March 9, 2008
The Associated Press
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The leader of a successful effort to pass an anti-affirmative-action ballot proposal in Michigan returned to the state to discuss his views.
The Ann Arbor News reports Ward Connerly's remarks Saturday at the University of Michigan Law School were interrupted by protesters, but also received cheers.
Connerly says during a panel discussion that: "Colorblindness ... is part of the DNA of American government."
The effort to amend to Michigan's constitution passed in November 2006 with 58 percent of the vote. The amendment bans the use of race and gender preferences in university admissions and government hiring.
The measure was prompted by a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision on affirmative action at the University of Michigan.
___
Information from: The Ann Arbor News, http://www.mlive.com/aanews
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Connerly calls for 'colorblindness'
Boos, cheers greet views on referendums
March 09, 2008
Ann Arbor News
BY AMANDA HAMON The Ann Arbor News
Ward Connerly, who launched the ballot initiative that ended race and gender preferences in public education, hiring and contracting in Michigan, defended his views Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Connerly, interrupted several times by protesters, made his remarks amid boos and cheers near the end of a panel discussion about public reaction to referendums.
Connerly, a California businessman and former University of California regent, said the goal of Proposal 2, passed by Michigan voters in November 2006, is to have all citizens treated as equals without regard to race, religion or nationality.
"Colorblindness, I think, is part of the DNA of American government,'' Connerly, who is black, told the full room at Hutchins Hall on the University of Michigan Law School campus. "... To me, it's unmistakable that the majority of the American people embrace that.''
The panel included U-M law professor Sherman Clark and Marci Hamilton, a law professor from Yeshiva University in New York City. The discussion was part of the national Federalist Society's annual symposium.
The panelists discussed the use of direct democracy and ballot initiatives and raised questions as to the most appropriate times to use them. Connerly's remarks came last in the discussion.
He said Michigan citizens have spoken on the use of race in public education, public hiring and public contracting because it's a complicated issue that many lawmakers avoid.
"Name one legislative body in America that's willing to tackle the issue of race,'' he challenged the audience.
Connerly was interrupted several times by shouts, boos and retorts from some members of the crowd.
After the panel discussion, the floor was opened for audience questions.
Although some questions were law-related, many came from protesters who accused Connerly of supporting segregation and defrauding voters. Moderators often fought for control and encouraged audience members to keep their questions and comments concise.
Connerly often responded by saying that he supported socioeconomic affirmative action and that states should take measures to ensure all students have a quality education before college.
Before the panel discussion, a mixed-race group of about 16 students and activists protested Connerly's appearance outside Hutchins Hall.
"We are saying forcefully that he's not welcome in Michigan. We're asserting that every minority and woman student on campus deserves to be here and is equal to any white or male student,'' said U-M graduate student Kate Stenvig, a member of the U-M chapter of the pro-affirmative action group BAMN and the campus' Defend Affirmative Action Party.
Monica Smith, a U-M graduate and law student at Wayne State University, said BAMN has fought Connerly in his work and will continue to do so.
"There's a real war going on,'' she said.
Audience reaction to the panel discussion was generally positive.
St. Louis University students Chris Wintrode and Brad Williams said the panel responded well to the questions presented.
"I thought it was good that we had a debate, and (it was) a very lively debate,'' Wintrode said. "But it was pretty unfortunate that we couldn't rise to an academic debate.''
Reporter Amanda Hamon can be reached at 734-994-6852 or ahamon@annarbornews.com.
March 09, 2008
Ann Arbor News
BY AMANDA HAMON The Ann Arbor News
Ward Connerly, who launched the ballot initiative that ended race and gender preferences in public education, hiring and contracting in Michigan, defended his views Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Connerly, interrupted several times by protesters, made his remarks amid boos and cheers near the end of a panel discussion about public reaction to referendums.
Connerly, a California businessman and former University of California regent, said the goal of Proposal 2, passed by Michigan voters in November 2006, is to have all citizens treated as equals without regard to race, religion or nationality.
"Colorblindness, I think, is part of the DNA of American government,'' Connerly, who is black, told the full room at Hutchins Hall on the University of Michigan Law School campus. "... To me, it's unmistakable that the majority of the American people embrace that.''
The panel included U-M law professor Sherman Clark and Marci Hamilton, a law professor from Yeshiva University in New York City. The discussion was part of the national Federalist Society's annual symposium.
The panelists discussed the use of direct democracy and ballot initiatives and raised questions as to the most appropriate times to use them. Connerly's remarks came last in the discussion.
He said Michigan citizens have spoken on the use of race in public education, public hiring and public contracting because it's a complicated issue that many lawmakers avoid.
"Name one legislative body in America that's willing to tackle the issue of race,'' he challenged the audience.
Connerly was interrupted several times by shouts, boos and retorts from some members of the crowd.
After the panel discussion, the floor was opened for audience questions.
Although some questions were law-related, many came from protesters who accused Connerly of supporting segregation and defrauding voters. Moderators often fought for control and encouraged audience members to keep their questions and comments concise.
Connerly often responded by saying that he supported socioeconomic affirmative action and that states should take measures to ensure all students have a quality education before college.
Before the panel discussion, a mixed-race group of about 16 students and activists protested Connerly's appearance outside Hutchins Hall.
"We are saying forcefully that he's not welcome in Michigan. We're asserting that every minority and woman student on campus deserves to be here and is equal to any white or male student,'' said U-M graduate student Kate Stenvig, a member of the U-M chapter of the pro-affirmative action group BAMN and the campus' Defend Affirmative Action Party.
Monica Smith, a U-M graduate and law student at Wayne State University, said BAMN has fought Connerly in his work and will continue to do so.
"There's a real war going on,'' she said.
Audience reaction to the panel discussion was generally positive.
St. Louis University students Chris Wintrode and Brad Williams said the panel responded well to the questions presented.
"I thought it was good that we had a debate, and (it was) a very lively debate,'' Wintrode said. "But it was pretty unfortunate that we couldn't rise to an academic debate.''
Reporter Amanda Hamon can be reached at 734-994-6852 or ahamon@annarbornews.com.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Connerly: Colorblindness is the goal of Proposal 2
March 8, 2008
By AMANDA HAMON
The Ann Arbor News
Ward Connerly, who launched the ballot initiative that ended race and gender preferences in public education, hiring and contracting in Michigan, defended his views Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Connerly, interrupted several times by protesters, made his remarks amid boos and cheers near the end of a panel discussion about public reaction to referendums.
Connerly, a California businessman and former University of California regent, said the goal of Proposal 2, passed by Michigan voters in November 2006, is to have all citizens treated as equals without regard to race, religion or nationality.
"Colorblindness, I think, is part of the DNA of American government," Connerly, who is black, told the full room at Hutchins Hall on the University of Michigan Law School campus. "... To me, it's unmistakable that the majority of the American people embrace that."
The panel included U-M law professor Sherman Clark and Marci Hamilton, a law professor from Yeshiva University in New York City. The discussion was part of the national Federalist Society's annual symposium.
The panelists discussed the use of direct democracy and ballot initiatives and raised questions as to the most appropriate times to use them. Connerly's remarks came last in the discussion.He said Michigan citizens have spoken on the use of race in public education, public hiring and public contracting because it's a complicated issue that many lawmakers avoid.
"Name one legislative body in America that's willing to tackle the issue of race," he challenged the audience.
Connerly was interrupted several times by shouts, boos and retorts from some members of the crowd.
After the panel discussion, the floor was opened for audience questions.
Although some questions were law-related, many came from protesters who accused Connerly of supporting segregation and defrauding voters. Moderators often fought for control and encouraged audience members to keep their questions and comments concise.
Connerly often responded by saying that he supported socioeconomic affirmative action and that states should take measures to ensure all students have a quality education before college.
Before the panel discussion, a mixed-race group of about 16 students and activists protested Connerly's appearance outside Hutchins Hall.
"We are saying forcefully that he's not welcome in Michigan. We're asserting that every minority and woman student on campus deserves to be here and is equal to any white or male student," said U-M graduate student Kate Stenvig, a member of the U-M chapter of the pro-affirmative action group BAMN and the campus' Defend Affirmative Action Party.
Monica Smith, a U-M graduate and law student at Wayne State University, said BAMN has fought Connerly in his work and will continue to do so.
"There's a real war going on," she said.
Audience reaction to the panel discussion was generally positive.St. Louis University students Chris Wintrode and Brad Williams said the panel responded well to the questions presented.
"I thought it was good that we had a debate, and (it was) a very lively debate," Wintrode said. "But it was pretty unfortunate that we couldn't rise to an academic debate."
Amanda Hamon can be reached at 734-994-6852 or ahamon@annarbornews.com.
By AMANDA HAMON
The Ann Arbor News
Ward Connerly, who launched the ballot initiative that ended race and gender preferences in public education, hiring and contracting in Michigan, defended his views Saturday in Ann Arbor.
Connerly, interrupted several times by protesters, made his remarks amid boos and cheers near the end of a panel discussion about public reaction to referendums.
Connerly, a California businessman and former University of California regent, said the goal of Proposal 2, passed by Michigan voters in November 2006, is to have all citizens treated as equals without regard to race, religion or nationality.
"Colorblindness, I think, is part of the DNA of American government," Connerly, who is black, told the full room at Hutchins Hall on the University of Michigan Law School campus. "... To me, it's unmistakable that the majority of the American people embrace that."
The panel included U-M law professor Sherman Clark and Marci Hamilton, a law professor from Yeshiva University in New York City. The discussion was part of the national Federalist Society's annual symposium.
The panelists discussed the use of direct democracy and ballot initiatives and raised questions as to the most appropriate times to use them. Connerly's remarks came last in the discussion.He said Michigan citizens have spoken on the use of race in public education, public hiring and public contracting because it's a complicated issue that many lawmakers avoid.
"Name one legislative body in America that's willing to tackle the issue of race," he challenged the audience.
Connerly was interrupted several times by shouts, boos and retorts from some members of the crowd.
After the panel discussion, the floor was opened for audience questions.
Although some questions were law-related, many came from protesters who accused Connerly of supporting segregation and defrauding voters. Moderators often fought for control and encouraged audience members to keep their questions and comments concise.
Connerly often responded by saying that he supported socioeconomic affirmative action and that states should take measures to ensure all students have a quality education before college.
Before the panel discussion, a mixed-race group of about 16 students and activists protested Connerly's appearance outside Hutchins Hall.
"We are saying forcefully that he's not welcome in Michigan. We're asserting that every minority and woman student on campus deserves to be here and is equal to any white or male student," said U-M graduate student Kate Stenvig, a member of the U-M chapter of the pro-affirmative action group BAMN and the campus' Defend Affirmative Action Party.
Monica Smith, a U-M graduate and law student at Wayne State University, said BAMN has fought Connerly in his work and will continue to do so.
"There's a real war going on," she said.
Audience reaction to the panel discussion was generally positive.St. Louis University students Chris Wintrode and Brad Williams said the panel responded well to the questions presented.
"I thought it was good that we had a debate, and (it was) a very lively debate," Wintrode said. "But it was pretty unfortunate that we couldn't rise to an academic debate."
Amanda Hamon can be reached at 734-994-6852 or ahamon@annarbornews.com.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Racial gaps remain 40 years after riots
February 29, 2008
The Detroit News
Kerner report gives U.S. poor grade for progress, cites job and education disparities.
Some progress has been made for African-Americans, but 40 years after riots filled urban cities across the country there is still a gap between blacks and whites in areas such as poverty, education, crime and unemployment, according to new findings from the Kerner Commission.
Despite an emerging black middle class and increases in black entrepreneurs and public officials at all levels, the commission that famously warned the United States is moving toward "two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal" found that few goals have been met since its bombshell 1968 findings.
President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the original commission during Detroit's 1967 riots. The panel investigated what led to the city's six days of civil unrest and 43 deaths. When the commission reconvened last year, it made Detroit its first stop.
The commission's grade on progress across the country for African-Americans: D+. It's a mark that resonates in metropolitan Detroit, the nation's most segregated region.
"There is nothing I can point to in our present-day experience that tell us that we are significantly better off today than we were (then)," said Arthur Johnson, a former president of the NAACP Detroit branch.
"The income gap is real and something we have the right to argue about. It has come to a point where we must tell this nation that we are not going to accept the miseducation and the misdirection of education resources."
Last year, the Washington, D.C.-based Eisenhower Foundation reconvened the commission during the 40th anniversary of the 1967 riots. The initial 11-member panel warned the nation faced a "system of apartheid" in major cities and urged legislation to create jobs and improve housing. The commission was named after its chairman, Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner. Johnson rejected its findings and they further languished the next year with the election of Richard Nixon.
The updated findings were compiled through hearings in Detroit, Newark and Washington, D.C., which had riots in the 1960s. Some have suggested the incidents were a rebellion against a lack of jobs and education in Detroit.
The commission's report, which will be released in full this year, found:
• Some employers still "steer" minority applicants into the worst jobs; real estate agents send them to less desirable neighborhoods and mortgage lenders accept fewer applications than those from similar whites.
• Unemployment and underemployment were the most important causes of poverty, yet African-American unemployment has remained twice as high as white unemployment during each of the four decades since 1968. About 37 million Americans live in poverty, while 46 million Americans are without health insurance.
• Educational disparities remain linked to funding. The wealthiest 10 percent of school districts in the United States spend nearly 10 times more than the poorest 10 percent.
• Poor African-Americans are three times as likely as non-Hispanic whites to live in deep poverty, below half of the poverty line.
• Minorities receive longer sentences than whites for the same crimes.
The report called for the following remedies: boosting the $5.85 an hour minimum wage beyond the $7.25 an hour the U.S. has set to increase to in 2009; passing laws to require the Federal Reserve to take action whenever unemployment rises above 4 percent; approving the Employee Free Choice Act to make it easier to form unions; increasing job training and college grants for low-income students and make funding for public school districts more equitable.
The Eisenhower Foundation report echoes findings by The News in a two-day series published last July that found the white-black gap still persists. Black incomes in Detroit are down since 1970, while they're up for whites. More blacks are going to college than before, but nearly twice as many whites are too. The white-black employment gap is the same now as it was in 1960.
"It's kind of telling given all of the bickering and finger-pointing by some that (suggest) Detroit has gotten into the predicament by itself," said the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, Michigan chapter president of the National Action Network.
"It's not new to me, (but) it's something suburbanites want to ignore and say we alone are responsible for the deplorable plight of the city, which is not true."
Maureen Taylor, who served on Detroit's panel last November, said the Eisenhower findings weren't harsh enough. She would have recommended a D-.
"There is no war against poverty in America," said Taylor, the state chairwoman of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization. "There is a war against the poor. We have to go and change the circumstances of poverty."
But others are still optimistic. A Detroit News poll found six in 10 African-Americans said they feel blacks have made at least some economic progress since 1967.
Ulysses Chauffe, a west side Detroit resident, said he doesn't see it as a lack of progress, but rather people who are not taking advantage of the resources available.
"This generation is more informed and has more tools available to them than past generations," said Chauffe, 54. "It's whether or not you grasp onto that. I don't think that more so than (in the past) it's we're under some type of glass ceiling that keeps us from progressing. It's ourselves."
You can reach Darren A. Nichols at (734) 462-2190 or dnichols@detnews.com.
The Detroit News
Kerner report gives U.S. poor grade for progress, cites job and education disparities.
Some progress has been made for African-Americans, but 40 years after riots filled urban cities across the country there is still a gap between blacks and whites in areas such as poverty, education, crime and unemployment, according to new findings from the Kerner Commission.
Despite an emerging black middle class and increases in black entrepreneurs and public officials at all levels, the commission that famously warned the United States is moving toward "two societies, one black, one white -- separate and unequal" found that few goals have been met since its bombshell 1968 findings.
President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the original commission during Detroit's 1967 riots. The panel investigated what led to the city's six days of civil unrest and 43 deaths. When the commission reconvened last year, it made Detroit its first stop.
The commission's grade on progress across the country for African-Americans: D+. It's a mark that resonates in metropolitan Detroit, the nation's most segregated region.
"There is nothing I can point to in our present-day experience that tell us that we are significantly better off today than we were (then)," said Arthur Johnson, a former president of the NAACP Detroit branch.
"The income gap is real and something we have the right to argue about. It has come to a point where we must tell this nation that we are not going to accept the miseducation and the misdirection of education resources."
Last year, the Washington, D.C.-based Eisenhower Foundation reconvened the commission during the 40th anniversary of the 1967 riots. The initial 11-member panel warned the nation faced a "system of apartheid" in major cities and urged legislation to create jobs and improve housing. The commission was named after its chairman, Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner. Johnson rejected its findings and they further languished the next year with the election of Richard Nixon.
The updated findings were compiled through hearings in Detroit, Newark and Washington, D.C., which had riots in the 1960s. Some have suggested the incidents were a rebellion against a lack of jobs and education in Detroit.
The commission's report, which will be released in full this year, found:
• Some employers still "steer" minority applicants into the worst jobs; real estate agents send them to less desirable neighborhoods and mortgage lenders accept fewer applications than those from similar whites.
• Unemployment and underemployment were the most important causes of poverty, yet African-American unemployment has remained twice as high as white unemployment during each of the four decades since 1968. About 37 million Americans live in poverty, while 46 million Americans are without health insurance.
• Educational disparities remain linked to funding. The wealthiest 10 percent of school districts in the United States spend nearly 10 times more than the poorest 10 percent.
• Poor African-Americans are three times as likely as non-Hispanic whites to live in deep poverty, below half of the poverty line.
• Minorities receive longer sentences than whites for the same crimes.
The report called for the following remedies: boosting the $5.85 an hour minimum wage beyond the $7.25 an hour the U.S. has set to increase to in 2009; passing laws to require the Federal Reserve to take action whenever unemployment rises above 4 percent; approving the Employee Free Choice Act to make it easier to form unions; increasing job training and college grants for low-income students and make funding for public school districts more equitable.
The Eisenhower Foundation report echoes findings by The News in a two-day series published last July that found the white-black gap still persists. Black incomes in Detroit are down since 1970, while they're up for whites. More blacks are going to college than before, but nearly twice as many whites are too. The white-black employment gap is the same now as it was in 1960.
"It's kind of telling given all of the bickering and finger-pointing by some that (suggest) Detroit has gotten into the predicament by itself," said the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, Michigan chapter president of the National Action Network.
"It's not new to me, (but) it's something suburbanites want to ignore and say we alone are responsible for the deplorable plight of the city, which is not true."
Maureen Taylor, who served on Detroit's panel last November, said the Eisenhower findings weren't harsh enough. She would have recommended a D-.
"There is no war against poverty in America," said Taylor, the state chairwoman of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization. "There is a war against the poor. We have to go and change the circumstances of poverty."
But others are still optimistic. A Detroit News poll found six in 10 African-Americans said they feel blacks have made at least some economic progress since 1967.
Ulysses Chauffe, a west side Detroit resident, said he doesn't see it as a lack of progress, but rather people who are not taking advantage of the resources available.
"This generation is more informed and has more tools available to them than past generations," said Chauffe, 54. "It's whether or not you grasp onto that. I don't think that more so than (in the past) it's we're under some type of glass ceiling that keeps us from progressing. It's ourselves."
You can reach Darren A. Nichols at (734) 462-2190 or dnichols@detnews.com.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
A Work in Progress
February 23, 2008
Grand Rapids Press
Life under Proposal 2 has been tough for minority and women contractors looking to do work for the city of Grand Rapids. A preliminary study shows a sharp drop in the number of them getting a piece of city construction jobs. It's an indication that the state's year-old law banning affirmative action programs for governments and schools is working at cross purposes with helping historically disenfranchised people achieve economic success.
That task is now left to the private sector, which can make boardroom decisions that are cognizant of workforce diversity and economic inclusiveness. Those things are important in an increasingly diverse community and consumer base. They don't tend to happen on their own, if the diversity issue isn't forced or incentivized. In California and Washington State, which passed affirmative action bans a decade ago, minority and women contractors are getting much less government work than before the bans took effect.
In Grand Rapids, a year into Prop 2, fewer minority- and women-owned firms are being used as subcontractors on city projects, despite a 45 percent increase in construction spending. The number of minority subcontractors working on city projects fell from 31 in 2006 to 18 last year. Women subcontractors dropped from 18 to just six, a nearly 70 percent decrease. Minority firms received $2.6 million in subcontract work from the city in 2006, but that fell to $1.2 million last year. Subcontract work going to women-owned companies fell from $837,000 to $255,000.
While minorities and women are taking financial hits under Prop 2, business is booming for companies owned by white males. The number of subcontracts the city had with such companies jumped from 56 in 2006 to 147 last year. The dollar value of subcontracts with white
male owned companies soared more than 500 percent, from $6 million in 2006, to more than $30 million last year.
The city's preliminary report notes that some contractors may have stopped reporting subcontracts with minorities and women because they believed it would violate Proposal 2.
Fortunately, more private sector construction jobs have opened up because of diversity programs instituted by Spectrum Health, the Van Andel Institute and Christman Co., which is building the health care complex on the Michigan Street Hill in Grand Rapids. Spectrum has made minority participation part of the bid evaluations for contractors hoping to work on the $92 million Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion, the $250 million Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and a pending $98 million renovation of Blodgett Hospital. That's a welcome development that other companies should emulate.
It's not about favoritism for minorities and women, but about economic progress and inclusion. Often minority- and women-owned companies are smaller, less established firms. They have little chance of outbidding bigger companies for major construction projects, in the public or private sector. They can, however, get a foothold in business by doing work that's subcontracted out on such projects.
Providing capable companies a chance to prove themselves and prosper is beneficial to the economic health of the entire area. A lack of diversity in work opportunities for minority- and women-owned firms is not the image this community wants to project as it tries to retain and recruit businesses and residents.
Grand Rapids Press
Life under Proposal 2 has been tough for minority and women contractors looking to do work for the city of Grand Rapids. A preliminary study shows a sharp drop in the number of them getting a piece of city construction jobs. It's an indication that the state's year-old law banning affirmative action programs for governments and schools is working at cross purposes with helping historically disenfranchised people achieve economic success.
That task is now left to the private sector, which can make boardroom decisions that are cognizant of workforce diversity and economic inclusiveness. Those things are important in an increasingly diverse community and consumer base. They don't tend to happen on their own, if the diversity issue isn't forced or incentivized. In California and Washington State, which passed affirmative action bans a decade ago, minority and women contractors are getting much less government work than before the bans took effect.
In Grand Rapids, a year into Prop 2, fewer minority- and women-owned firms are being used as subcontractors on city projects, despite a 45 percent increase in construction spending. The number of minority subcontractors working on city projects fell from 31 in 2006 to 18 last year. Women subcontractors dropped from 18 to just six, a nearly 70 percent decrease. Minority firms received $2.6 million in subcontract work from the city in 2006, but that fell to $1.2 million last year. Subcontract work going to women-owned companies fell from $837,000 to $255,000.
While minorities and women are taking financial hits under Prop 2, business is booming for companies owned by white males. The number of subcontracts the city had with such companies jumped from 56 in 2006 to 147 last year. The dollar value of subcontracts with white
male owned companies soared more than 500 percent, from $6 million in 2006, to more than $30 million last year.
The city's preliminary report notes that some contractors may have stopped reporting subcontracts with minorities and women because they believed it would violate Proposal 2.
Fortunately, more private sector construction jobs have opened up because of diversity programs instituted by Spectrum Health, the Van Andel Institute and Christman Co., which is building the health care complex on the Michigan Street Hill in Grand Rapids. Spectrum has made minority participation part of the bid evaluations for contractors hoping to work on the $92 million Lemmon-Holton Cancer Pavilion, the $250 million Helen DeVos Children's Hospital and a pending $98 million renovation of Blodgett Hospital. That's a welcome development that other companies should emulate.
It's not about favoritism for minorities and women, but about economic progress and inclusion. Often minority- and women-owned companies are smaller, less established firms. They have little chance of outbidding bigger companies for major construction projects, in the public or private sector. They can, however, get a foothold in business by doing work that's subcontracted out on such projects.
Providing capable companies a chance to prove themselves and prosper is beneficial to the economic health of the entire area. A lack of diversity in work opportunities for minority- and women-owned firms is not the image this community wants to project as it tries to retain and recruit businesses and residents.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
High Court pushed to diversify juries
February 13, 2008
The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Days after Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick reiterated complaints about the racial makeup of juries in Wayne County Circuit Court, activists gathered Tuesday to criticize the state's top court for failing to fix what they claim is a broken system.
The Circuit Court is working on reforms to attract more minorities to juries. It has drawn flack -- and legal challenges -- because 26 percent of jurors are black, even though they comprise 41 percent of the county's 2 million residents. The Michigan Supreme Court waded into the issue Friday but didn't directly address whether the lack of diversity violates constitutional guarantees to trial by juries of peers.
"Lawyers, labor, religious and civil rights leaders all have been at odds with what we see as a biased system," said Ron Scott, executive director of the Committee to Restore Justice, who joined activists and union leaders who gathered Tuesday to protest the ruling.
Kilpatrick took up the issue last fall, after a mostly suburban jury of 11 whites and one African-American ruled in favor of police officers who filed a whistle-blower suit alleging retaliation for investigating allegations of misdeeds by the mayor and his staff.
The verdict led to an $8.4 million settlement that has ignited the biggest scandal of Kilpatrick's career. The settlement kept secret text messages that appeared to reveal a sexual relationship with a staffer that the mayor denied under oath.
Read More
The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Days after Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick reiterated complaints about the racial makeup of juries in Wayne County Circuit Court, activists gathered Tuesday to criticize the state's top court for failing to fix what they claim is a broken system.
The Circuit Court is working on reforms to attract more minorities to juries. It has drawn flack -- and legal challenges -- because 26 percent of jurors are black, even though they comprise 41 percent of the county's 2 million residents. The Michigan Supreme Court waded into the issue Friday but didn't directly address whether the lack of diversity violates constitutional guarantees to trial by juries of peers.
"Lawyers, labor, religious and civil rights leaders all have been at odds with what we see as a biased system," said Ron Scott, executive director of the Committee to Restore Justice, who joined activists and union leaders who gathered Tuesday to protest the ruling.
Kilpatrick took up the issue last fall, after a mostly suburban jury of 11 whites and one African-American ruled in favor of police officers who filed a whistle-blower suit alleging retaliation for investigating allegations of misdeeds by the mayor and his staff.
The verdict led to an $8.4 million settlement that has ignited the biggest scandal of Kilpatrick's career. The settlement kept secret text messages that appeared to reveal a sexual relationship with a staffer that the mayor denied under oath.
Read More
Flint students try to silence 'n word'
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Flint Journal
FLINT -- Flint Southwestern Academy students are on a campaign to ban the "n word" among black students and young adults.
But they say not everyone understands the effort.
"I lost friends over this," Maurice Hood, 17, told the Flint City Council on Monday.
"They'll say, 'It's my mouth,' and I'll point out how it's not how I talk anymore and it's not being respectful. You find out who your real friends are."
But the students also have picked up a lot of support -- including the city council, which honored them on Monday.
Councilman Delrico Loyd said he doesn't buy the idea that the "n" word when said by blacks is not offensive.
Loyd, 22, said he hears the "n" word a lot among the under-30 crowd.
"They use it and I think it sends the wrong signal. We need to look inside ourselves and ask ourselves what kind of example are we setting?" Loyd said.
Loyd, 22, bought two t-shirts Monday that are being sold by the Southwestern students.
The shirts have a crossed out "n" and say "Just Don't Say It" on the front. On the back is a colorful African map and a phrase encouraging people to say "mukoma," which means respected brother in Zimbabwe.
Read More
The Flint Journal
FLINT -- Flint Southwestern Academy students are on a campaign to ban the "n word" among black students and young adults.
But they say not everyone understands the effort.
"I lost friends over this," Maurice Hood, 17, told the Flint City Council on Monday.
"They'll say, 'It's my mouth,' and I'll point out how it's not how I talk anymore and it's not being respectful. You find out who your real friends are."
But the students also have picked up a lot of support -- including the city council, which honored them on Monday.
Councilman Delrico Loyd said he doesn't buy the idea that the "n" word when said by blacks is not offensive.
Loyd, 22, said he hears the "n" word a lot among the under-30 crowd.
"They use it and I think it sends the wrong signal. We need to look inside ourselves and ask ourselves what kind of example are we setting?" Loyd said.
Loyd, 22, bought two t-shirts Monday that are being sold by the Southwestern students.
The shirts have a crossed out "n" and say "Just Don't Say It" on the front. On the back is a colorful African map and a phrase encouraging people to say "mukoma," which means respected brother in Zimbabwe.
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