PunBB

There’s a Metro-Detroit news story regarding Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick that’s been developing over the last week that is almost unbelievable. It escalated to new heights (or lows) Tuesday when Kilpatrick ordered a “security” person to hold back WXYZ-TV investigative reporter Steve Wilson who had followed Kilpatrick to Washington DC in an attempt to get an answers to legitimate questions after the Mayor had successfully avoided him by sneaking out back doors for almost a week. The security guy promptly man-handled Wilson away from the Mayor and bounced him off a wall into a nearby door.

If you don’t go any further, at least watch this video.


For those interested in the full text, follow the links at the end of this post. In the meantime, here’s the background and key points:

Background:

• Kwame M. Kilpatrick is the youngest mayor in the history of the City of Detroit, as well as the youngest mayor of any major U.S. city, ever.
  
  Before his election as mayor in 2001, Kilpatrick was the first African American in the history of Michigan to lead any party in the Legislature.
  
  He’s often referred to as the “Hip-Hop Mayor” because of his youth and penchant for oversized diamond ear-studs.
  
  Kilpatrick has degrees in political science and law, is a certified teacher, and was captain of the Florida A & M University football team while he attended school there.

Key Points:

• With the city of Detroit in dire financial straits and hundreds of workers facing layoffs and pay cuts, nearly $25,000 in city tax dollars have been spent to lease a 2005 Lincoln Navigator for just 12 months.
  
  This comes after the mayor's appearance on television, when he told the people of Detroit that: "...these are difficult times and they demand sacrifice, creativity, and cooperation."
  
  Despite promises to provide details, the mayor’s office put up a stone wall, apparently to scurry for a strategy behind the scenes.
  
  The City of Detroit requires Mayoral purchases over $25,000 to be approved by the Detroit City Council. The lease annual price of the cherry-red Navigator is $24,995.
  
  The Mayor’s office initially denied the existence of the Navigator until it was located and filmed by WXYZ-TV. When the vehicle was found, the Mayor’s office explained that it was purchased for undercover narcotics investigations, even though it was equipped with flashing police lights in the grill and underbody, had a license plate registered to the City of Detroit, and the Mayor’s office is not authorized to purchase vehicles for police use.
  
  Prior to ordering the man-handling of the dogged reporter, Kilpatrick repeatedly said “Live, anytime” in response to Wilson’s question yet has still not responded to WXYZ-TV’s invitation to appear live, anytime.

First Story
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WXYZ-TV's news director says they will probably seek assault charges against the "security" guy, a longtime friend of Kilpatrick's who was released from duty a few years ago following other inappropriate behvior but quietly re-hired six months later.

It's gettin' carayzee in Motown!

Yikes. That certainly isn't the picture that anyone wants painted of their hometown.

Wow that's scary. How anyone can think this sort of purchase coupled with physically intimidating a reporter is acceptable is anyone's guess. Particularly insulting is the fact the payment for the car is exactly $5 less than the review limit.

I suppose it was only a matter of time but there's a new website covering the whole Navigator issue. Check out http://www.rednavigator.com.

There have been a few recent developments including an admission from Kilpatrick along the lines of "Oh...you mean that red Navigator...", a farce of a press-conference wherein Detroit Chief of Police Ella Bully-Cummings, her face full of fear, insisted it was she, not the mayor who was responsible for purchasing and assigning the Navigator, and 6'-5", 350+# Kilpatrick adamantly stated that Steve Wilson, a reporter half his size and twenty years his senior had him afraid for his life.

Especially humorous is the forum wherein locals "express" their views.

Ain't no party like a Dee-troit party!

you can take the man out of the ghetto but you cant take the ghetto out of the man. What an asshole.

The police chief's name is actually Bully? Ironic it's the mayor doing the dirty work...how can you guys put up with this? Around here, individual flights that politicians take on vacations that are charged to the taxpayers get a massive outcry...and people there aren't demanding the mayor's resignation?? How the heck can council not ask him to resign??

Wow.

A couple of years ago, Eastern Ontario's US TV affiliates switched from Buffalo to Detroit. Since then, I've seen a lot of Detroit's mayor, and been really impressed.

He's a great TV politician, he's charismatic, and from what I've read: he actually is the sharpest knife in the drawer. I saw him on the CBS affilate after the election in November and thought "this guy's a real prospect."

So this is hard to believe. Sad really.

It's a clinic on pissing away potential and eroding public trust. Way to go.