Christine Beatty Takes The Deal! Pleads Guilty In Detroit Sex Text Message Scandal! Begs Detroiters For “Forgiveness”

Christine Beatty Pleads Guilty In Detroit

SOUTHFIELD — She famously rolled her eyes and struck a defiant pose throughout the whistle-blower lawsuit against her and her former boss. But Christine Beatty broke into tears and spoke of contrition today during a press conference at her attorney’s office.

“I am extremely sorry for all the people who were harmed in this ordeal,” said Beatty, former chief of staff for ex-mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, as she read a prepared statement. Beatty spoke at attorney Mayer Morganroth’s Southfield office.

Beatty pleaded guilty earlier today to two counts of obstructing justice for lying on the witness stand during a police whistle-blower lawsuit in the text message scandal. As part of the plea deal with Wayne County Prosecutors, Beatty will serve a 120-day jail sentence; remain on probation for five years; and pay $100,000 restitution to the city.

She explained why she took the deal, saying, “After many long months, I decided to end this ordeal. I decided not to go through that, and not take a chance … of being there for my daughters.”

Beatty said she wanted to “especially apologize to the people of the great city of Detroit. I am truly sorry. Detroit is my home, and I hope one day the work that was accomplished will eventually show through.”

To her supporters, Beatty said, “Please continue to pray for me and my family,” and she gave a special thanks “to my mother, my family, my church family and my friends. You have stuck by me at every turn and I could not have made it through a single day without you. I thank God you were with me during that time.

“This has been a very trying time but also a very spiritual one.”

Article Written by George Hunter for The Detroit News

Will He Or Won’t He? Sources Say Detroit Mayor To Plead Guilty On Thursday!

Wayne County Assistant Prosecutor Maria Miller created a media frenzy by issuing a statement saying that embattled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick had agreed to a plea deal and then moments later, rescinding that statement. Sources in Detroit are divided over what to make of the rescinded announcement. Insiders in the KIlpatrick administration say that the Mayor has no intentions of accepting a plea deal that was leaked by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s office weeks ago.

However, Judge Edward Ewell, Sr. told the Detroit Free Press late Wednesday that Kwame Kilpatrick is expected to plead guilty 9am Thursday morning in front of Wayne County Court Circuit Judge David Groner.

Will he or won’t he? Mayor Kilpatrick would more than likely stand a better chance politically if he did plead out instead of going to trial. A trial would indeed disclose the mayor’s dirty, filthy laundry for all to dissect. The audience could very well include indirectly the mayor’s immediate and extended family. Why put the ones he love through such a traumatic and publicly humiliating experience?

Why put Detroit residents through more of the same kind of intense national scrutiny that they have survived for more than three years now? If the mayor does plan to plead guilty Thursday, he will do the citizens of Detroit and his own family a huge favor.

For once Kwame, think of the citizens whom you work for and not your own selfish, prideful interests.

No More Kilpatrick Columns on “Lavande & Chocolat Amer!” We’re On Strike Until The Trial!

The staff here at ‘Lavande & Chocolat Amer” have come to this sickening reality: We are sick and tired of being sick and tired of covering Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his never-ending and confusing antics. We are tired of trying to make some sort of sense out of the circus that is going on in Detroit. One reporter told us that “it is a real live zoo here in Detroit.”

We agree. That is why all of us here at “Lavande & Chocolat Amer” have decided to call a Kwame Kilpatrick “black out.”

Until the Kilpatrick-Beatty trial begins, we will no longer present stories about the embattled Detroit Mayor and the Detroit City Council. We do have one exception, however. The decision whether or not to remove the mayor that is to be handed down by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm WILL be reported. This is the only exception.

We at “Lavande & Chocolat Amer” made this collective decision because our personal opinions about the mayor and his legal issues was beginning to cloud our journalistic integrity and steal our time. “Lavande & Chocolat Amer” is an African American news and commentary site that prides itself in being objective, neutral and opinionated according to the principles of journalism. We are NOT a 24 hour Kwame Kilpatrick news wire service, of which we had slowly become.

So, no more Kwame until his and Christine Beatty’s perjury and criminal misconduct trial  in the Fall.

We’re on a “Kwame Kilpatrick Strike!”

You Read It Here First! The Rotting Stench In Detroit Goes Deeper Than Kilpatrick

If you are an avid reader of “Lavande’ & Chocolat Amer,” then you are familiar with the assessment that was given here in regards to the state of affairs in Detroit. Though the calls for Mayor Kilpatrick’s head in the form of a resignation letter would be a slight improvement in Detroit, it would just be that…slight.

As was seen all over the country Thursday, justice is spelled grammatically different in Detroit, Michigan. Only in Detroit will you find an obvious and blatant “suspect” Circuit Court Judge name Leonard Townsend, practice his own tailored style of justice for a man that has been charged with multiple felony counts and found in violation of his bond. Because Mayor Kilpatrick is “an important person,” in Judge Townsend’s eyes, it is ”unfair” to impose a restrictive consequence to a defendant that has repeatedly shown contempt for the bond that he is under. The defendant shouldn’t have to wear an embarrassing electronic tether on his person so the Court can be well-informed of his movements. In Judge Townsend’s eyes, all of this is mere “silliness.”

Well, I do agree with Judge Townsend on that point: the silliness of this entire Kilpatrick saga.

Yes, it is “silly” for the mayor of a major city in the U.S. to be walking around with a tether on. But who caused this minor event to occur? The mayor himself by knowingly and purposely violating the conditions of his bond and landing his behind in jail. That was straight up “silly.” When the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department attempted to serve a subpoena on one of Kilpatrick’s friends at his sisters’ residence, and the mayor proceeded to instigate a shoving match, that was “silly,” too. Cheating on your wife like she is just a nobody that birthed three of your children, that is “silly.” You know that I can continue with this train of thought, right?

But Kwame Kilpatrick isn’t the worst part of Detroit’s problems. As I previously mentioned in a another column, Detroit needs to be cleaned from the top down. It is more than obvious to the world that a lot wrong with the city of Detroit stems from those who have the power or are a part of the power structure. With the performance of Judge Townsend, so alarmingly and appallingly on ‘the take,’ it is not hard to understand why Kwame Kilpatrick is still in office. How could a judge out and out, in front of the whole entire viewing audience, bend the rules with an ‘in you face’ sarcastic attitude and a smile, and the citizens of Detroit not riot?

It is because the rotting stench of back-door politicking has become a way of life in Detroit. While the mayor temporarily gains a victory because he “is an important person,” African American men in Detroit are being shuffled to jail for life on trumped up convictions just to close out a potential cold case. While it is okay for the mayor to ‘jump bail’ by “simply going across the street” to Canada, (which by the way IS a country, Councilwoman Barbara Rose Collins!) can the same be said for ole ‘Joe Blow’ on Kercheval? Doesn’t someone in his life deem him “important,” too?

So, the next African American man that comes through the court of Judge Townsend should expect, no deserves to be treated like the mayor was today, right? WRONG! The corruption going down in Detroit and that was on perfect display for the world to see, doesn’t begin or end with the resignation of Kwame Kilpatrick. He is just a minor player in these stench-drenched games.

The Kilpatrick Aftermath: Was It All Part Of A Plan?

Mayhem has literally broken out on the streets of Detroit. Protesters have formed outside of city government offices with placards and voices screaming, “Free Kwame! Free our Mayor!” Dissension is in the air and the citizens of Detroit are at one anothers throats over the Mayoral Madness.

But could this all perhaps be a part of the master plan? What master plan, you ask? The plan to run away with a legal victory in favor of Kwame Kilpatrick. Far fetched? Could be. But the facts, however, proves the case.

Why would Mayor Kilpatrick knowingly break the statutes of his bond just to go across the bridge for a 90 minute meeting? Especially after Judge Giles had specifically told him not to appear before his court with another bond violation or else? Being the mayor of a large and thriving city, Kwame is used to the usual above and below board perks. Isn’t one of those perks being able to contact any judge in the city of Detroit, informing and requesting an okay to handle “emergency” city business? Does anyone really believe that a judge would turn down this request? As the mayor, what red tape existed that Kilpatrick patriots could not have cut in an expedited fashion to save a city in crisis?

Kilpatrick has top-notch legal representation that he pays enormous fees to, or so he alleges. Did he perhaps run this emergency past them? Did they agree to his scheme to run across the bridge to save the city of Detroit? Did they warn him of what would be the out-come if he violated the conditions of his bond?

Or did they encourage him to do so?

Ponder this: Prosecutor Kym Worthy has a pretty strong case against Kwame Kilpatrick. She has text-messages. She has public apologies. She has the resignation of Christine Beatty. She has piles and piles of testimony from the civil lawsuit that cost Detroit taxpayers nearly nine million dollars. She has an open and shut case for perjury and criminal misconduct. Any “Law and Order” fan will accurately surmise this. How can you beat a case with this much evidence?

Strategy. With all the media and citizen hoopla going on in Detroit, where will the Kilpatrick  legal minds find an unbiased jury? A jury without passion or a jury who could really care less in the city of Detroit? EVERY ONE has an opinion in the ‘D.’ With Kilpatrick’s arrest yesterday, which made nationwide headlines, will it be hard to get a change of venue? Take the trial to Howell, or Flint, or Northville. Anywhere but Detroit. Anywhere the population is resistant and neutral to Kilpatrick and the climate can be manipulated.

Would Kwame Kilpatrick, who claims ”I listen to my attorneys,” go along witha plan that included an over-night stay in the Wayne County Jail, simply to deconstruct and prepare a whole new case, complete with new faces and places? If this is the plan, IF this is the plan, Kym Worthy gets part of her wish granted. It is true that the 36th District Court may lean a great deal towards the Kilpatrick administration. IF the hypothetical plan succeeds, then the motion to change venue is more than likely.

YET, taking the trial that has affected every living soul in Detroit for almost six years now, out of the city limits, PERIOD, is not a good thing. Maybe Kwame’s attorneys have found a way to beat an air tight case of solid truth with a technicality.

It happens all the time.

Contributed by Lavande’ & Chocolat Amer Staff Writer Shala-LaNice Stigler and Editorial Director Tracey Ricks Foster

Detroit City Council Meets To Discuss Mayor’s Plight This Morning

Detroit City Council members are meeting in their chambers at this hour discussing mayoral forfeiture proceedings. This meeting was scheduled before Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was shipped to the Wayne County Jail for violating his bond.

In a stunning twist of events, the Detroit City Council finds itself in a more poised position to successfully wrestle control of the City of Detroit from its’ embattled mayor. Governor Jennifer Granholm has agreed to begin mayoral removal proceedings on September 3rd, per the request of the Detroit City Council.

Late Thursday, Council President Ken Cockeral, Jr. said that it is a “very unfortunate saga that we hope draws to a conclusion real soon.” Barbara Rose Collins, Detroit City Council member expressed her feelings on the matter:

“I think he (Kilpatrick) should resign. I don’t like those Kilpatricks. The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm Set Hearing Date For Kilpatrick Removal Talks

Not wanting to get in the middle of the tug of war struggle between Detroit City Council and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, a war which has been raging for seven months now, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has decided to get her feet wet.

Thursday evening, a representative from the Michigan Governor’s Office announced that Gov. Granholm had indeed set a hearing date for September 3, 2008, in order to hear arguments regarding the removal of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from office. More than likely, Gov. Granholm was forced to reconsider her neutral stance after the jailing of Kilpatrick Thursday.

Detroit City Council asked Gov. Granholm to intervene in the process of removing Kilpatrick from his mayoral duties soon after the mayor was indicted on misconduct and perjury charges stemming from the firing of three police officers, and an alleged affair with his top aide, Christine Beatty.

Detroit Mayor’s MugShot Released; Wayne County Sheriff Holds Press Conference

Another one for the scrapbooks. Jailed Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s mugshot has been released to the public. This is his second mugshot in months. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was jailed Thursday afternoon after a 36th District Court judge found him guilty of violating the terms of his bond.

Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans held a press conference Thursday afternoon, after the Mayor was safely transported to the Wayne County Jail in Downtown Detroit.

“The Mayor will be treated no better or no worse than every other prisoner in the same situation in the Wayne County Jail,” Evans explained. “The Mayor will be put in a restrictive area for high profile people. This goes in accordance with the policies that dictate how to handle high profile prisoners.”

Wayne County Deputy Sheriff Warren Evans also added that because of the altercation that the Mayor incited between himself and a Wayne County sheriff a few weeks back, Kilpatrick’s involvement with the inside administration ”will be restricted to some extent.” Mayor Kilpatrick will have access to his attorneys and allowed a visitor within 24 hours.

Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Apologizes To Court; Yet Places Blame And Makes More Excuses For Actions!

Thursday morning, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick stood before 36th District Court Judge Ronald Giles and said “I’m sorry.”

“This is not an affront to you and this court…I have been doing the best of my ability. I always listen to my attorneys and I am trying to be a good mayor.”

With that, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick went into his litany of excuses for why he knowingly and consciously broke the terms of his bond on July 23. The first target? The media. “I have been under intense media scrutiny for the past seven months.” He then started to elaborate about the numerous helicopters and reporters that follow him every day. “That reporter right over there,” Mayor Kilpatrick pointed out in the court room, “sits outside my house every day.”

Then Kilpatrick blamed “the $300 million dollar deficit that was left to me by the previous administration.” That would be former Mayor Dennis Archer. He indirectly blamed the Windsor City Council for nearly letting the Detroit/ Windsor Tunnel fall through the cracks. If it was not for his own quick thinking and timing, Mayor Kilpatrick  explained, the City of Detroit would have eventually come to a screeching halt.

“If I didn’t dig in to get this deal back on track,” Kilpatrick rattled on, “700 police officers would have lost their jobs, fire fighters would be laid-off and recreation centers would have to close.”

Which is why Mayor Kilpatrick made the “emergency decision” to make a quick jaunt across the tunnel to “make a presentation to the Windsor City Council and I succeeded,” meaning he was able to convince the Windsor City Council to go along with the deal to run the Detroit side of the tunnel. “I respect the process and I did violate the bond because the Windsor City Council had decided to veto the deal,” Kilpatrick confessed boldly. So, the blame also is shared with the Windsor City Council.

He concluded his statement by saying: ”I told my sons to watch these proceedings because I did something wrong. I’m not disrespecting you or this court or the City of Detroit.”

Detroit Mayor’s Office Releases Statement To Detroiters: “City Operating As Usual”

Deputy Mayor Kandia Milton will have the official job of running the City of Detroit overnight as Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick languishes in a Wayne County Jail cell for violating his bond.

The Office of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick released this statement to the public minutes ago:

“Detroit government will continue to operate as usual. As there is in any city, a deputy mayor is appointed to over see city operations in the Mayor’s absence.

“A letter filed with the City Clerk nearly two weeks ago appointed Kandia Milton as Deputy Mayor beginning August 1. Mayor Kilpatrick has also appointed very talented directors and deputy directors to run day to day operations of our city.

“Trash will continue to be collected, recreation centers will remain open. Grass will be cut and fires extinguished. Once again, residents can be assured government will continue to operate as usual.”

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick On His Way To Jail! Judge Revokes Bond!

In a stunning, but not so surprising move this morning, 36th District Court Judge Ronald Giles remanded Detroit’s embattled mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, to the Wayne County Jail, thereby revoking his already threatened bond. In court, Mayor Kilpatrickawaited his fate with a solemn expression on his face.

The hearing was called when the court was notified that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick made a specified trip to Canada on July 23, without informing the court. It was noted that the mayor made numerous calls that day in preparation for his trip, however, for some reason, failed to notify the proper authorities of his plans or whereabouts. It is also not known at this time if the Canada trip was business related.

Judge Ronald Giles asked for a two minute break before he alerted the court of his decision. Stating that Mayor Kilpatrick had made a previous appearance before the court just weeks ago after being involved in a shoving incident with a Wayne County Sheriff, and was thereby warned not to appear in front of the bench again before trial, Judge Giles said that even if the mayor was “John Sixpack,” he would say what came next: “You are remanded to the Wayne County Jail.”

An appeal hearing is scheduled for Friday morning at 9am. But for now, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will have to spend the night in jail.

If you have read any of Lavande & Chocolat Amer’s coverage of Kwame Kilpatrick and the historical circus mess in Detroit, you will recall that WE predicted that Mayor Kilpatrick would indeed see the insides of a jail. Now, this particular ‘stay’ will more than likely be a temporary one. But, by the end of this year, Kwame Kilpatrick will be trading in the lush digs of the Manoogian Mansion for a prison cell and a jumpsuit.

Keep up the Good Work, Kwame!

My Visit Home: A Former Detroiter’s Tale Pt. 4

On our fourth day, back in the city of Detroit, it was time to do some sight-seeing! Yeah. Sight seeing. I know that it sounds ridiculous to say that we were excited to tour a city that we knew like the back of our hand. A city whose streets we had walked and clocked probably a billion miles. However, being away from the familiar created a longing that had to be fulfilled. This longing didn’t stop with my husband and I. Our eleven year old caught the Detroit sight-seeing bug, too!

When we first entered into the city limit after that seriously long road trip from Florida, my son’s first request was that we go downtown. Being that I 75 was undergoing some serious rehab, we had to detour unto I 96, which took us directly in the opposite direction. But we promised that the Fosters would not leave the city of Detroit until we headed downtown.

Now, we have been living in Florida for almost three years. A lot of the major superficial transformation of the downtown area happened while we were still residing in the “D.” Ford Field was hosting the Lions in its’ new home. The Tigers were playing in Comerica Park. My husband worked on the plans for Campus Martius and watched those developments on paper come to life. So, what truly interested us was the landmarks. For instance, The Spirit of Detroit. Yet, when we pulled up to the City County Building, to our horror, The Spirit of Detroit was covered for repairs and rehab. How symbolic!

Hart Plaza, another landmark, was bustling with activity. But not like in the days of the Ethnic Festivals! I know some of you can remember those days! I met a lot of cutie pie Debarge, Michael Jackson and Prince look-a-likes at the Festivals! Mom, your suspicions were correct! But that wasn’t the only reason why me and my friends frequented the Festivals every summer. Just being downtown, walking along the river front, enjoying the smells of barbeque everything, the exotic fragrances of the many different cultures represented, being amongst the thousands of people who were all at Hart Plaza for the same purpose: to enjoy the Detroit night air and sounds and the beautiful Windsor skyline.

We drove through the world-famous Greek Town. Though greatly altered due to casino parking structures, Greek Town is still a cool spot for some GREAT FOOD! I just hate the fact that the casino is smack dead in the center of it. Instead of people taking that two mile walk from Hart Plaza into Brick then Greek Town and really getting that whole Detroit vibe, the casino has sucked this part of downtown Detroit dry of its’ lifeblood. I know that with time there are changes and movement for the better. But I never once thought that the casino in the middle of Greek Town was a good thing. I bet Greek Town business owners probably feel the same way right about now.

After driving around downtown and seeing the various sights, we headed towards our former home. On the way up Jefferson, what sane Detroiter can resist stopping at Belle Isle? On this particular day, the Detroit Department of Parks and Recreation were out and about with their landscaping duties, getting the park ready for Fourth of July picnickers. Belle Isle is still one of the most beautiful spots in Detroit.

Our former home rests on the dividing line of Detroit and Grosse Pointe. So, drivng into Grosse Pointe made me feel like I was truly home again. So much of my time, my family’s time was spent in one of the three Grosse Pointes. Whether it was shopping for groceries at my favorite store, Kroger Premier, on Kercheval, or my husband’s favorite Kroger on Mack and Moross, eating breakfast at either The Original Pancake House or The Country Kitchen, auditioning for parts at the Grosse Pointe Theatre (yes, I am a trained actress! That’s a little known fact!), taking the kids for a stroll and ice cream, or meeting my favorite sistafriends at my ‘other’ home, Borders (where I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Detroit’s own Anita Baker and the legendary Vandellas!).

Riding through the Pointes on Jefferson Ave and viewing the great Detroit River as it turns into Lake St. Clair is an awesome sight! Being that close to the water and smelling the breeze from it is breathtaking! I took a lot of pictures of yachts and just ordinary boats out sailing on this partly sunny day. I am aware that Grosse Pointe is not Detroit, but it is tighly linked to the city. In fact, there are parts of Grosse Pointe that once was considered a part of Detroit. The Grosse Pointe War Memorial used to be The Detroit Institute of Arts home. And before that, it was the official Detroit Mayoral residence  back in the 1920′s and 30′s. Way before Mr. Manoogian bequeathed his mansion to the City of Detroit.

Our sight-seeing adventure was a great one. We met up with old neighborhood friends and acquaintances that hadn’t forgotten us. We reminisced about the good and not so good times that all of us shared together in Detroit. We even got a glimpse of the new River Walk. A word about that: with the city in such bad shape, why was millions spent on this instead of being pumped into neighorhoods such as the Livernois/Eight Mile and Dexter/Elmhurst areas? A lot of old-timers still live in homes they bought fifty and sixty years ago. These seniors have been forgotten. They will more than likely never take a step on the River Walk. But they are still bound by law to pay their taxes…and on time…every year. What exactly is their taxes really doing for them? Garbage gets picked up haphazardly. Crime is over-abundant. Schools are closing at an alarming rate. Entire neighborhoods are either being burned out or bull-dozered. Neighborhood first-rate grocery stores are non-existant. Public transportation is shady at best. If it bleeds, it leads news broadcasts. A city goverment at war. And according to Sam Riddle, Detroit is the most corrupt city in the nation.

Something to think about.

My Visit Home: A Former Detroiter’s Tale Pt.1

Am I happy to be home again? Definitely! There is absolutely nothing like being back on the soil that nurtured, nourished, damaged and refined me. Yes, Detroit did all of these things for me. I love the city of my birth for all the right and wrong reasons. It has to do with the air. I think that every place has its’ own spirit. Its’ own soul. Detroit is no different. Even though in every manner that counts, Detroit is impoverished and depleted, you can’t completely count the ‘D’ out. If you still live in the city, this great city of Detroit, you can’t afford to count it out just yet.

Driving into Michigan, from my new home in Florida, you notice the change. Or maybe it hasn’t changed. Maybe I never quite noticed it enough to appreciate. I 75  was a straight up mess! Bumpy and full of patched holes. Coming home from the South where the highways of Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee are smooth as butter, it was a total shock and shift in scenery. Litter lined the highway like it had taken up residence there. Factories sending toxic fumes into the atmosphere stood erect and solemn. The sky was gray and a light film of rain fell ominously from full, dark clouds. The greeting was symbolic: Welcome Home! Look What You Left Behind! Wanna Come Back?

Surprisingly, for a minute, I considered actually moving back here. Nostalgia and acute home-sickness can account for this behavior. I do miss my family and friends. I miss Detroit. But I am saddened. When Kwame Kilpatrick first made his bid to run for mayor,  he promised change. Kwame promised the people of Detroit that he would improve their quality of life, clean up the neighborhoods, fight crime and bring the school system up to the level of excellence. Driving into Detroit, I found whole neighborhoods obliterated, never to return.

For instance, the Plymouth and Joy area. The Herman Garden projects needed to be torn down. They were a nuisance because the City of Detroit made haphazard attempts to revitalize Herman Gardens. The contractors were career money hungry thieves who supplied substandard crews that instead of rebuilding and refurbishing Herman Gardens, finished tearing it down, brick by brick.

A few years ago, Mayor Kilpatrick green lighted plans that would place commerce and new homes on the location where Herman Gardens once stood. Driving by there Sunday, I wondered why that giant vacant graveyard of dreams past still slumbered. Where is the promised development? Why does the entire Plymouth, Joy and Greenfield neighborhood look as if it had been bombed by Al Queda? Why is the true ‘heart’ of the city of Detroit barely cognitive and beating? Where is Mayor Kilpatrick? Does anyone hear the cries of those within the Plymouth, Joy and Greenfield triangle? How about the cries of its’ most vulnerable citizens?

Passing by mid-afternoon Sunday, I heard every last cry.

Part 2: A Time To Cry, A Time To Live, A Time To Die.

Detroit Mayor Kilpatrick Plans To Be A ‘No Show’ At Obama Rally Tonight

Scandal plagued Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick announced today that he would not be attending the rally to be held for presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama tonight. Mayor Kilpatrick, in a press conference held Monday afternoon, stated that the decision to not attend the Obama rally was strictly his “choice.”

Was it? Claiming to have a “good relationship” with Barack Obama that includes numerous of “phone conversations,” and a “ten hour conference” with Obama and his campaign organizers, Mayor Kilpatrick worked overtime trying to convince the Detroit public that even though he has this ‘nightmare text message soap opera’ hanging over his head, he and Barack Obama are the best of friends. And it is because of this ‘firendship’ that he has chosen not to taint the rally with his presence.

What a crock of crap! That ten hour conversation that Kwame Kilpatrick and the Obama camp had was nothing more than a negotiating session. Kwame wanted to come to the rally and Obama’s camp said don’t even bother. With good reason, too! Who would want a blatant liar and extortionist of millions of tax dollars out of the citizens of Detroit’s pockets associated with the front-runner in the campaign for the highest office in the country? When selfish, self-serving Mayor Kilpatrick insisted that he show his face, that is when the negotiating began.

Also, lets not forget the fall-out Barack had to suffer over his association with Rev. Jeremiah Wright. All Senator Obama needs is to breathe the same crusty air that Kwame does and it will be all over! The Republicans are certainly poised to pounce over even the tiniest misstep on Obama’s part.

I mean, really. This rally has been planned and over planned for months. Detroit pulled off the event of a lifetime a few years ago…The Super Bowl…so a rally at an arena is not a ten hour conversation. It is my opinion, and only my opinion that some kind of deal was made. I think that Barack Obama is a cool guy, but that Kwame…well lets just say that it wasn’t his “Choice” to not attend the most important rally in Detroit history since the visit of Dr. Martin Luther King where he made his “I Have A Dream” speech …two weeks before he revisited it in Washington. Obama and Kwame are politicians. They know the game and how it is played.

So it will be interesting to see how all this plays out if: Obama is elected President AND if by some miracle Kwame Kilpatrick is not behind bars.

Detroit City Council Makes Historic Moves To Oust Mayor

In a history making moment today, Detroit City Council, in a vote of 5-4, agreed to begin procedures to oust embattled Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Detroit City Council plans to take action in two swift historic movements.

The first strike of attack will come from the Detroit City Council itself. President Ken Cockrel and the rest of the City Council have passed a resolution to remove Mayor Kilpatrick from office. Within the next few days, Detroit City Council will prepare to take action in conjunction with this resolution.

The next absolute plan to remove Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick from his mayoral seat is in the hands of Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. Detroit City Council this morning  also sent a resolution and request to the Michigan governor to effectively remove Mayor Kilpatrick from his position.

It seems that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s time is indeed running out.

A Message To Christine Beatty…OOPS! A Message For All Sistas

When I read the released text messages between embattled Mayor of Detroit, Kwame ‘Big Pimpin’ Kilpatrick and his former Chief of Staff, supposed ‘Mrs. Kwame Kilpatrick, 2012′, I was aghast and horrified! Why? It is apparent that Christine Beatty fell for the oldest pimpin playa trap known to man.

The Bait and Switch. What is that? This is when a man, who is unavailable for a relationship, entices a woman to become involved with him on the premise that he: 1. Loves her forever. 2. Wants to share a life with her. 3. Desires to have sex with her.

Some men will tell a woman upfront that they simply want a no strings attached type of thang with a woman. That there is no possibility that they will divorce the wife. They don’t even want to. They like their world just the way it is…with a nice, occasional dessert on the side. If you are in the market for having an affair, this is the right man for you. For real. You know what to expect.

The scheming, cowardly man, is going to bait you into an affair, first. Wine and dine you. Make you feel like a Queen. Then when you are completely hooked, you leave your man or your husband because of having eaten the bait whole; he switches on you. How about you move into your own apartment. He doesn’t call or come over like he should.

Or he keeps you waiting for his call for three hours. All of a sudden, the adventure is over and done with and the high has been depleted. The fun of the chase has left the building simply because you have become ‘available.’ The Switch.

When are we women, when are we sistas gonna get it right? A real man, a real man true to form, a man worth his weight in salt, is not going to have an affair with you. He is not going to lead you on and on and when you make your move to cement the pillow-talk deal, switch up on you and vanish like a fart in the wind! He is not going to tell you that he will be your boyfriend until he wifes you…that is whenever he gets around to divorcing the wife that currently wears his wedding band.

A man that is honest and true is not going to sex you whilst you lay up in the bed with your man, your husband or whomever it may be that you are currently in a relationship with. It is a matter of respect. Now if you find yourself ‘caught up’ like Christine Beatty, and your paramour is saying all of the right things and the items listed above, what should you do?

Wait and see.

Perhaps he is sick and tired of the wife that he takes out on weekly date nights. Perhaps he is telling the truth when he says that you are ‘freaky’ and ‘he needs you.’ Let’s even go as far as saying that your lover wants to be your children’s ‘stepdad’ in the somewhat vague, very, very distant future. Don’t take his cheating, lying, conniving behinds word for it. Wait and see what happens. Let him prove his love to you. What do you have to lose? What choice do you really have?

Now, there are affairs that turn into full-blown marriages. But would you really want that, that sense of doubt and mistrust to creep up every time your husband works late or is around other women? Like another member of his mayoral staff? Or a mystery woman that enjoys strawberries and chocolate and champagne in high end hotel spas? Like in South Carolina. Or was it North Carolina?

If you are a woman that sees an affair for what it Really is meant to be, you would know that a relationship like this is what it is. A moment in time between two consenting adults for whatever the reason or pleasure. Not a prelude to David’s Bridal. A woman who is able to differentiate between the two, able to seal off complicated emotions, secure in her independence, and has no intentions or expectations of more than what is being offered; can successfully navigate the tricky waters of having an affair.

If the above doesn’t describe you, at all, then maybe you are fooling with the wrong ‘Mr. Right.In fact, you need to jump ship…from jump. An affair is not cut out for you. I am not in no way endorsing ‘affairs.’ But I do understand them. I have even found myself in a wicked game of ‘affair’ before. So, when I read Christine Beatty’s heartfelt, loving and sometimes, sad texts, my heart went out to her…for a minute. A quick minute. Any woman in the midst of a high-powered affair such as Christine Beatty was, should have been much, much smarter. She was smart and scheming enough to plot the un-necessary and costly firing of three police officers in order to protect her relationship.

Why didn’t she have the good sense to protect her heart?

Mom! Come Look! Detroit’s Looking Like a Bunch of N****s on TV Again!

Right about now, Detroiters across America and abroad, are feeling quite sick to their stomach.

Detroit City Council turned its’ proverbial back on ‘guilty before proven innocent’ Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick today. Thinking that he was about to present his city budget to a united City Council, as soon as Kwame sat his ‘I’m the pillar of truth and virtue’ self down, Detroit City Council President Ken Cockeral announced that the majority of City Council had decided not to hear the Mayor’s budget presentation.

Once again, the look on Kwame Kilpatrick’s soon to be convicted face was priceless!

Yet, as much as I loved the ‘in your face’ tactic of Detroit’s City Council today, okay I reveled in it…I took a bath in it, the way Council went about the situation was wrong. Detroit is on the national news media radar. Thanks to Mayor Kilpatrick and former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty. This being the case, whenever and whatever move the Mayor makes, and nine times out of ten lately it has been the wrong one; the major national news outlets pick it up and broadcasts it.

Detroit City Council President Ken Cockeral claims that a majority decision to snub the Mayor didn’t gel until the moment Kilpatrick entered Council chambers. This is hard to believe and highly unprofessional. The Mayor is correct in his statement that City Council could have notified him beforehand.

The City of Detroit is at war. This war is intense. It involves the citizens against City government. It involves citizens against one another. It involves City government against itself. The war is necessary. But in order for some type of resolution to be gained, Detroit herself has to realize that 1. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick MUST RESIGN! 2. Two wrongs don’t make a right and 3. The nation is watching.

The worst thing a former Detroiter can do is turn on the tv and see Detroit’s City government war broadcast in full on CNN, MSNBC, FOX and Headline News. With a virtual 99% of Detroit government being African American, when Detroit is on tv acting ugly and unprofessional, it makes US ALL LOOK BAD!

And guess what? Instead of Kwame Kilpatrick looking like a stooge, everyone involved looked like a bunch of n****s who have no right to be an elected official. This includes the two councilwomen, Monica Conyers and Martha Reeves who decided to air their discontentment with fellow colleagues publicly.

The whole incident was an embarrassment and another huge blight on the City of Detroit itself. When are Black folks gonna learn?