverty. It has sat and decayed along with symbols of the past like Tiger Stadium. It was the murder capitol of the country for some time and residents continue to flock towards the door seeking a more peaceful suburban lifestyle.

It hasn't been all bad, along with the bad in recent times there has been some good. There has been reinvestment, especially in the downtown area. The Detroit Institute of Art had a significant restoration. General Motors moved in to the City's iconic ren-cen and casinos brought in a demographic that otherwise would not frequent the old City.

When Kwame Kilpatrick was elected for his first term in 2001 he was the one to bring Detroit to into the new century. He came from a family of leaders and had already served in the State House of Representatives. From almost the beginning his administration was plagued with scandal, largely uncovered by some admittedly
"ambulance chaser" style reporting, specifically by WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit and even more specifically by Steve Wilson (see picture below right- good looking cat, no?). It has seemed for some time in this area that Steve Wilson's job was to harass the Mayor but time and time again the media discovered more and more questionable activity to which the Mayor did not fully respond. From "wild" parties at the Manoogian Mansion to inappropriate use of benefits and City money.

Detroit and Kwame are once again in the news because of the latest and most serious allegations of perjury; a serious charge for a mayor, even more so for a LAWYER. In a whistle blowers case filed by former Detroit Police employees Kwame and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty lied about an affair and numerous sexually charged text messages. Lying about an affair is one thing but because of the way events unfolded it's plausible that covering up the affair may have had a real affect on the City. After the wrongfully dismissed cops were awarded millions of dollars, instead of appealing a settlement was reached for MORE than the money awarded to the officers in the case. After this happens we all learn that Kilpatrick and Beatty lied about the text messages on the stand in the case.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Detroit. In fact, most people in the area have a soft spot in their heart for the City but the residents are getting exactly what they deserve. In the 2005 election their was a perfectly viable candidate in Freeman Hendrix but in a close race the voters proved they fear change and progress and prefer scandal and drama.

So let Kwame do what he will, he is who he is and obviously NOTHING will change that.

It's still sad though, to look to the East of Ann Arbor to see the rot that is this administration turn the lights back out on the dream.