Michigan Welfare Rights Organization

The American Sin

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Tue, 23 Jun 2015 18:29:00 +0000

The fear of being a person of color in America was brought once again to the forefront of everyday living, exploding onto the pages of reality dictated by a 21 year old blond-haired young man in a way that has sparked a discussion from coast to coast. The history of discrimination based on skin color once again has presented itself, covered in the blood of grandparents, of mothers and fathers, of a librarian, of a Allen University graduate, and of clergy all of whom thought themselves to be safe and in a place of peace. There are two companions joined at the hip, responsible for this American born, South Carolina tragedy.

Reality is tied to history in this horrific episode of absolute domestic terrorism on which such hatred is founded. The kidnapping of millions of African slaves dragged off to this developing country and forced into decades of free labor and a life of absoluter horror is the start of “America’s Greatness”, and the place we should all be aware of as we search to finds reasons for this latest, violent incident. The legacy left by that terrible yet historical truth underscores that “Blacks can never escape the shadow of the plantation.”

We must engage a discussion now that calls for calm and clear heads as we examine the “whys” and the “what-next” conversations that must follow if we are to stay on course. America has used the color question skillfully over the long night of 400 years this practice has been in place. Bombings, shootings, burnings, castrating’s, amputating’s, raping’s, family separations, jailing’s, executions, the list is long but not at all foreign to the progeny of former slaves. This commemorative marker will stay on the hearts and minds of many as it represents a degree of shock, awe, and depravity that we have not been witness to in such stark tones while “main-stream” media works to convince us all that the nation has moved forward leaving such violent acts in the past.

America is at fault for this tragic episode, but it has an “ALPHA” partner in this criminal act. The basis of the country founded so long ago promised to be the land where “equality and democracy” reigned supreme, and that no mistreatment toward its citizens would be tolerated. Our forefathers wrote volumes about the rights of the average citizen and the propertied class in this new country, and dictated glorious and beautiful paragraphs about opportunities and about equal access and other truths that were to be held as self-evident. Something happened on the way to the fountain of democracy, as the “ALPHA-DOG” corporate-class saw a way to make eternal profits if they could just secure then normalize measures that would keep different groups fighting each other while they raked in millions, then billions, and today trillions. So far, the policy of divide and make money, has worked wonderfully for this corporate culprit.

There are other tools of hatred and division in that bag of tricks that when needed, surface quickly, though none are as potent or as effective as what we get when some people train their young to hate on the basis of skin color. When that tactic doesn’t produce the result wanted, we can expect the rise of other points of division. Could be along gender lines, or attacks aimed at low-income mothers, against Hispanics, or against Native Americans, or against Muslims, against the families that live “over there”, and so on. There is no end to the examples of how one group is turned against another group, taught to hate the other especially if these questions appear wrapped in religion, or in politics.
American history and corporate control sleep together. They are both are complicit in this murder of nine African-Americans who were in church to pray and study peaceful ways to serve the Almighty. This 21-year old “creature” had to be taught to both hate and to direct violence toward worshippers whom he sat with for an hour. He and the “9” have been enshrined into our collective memories for years to come. We will not always remember the names of these fellow citizens, but we will always remember this tragedy and will mourn this episode for the rest of our days. It is what we do next that will mark how we recall this murderous moment that happened on a Wednesday night, during Bible study, June 17th, 2015.

Progressive and revolutionary thinkers are marching ahead, envisioning a new world without the influence of corporate pirates who keep us poor and fighting for crumbs as they train how to blame others for individual economic challenges. Progressive and revolutionary thinkers are marching ahead, envisioning a new world where people access what they need in a system that supports equal access and opportunity for all. Progressive and revolutionary thinkers are marching ahead, envisioning a new world where we don’t let 9th graders drop out of school, nor do we allow messages of hatred masquerading as “free speech” to be shared on “FACEBOOK” without consequences, nor do we allow traitors to that vision who call themselves Klansmen, Nazis, or the rest to operate with impunity and in the dark. Time to call them all out, and to make them pay along with their financial sponsors, those who would defile the peace and the prosperity that is ours to claim.

From neighborhoods, to this greater American tragedy that played itself out in Charleston, S.C., any single person or class of persons that supports violence in the form of bullets, or in the form of poverty, or discrimination of any type must be challenged. No one can legislate feelings or thoughts, but we must hold those who openly declare hurt toward others, responsible in such a way that they learn to fear saying similar words where others might hear them. We cannot allow this horrible incident to take us off our mark as we go forward toward the building of such a new world that works for the majority of working class people. We must close ranks around our sorrow and carry the memory of those lost to us by the senseless act of this demonic, domestic terrorist with us into the bright future that lies ahead.

Lastly, about that flag that flies over the Carolina capital bldg. It is a symbol of treachery, Kid Rock, a constant reminder of slavery, a symbol of violence and of hatred that those who can’t let the Civil War fade into the past, hold on to. In years past, the Black Panther Party openly carried fire arms in their defense against elements they suspected were active in the murder of Black folks. Since that flag won’t come down, I challenge all in the memory of the Black Panther Party who have rifles, to go to that site at night and open fire on that flag. Anglo-Americans in greater numbers are invited to join with other national patriots already in motion by adding their voices to the demand for peace and the end to war, to violence, to hurt toward Mother Earth, to poverty, and the call to end all forms of discrimination. The twin towers of abuse - the legacy of American history along with the recent occupation of corporate control - will maintain their reign of terror over us all that promises to be the death of our nation.

We are witnesses to America’s Sin, so a few holes in that flag fired by a few skilled, blonde-headed patriots, may send the right message…” Hurt No One Else in fact or with symbols.” The other message may also be heard, and that is…”we are not going to sit and be foreclosed on, have our water shutoff, injured, impoverished, or slaughtered day and day, city after city without consequences to those who would cause such a degree and scale of pain”… Take that painful flag down and take it to a museum, with the bullet holes still visible.

MD Taylor
MI Welfare Rights Organization

Water Statement to Michigan Rep Chang

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 12:00:00 +0000

MWRO/WATER STATEMENT

To: Rep. Stephanie Chang

From: Maureen D Taylor, MSW

Re: Status Report on Accessibility

Rep. Chang;

As the State Chairperson of the MI Welfare Rights Organization, know that we are humbled to present these words that outline our collective feelings on this sensitive and critical issue as thousands of residential customers in Detroit face new rounds of water shutoffs.

I am reminded that in the Lansing State Capitol, stands a bronze statue of a seven-year old Helen Keller, blind at birth, memorializing the moment of her historical enlightenment. Her teacher, Ann Sullivan, and this story made famous in the Oscar winning movie, “The Miracle Worker” was trying to convey the essence of what words meant to a child born without hearing or sight. The bronze statue captures that moment as Helen put her hands under the pump while her teacher, Ms. Sullivan, used hand-to-hand sign language and spelled out the word… W-A-T-E-R…to her. Helen finally understood the relationship between the word and what that word represented.

June 1st marks the day the great Helen Keller passed away, so it is ironic that in June of this year, we are celebrating not an age of enlightenment, but instead we are a witness to a period of human darkness that will stain this State for years.

It is not necessary to recant the economic climate that residents of Michigan have been struggling through since the recession of 2005 and beyond. Entire cities and communities scattered across the State continue to reel from the loss of financial foundations built by so many years of fruitful employment. In the US Census of 2010, it was reported that MI was the only state to have loss significant population. In Detroit, we know this fact all too well, as do all elected officials that purport to represent the residents.

Over one million residents from just Detroit have left this City leaving us with just under 800,000 to fill the void created by such a dramatic population decline. Factories that were the back-bone of financial stability for millions of families have been slowly phased out. Computers are taking the place of the American working class, and that trend is best seen here in Detroit and in surrounding factory-based counties. Technology that used to enhance labor, today has replaced labor leaving in its wake the skeleton of what was in neighborhoods all over Wayne County.

We are slipping into the dark-side, shoved into this draconian condition marked by a false and divisive narrative, which covertly suggests Detroiters have resources but because of our criminal leanings, we don’t want to pay water bills. Poverty is being criminalized as the poor are held responsible for not having enough money to pay rising utility costs. The economics of the low-income family profile is completely overlooked. Consequently, we learn nothing from past
civil uprisings, or the current uprisings in Cities across the country.

Our calls for relief are mostly ignored. Our tears go unnoticed, and our prayers have been unanswered. We have hope, and try to hold on, but this latest assault against the most vulnerable is galvanizing a response that know one here wants to anticipate.

Welfare Rights and the Peoples Water Board have fought tooth and nail over these last 16 months, in every way possible to convince the City of Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept. that the path they had chosen was both wrong and not cost-effective. We have tirelessly offered solution after solution to this crisis demanding that a Water Affordability Plan be instituted, even if it is implemented at first as a pilot project to be tested. Always the answer is “NO”, so we find ourselves again in this painful gap of pending defiance and civil unrest as we are unable to do anything but stop this by any means necessary.

We urge our elected officials to review this crisis and that they put the issue of mass water shutoffs at the top of the list as the deadline for continued tolerance approaches. As MWRO is the recognized union for low-income families, we cannot turn from this struggle. If our colleagues from the UNITED NATIONS are correct in that the US of America cannot deprive low-income populations of access to clean water and sanitation, we will then pursue the path of litigation as we seek to file suit against this violation of international law.

We will not stop there. We will press you to create legislation that outlaws such practices now and forever. We will not stop there. We will demonstrate, we will picket, we will agitate, we will interfere with business as usual everywhere we can in an effort to erase forever the notion that water is a commodity to be bought and sold. Access to water is a human right, and must always be held as a common trust never to be denied because people are too poor. Shame on those who created this concept, and shame on us if we allow this “cancer” to exist without an all out battle against it.

Maureen D Taylor
State Chairperson

Stop Detroit Tax Foreclosures -- Sign Petitions Today

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 20:44:00 +0000

MWRO is working with local organizations to defend the right to housing and stop the nearly 75,000 tax-foreclosures scheduled to happen this year in Wayne County, Michigan, where Detroit is located.

Please help us get out information to people at risk of home tax-foreclosure due to incorrect tax bills with exaggerated property assessments and disputed water bill liens. Here's how you can help:

(1) Sign and share the online petition to the Wayne County Treasurer against the tax-foreclosures at http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50109/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15875

(2) Call MWRO at 313-964-0618 if you are in the Detroit area and want us to mail (or email) a hard copy of the petition form to you to collect signatures from families and friends.

(3) Share information about free tax clinics in March for person in need of information on their housing rights and payment plan opportunities BEFORE meeting with Wayne County tax officials. The tax foreclosure clinics are coordinated by community attorneys at United Community Housing Coalition and the Detroit People's Platform. See flyers below.

We will update this information as it becomes available. For more information, contact MWRO at info@mwro.org or Aaron at the Detroit People's Platform at HomesForAll@DetroitPeoplesPlatform.org

International Network ESCR files legal brief in support of Detroit residents against water shutoffs

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Tue, 10 Feb 2015 18:30:00 +0000

For immediate release

International human rights network intervenes in case challenging large-scale disconnection of water supply to tens of thousands of low-income residents in Detroit

New York. February 9, 2015. The International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net), a global network of over 220 groups and 50 individual advocates from around the world working to secure economic and social justice through human rights, has requested leave from the U.S. District Court to be recognized as amicus curiae[1] in the case of Lyda et al. v. City of Detroit[2]in support of residents challenging the City of Detroit’s decision to cut off water supply to thousands of households unable to pay their bills.

As detailed in the plaintiffs’ complaint, by the end of August 2014 the City of Detroit had disconnected approximately 30,000 households of low-income persons and persons living in poverty from the municipal water supply and sewerage service, leaving them without access to drinking water and water for toilets and basic sanitation.

ESCR-Net, through its amicus brief, seeks to bolster the plaintiffs’ legal challenge by highlighting that the disconnections for inability to pay violate a range of legal obligations applicable to the U.S. under key international human rights treaties.

At the same time, ESCR-Net contends that Detroit’s City Charter, which includes a Declaration of Rights recognizing rights to water, sanitation and decent housing, must be respected. Pursuant to long-established principles of both U.S. law and international law, relevant domestic law must be interpreted consistently with treaty obligations.

Chris Grove, Executive Director of ESCR-Net, said, “Access to justice is required for violations of human rights, and we welcome the opportunity to assist the U.S. District Court with material relevant to consideration of the issues at stake. These issues impact the health, security and human dignity of thousands of Detroit residents and implicate our vision of a just society.”

“A number of human rights are arguably violated by these disconnections, including rights to water, sanitation, adequate housing, health, life, freedom from cruel and inhuman treatment, and non-discrimination. The international human rights obligations of the U.S. also apply to the City of Detroit, and these obligations require that denial of access to water be reversed immediately,” he added.

The City of Detroit’s water disconnection policy has shocked the international community and has prompted, among other reactions, the visit of two United Nations Special Procedures human rights experts to assess the situation in October 2014.[3] Despite the onset of winter, local groups report that the City has continued water shut-offs at the homes of low-income families, the elderly, and the infirmed.

It is hoped that the application of international human rights law will help the plaintiffs achieve a just and effective remedy, including renewed access to water and an end to any further disconnections.

A copy of the amicus curiae brief is available at http://bit.ly/1ESJLdW

About ESCR-Net

ESCR-Net is the largest global network of human rights organizations, grassroots groups and advocates working to build a global movement to make human rights and social justice a reality for all. Please visit http://www.escr-net.org

This action is being led by ESCR-Net Strategic Litigation Working Group members Center for the Study of Law, Justice and Society (Dejusticia), the Global Initiative on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR), the Social Rights Advocacy Centre (SRAC), and the Social Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI).

For information regarding this amicus intervention, contact:

Susie Talbot. Senior Legal Officer (ESCR-Net) stalbot@escr-net.org

Bret Thiele, Co-Executive Director (GI-ESCR) bret@globalinitiative-escr.org. (Tel. +1-218-269-0214)

For information on the situation in Detroit or to speak with residents, contact:

Michigan Welfare Rights Organization http://michiganwro.blogspot.com

Marian Kramer, Maureen Taylor or Sylvia Orduño +1-313-964-0618

[1] An amicus curiae (or ‘friend of the Court’) is a person or organization who, although not a party to a case, is granted leave to submit material to the Court relevant to the disposition of the case and not already brought to the Court’s attention by the parties.

[2]Lyda et al. v. City of Detroit, Case No. 2:15-cv-10038-BAF-RSW, before Hon. Bernard A. Friedman in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division.

[3]See: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15188&LangID=E.

Rev Pinkney: "I am paying a debt to society which I do not owe"

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Mon, 19 Jan 2015 18:22:00 +0000

Reposted from http://www.bhbanco.org/2015/01/i-am-paying-debt-to-society-which-i-do.html

The following statement is from Rev. Edward Pinkney, January 18, 2015:

The Berrien County Court system has undermined the respect and confidence of the community in its application of the law and the takeover of the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan.

The court system has stolen time from me. I am paying time with my life, family life, and community. I’m required to serve a sentence while several issues are being decided in the court — and paying a debt to society that I do not owe.

I have already raised substantial issues. I am entitled to a directed verdict of Not Guilty based on constitutionally insufficient evidence under the Beyond a Reasonable Doubt standard. I also assert that I am entitled to a directed verdict based on the issue that was resolved in favor of the defendant in People v. Hall (10/23/14).

Under MCL 168.937 and based on due process, statutory construction, and the rule of lenity, a petition circulator cannot be subjected to a felony conviction and penalty when notice and warnings on the petition form, provided by the government, indicate that one may only be subject to a misdemeanor conviction and penalty.

A misdemeanor conviction and penalty may only be imposed under a specific statue, MCL 168.544, specifically proscribed acts of falsifying election petitions. For this reason, the convictions under MCL 168.937 must be vacated. Due process also requires this result, as the rule of lenity is mandated by due process.

This result is also required by the issue that the jury was not constitutionally adequate, based on the arguments raised in my motion for a new trial relating to juror Gail Freehling concealing information during the jury selection.

I am a political prisoner being held in Marquette Prison and I remain in great spirits despite the racist injustice that has landed me here. This attack on me and on democracy in Benton Harbor shows that Whirlpool is determined to crush anyone who stands in its way. It is part of a process underway across the US in various forms. Let’s confront the corporations that are destroying this country.

For more information about the miscarriage of justice against Rev. Edward Pinkney of BANCO, please read: http://sfbayview.com/2014/12/national-defense-campaign-building-for-rev-edward-pinkney/

Court Sanctions Emergency Manager Theft of Detroit

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 20:00:00 +0000

(reposted from Michigan Citizen)

THEY PULLED IT OFF!

By Curt Guyette
Special to The Michigan Citizen

The grins stretched from ear to ear, and the hugs and back-patting were plentiful.

Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, Gov. Rick Snyder, Mayor Mike Duggan and U.S. Judge Gerald Rosen — all were in a celebratory mode last week as they appeared at a press conference following the announcement by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Steven Rhodes that Detroit’s proposed “plan of adjustment” had been accepted, putting an end to the city’s journey through bankruptcy.

Gov. Rick Snyder and Mayor Mike Duggan celebrated Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes’ acceptance of their Plan of Adjustment that cuts workers’ and retirees’ pensions and healthcare, and takes back earlier annuity payments from the city over the last decade. CURT GUYETTE PHOTO

Newspaper headlines announced the city had been “reborn,” and the final words of the ruling read from the bench by Judge Rhodes echoed triumphantly: “It is now time to restore democracy to the people of the city of Detroit. I urge you to participate in it. And I hope that you will soon realize its full potential.”
The irony, of course, is that it was the hijacking of democracy that brought Detroit to this place.

It began in early 2012, when lawyers from the Jones Day law firm, in conjunction with the investment banking firm Miller Buckfire, began secretly meeting with Gov. Snyder’s office and other state officials to figure out how to thwart the will of Michigan voters.

The concern was that a grassroots-effort to repeal a new state law giving unprecedented powers to appointed emergency managers would succeed. And so they devised their response, and were ready to act when voters went to the polls in November 2012 and rejected the law by a significant margin.
Within a month, the state’s Republican-led Legislature crafted a new law containing many of the same provisions as the one Michigan’s citizens — engaging in the democratic process hailed by Judge Rhodes — had just voted to repeal. Only this time, an appropriation would be attached to the statute, making it “referendum proof.”

So much for a commitment to the democratic process.

As a result, instead of having elected officials deciding Detroit’s fate, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and his former partners at Jones Day began calling the shots, as the city was shoved into bankruptcy.
From the outset, the primary target of debt-cutting was clear: The city’s retirees would be the ones facing the most severe sacrifices.

Again, Jones Day, which had some of the city’s biggest creditors as its clients, would play a key role. The firm’s lawyers laid the legal groundwork for using bankruptcy to go after retiree benefits in bankruptcy — even in a state like Michigan, which has the protection of pensions written into its constitution.
Casual observers of this drama will have heard that, as a result of the much-hailed “grand bargain” — an $816 million cash infusion from the state, private foundations and the Detroit Institute of Arts — the cut to general retiree pensions would be just 4.5 percent, and that police and firefighter retirees won’t get nicked at all.

What tends to get lost in the reporting is the true extent of the hit being taken by retirees.

Kevyn Orr is all smiles at the press conference announcing Judge Rhodes’ acceptance of his Plan of Adjustment. CURT GUYETTE PHOTO

Both civilian and uniformed retirees will absorb massive losses thanks to deep cuts in future cost of living increases. For the general retirees, those yearly raises are being eliminated completely. Taken together, the two groups will give up a total of more than $1.3 billion in the coming years.

Cuts to healthcare benefits only compound the problem. Instead of being on a plan where the city covers 80 percent of healthcare costs, retirees are receiving a monthly stipend. For most, the amount is $125, leaving them to pick up the additional costs of insurance, which can be hundreds of dollars a month.

And then there’s the “clawback” of excessive interest rates the Jones Day attorneys argued was paid to people who participated in an annuity savings program between 2003 and 2013.

As one retiree observed, “I’m getting hit four different ways.”

Add it all up, and at least 75 percent of the estimated $7.3 billion in debt and obligations being shed in bankruptcy comes in the form of cuts to retirees.

Will that be enough to put the city on a sound financial footing?

Despite the media’s focus on Detroit’s supposed rebirth, there is real cause for concern that the fundamental factors that led to the city’s dire straits remain unaddressed. In a recent opinion piece, economist Peter Hammer — who’s also a law professor and director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University — warned:

“The perverse logic of fiscal austerity is creating dozens of second-class ‘minimal cities.’ The move to transition Detroit away from serving as a city, to a slimmed-down version with little to no municipal services, is part of the bankruptcy Plan of Adjustment that the city is pursuing, on a par with what the World Bank and International Monetary Fund pursued with Structural Adjustment Programs in much of the developing world. What we know from these SAPs is that they sucked the life out of countries forced to receive them.

“The same will happen with Detroit, especially given how out-of-touch managers are with the city’s history and context. The 226-page Expert Report, for example, on the feasibility of the POA and the reasonableness of the city’s revenue forecasts never addresses issues of race, racism, regionalism, segregation or foreclosure (all words that appear nowhere in the report). And poverty is only mentioned once. … We need alternatives to the dictates of fiscal austerity and structural racism.”

As for Judge Rhodes, this is what he told the people of Detroit:

“A large number of you told me that you were angry that your city was taken away from you and put into bankruptcy. You told me in your court papers. You told me in your statements in court. You told me in your blogs, letters and protests. I heard you.

“I urge you now not to forget your anger. Your enduring and collective memory of what happened here, and your memory of your anger about it, will be exactly what will prevent this from ever happening again. It must never happen again.”

Then he urged Detroiters to channel that anger into positive action by engaging in the democratic process.

For the next 13 years, however, the people of Detroit will have elected leaders, but it won’t really be a true democracy. That’s because an appointed, nine-member financial advisory board (containing only two Detroit officials) will have the final say over approval of major contracts and the budget process.
“It is your City,” Judge Rhodes told Detroiters.

But it is others who, though unelected and mostly living elsewhere, will be the ones with the final authority over crucial decisions facing Detroit for the foreseeable future.

Curt Guyette is an investigative reporter for the ACLU of Michigan. His work, which focuses on Michigan’s emergency management law and open government, is funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation. You can find his reporting at aclumich.org/democracywatch. Contact him at 313.578.6834 or cguyette@aclumich.org.

Rev Pinkney Victim of Benton Harbor Racism and Oppression

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 18:23:00 +0000

Reposted from: Legacy of Racism and National Oppression in Michigan » CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names

NOVEMBER 11, 2014

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Rev. Edward Pinkney Convicted of Five Counts of Felony Forgery by Berrien County Jury

Legacy of Racism and National Oppression in Michigan

by ABAYOMI AZIKIWE

An all-white jury in St. Joseph, Michigan has found Rev. Edward Pinkney guilty of five felony counts of forgery stemming from a recall campaign against Mayor James Hightower of Benton Harbor earlier this year.

The jury deliberated for nine hours and delivered the verdict on Nov. 3. The sentencing date has been set for Dec. 15.

Hightower was the subject of the recall campaign due to his refusal to support a local income tax measure designed to create employment for the people in Benton Harbor, located in Berrien County in the southwest region of the state of Michigan. Hightower is often accused by residents of Benton Harbor of being more concerned about the well-being of Whirlpool Corporation and other business interests than the people he is sworn to protect and serve.

During the five day trial not one witness said they saw Pinkney change any dates or signatures on the recall petitions. The prosecutor, Mike Sepic, during the opening arguments on Oct. 27 told the jury that they would not hear anyone say that they witnessed the defendant engaging in fraud.

The prosecutor’s case was supposed to be based on circumstantial evidence. Nonetheless, the tenor of the questioning by the prosecutor seemed to suggest that the Black Autonomy Network Community Organization (BANCO), the group Pinkney leads in Berrien County, was actually on trial for its uncompromising opposition to the role of Whirpool Corporation and its supporters within the political establishment in Benton Harbor and its environs.

Prosecution Witnesses Supported Recall

In the testimony of eight witnesses called by the prosecution on the first day of the trial, they all supported the recall of Mayor Hightower. The witnesses said that they never saw Pinkney change any petitions.

Prosecution witness Bridgett Gilmore told the court that she circulated the recall petitions for George E. Moon and had no contact with Pinkney during the process. While the prosecutor asked her about what appeared to be minor changes on the petitions she circulated, defense lawyer Tat Parrish pointed out that none of these pages in question were the ones which Pinkney was charged with altering.

Gilmore noted that two types of ink were used on some of the signatures because the circulation process took place during the winter and a pen would freeze requiring the usage of another one. When Gilmore turned over the petitions to Moon, Pinkney was not present.

“There were many people calling for Hightower’s recall,” she said.

Another witness called by the prosecution, Majorie Carter, indicated that she received the recall petitions from the City Clerk’s office. Carter supported the recall because she believed that businesses should pay taxes to create jobs in Benton Harbor, a majority African American city which suffers from extremely high unemployment.

Carter said that she was a registered voter and had campaigned for candidates before. She noted that she had run for City Commissioner in the past.

“I collected signatures for the recall from my apartment complex for seniors,” she said. “One signer corrected a date on the petition.”

Mable Louise Avant testified after being called to the stand by the prosecution. She said she had met Pinkney at a BANCO meeting.

“I had been living in New York and when I returned and saw how Benton Harbor had gone down, something needed to be done,” Avant said.

“People make mistakes,” she emphasized. “Rev. Pinkney had nothing to do with the mistakes. I turned over the petitions to Rev. Pinkney.”

The petitions that Avant circulated were not the ones that Pinkney was accused of altering.

Benton Harbor resident George E. Moon also took the stand for the prosecution and said he circulated petitions for the recall of Hightower. When asked by the prosecutor where he got the idea about recalling the mayor, Moon responded by saying that “My ideology is different than the mayor. People should be elected and not bought.”

“I am an activist,” Moon declared. He said he had spoken out in favor of the recall in the community.

Overall more than 700 people signed the recall petitions most of which were validated by the local election commission. A date was set for the recall election.

Nonetheless, after Pinkney was indicted and placed under house arrest for several weeks, the recall election was cancelled by a local judge raising questions about the signatures. Yet later, another judge certified the petitions and authorized the recall election to proceed.

The local authorities in Berrien County challenged the election that was scheduled for November 4. The Michigan Court of Appeals then cancelled the recall elections again.

Hightower remains in office and was called as a prosecution witness during the first day of the trial.

James Cornelius, a Benton Harbor resident, who sponsored the recall campaign against Hightower, took the stand saying that he got the petitions from Pinkney to circulate. “Hightower was not doing a good job,” Cornelius told the court.

Many of the prosecution questions related to the meetings, ideology, membership and leadership of BANCO. During the course of the prosecution’s questioning of witnesses numerous observers were ejected from the courtroom for various reasons.

One activist who traveled from Detroit was told he had to leave because he was “smirking.” Another observer from Detroit was asked to leave because they shook their head in disbelieve of the proceedings which she felt presented no evidence to incriminate Pinkney.

Rev. Pinkney Will Seek a Delay in Sentencing

After the announcement of the verdict, Pinkney indicated that he was disappointed with the decisions of the all-white jury. This is the second time within seven years that he has been convicted by a Berrien County jury.

In 2007, Pinkney was found guilty of tampering with absentee ballots involving another recall campaign against two Benton Harbor City Commissioners. He was sentenced to one year of house arrest and four years of probation.

However, in December of 2007, while under house arrest, Pinkney was charged with threatening the life of a Berrien County judge after he published an article in the People’s Tribune newspaper quoting biblical scriptures. He was sentenced to 3-10 years for violating his probation.

A national campaign involving the Michigan ACLU along with numerous community, academic and religious organizations resulted in a successful appeal that released Pinkney from a state prison after serving one year. He has continued to be a major critic of the authorities in Berrien County.

In 2010, BANCO opposed the transferal of land from Jean Klock Park to a privately-owned venture known as Harbor Shores Development. The park, which had been designated for free public usage in 1917, was turned into the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course on Lake Michigan.

Two years later in 2012, BANCO organized the “Occupy the PGA” to oppose the holding of the senior tournaments in Benton Harbor that year. Hundreds attended the march and rally drawing the ire of the local business interests and county officials.

On the most recent convictions for felony forgery, Pinkney said “I was in shock more than anything else because I could not believe they could find me guilty with no evidence at all. They have proven the fact you don’t need evidence to send someone to prison.”

Pinkney went on to say that “Sometimes somebody has to take a bullet and I just took one -it was in the leg though, it wasn’t in the heart. I’ve got about 45 good days and then we are definitely going to request a delay in sentencing.”

Berrien County Prosecutor Mike Sepic said after the convictions that “Each of those felony counts carries a 5 year maximum, but he has at least three prior felony convictions. That makes him a habitual offender, which turns those five year maximums into a life maximum and actually elevates the guidelines that will be scored for him as well. I believe it will be either a lengthy jail sentence or prison sentence.”

Supporters of Rev. Pinkney are outraged by the jury verdict. Many of them are committed to working for an appeal of the convictions.

Legacy of Racism and National Oppression in Berrien County

Berrien County is notorious for its racism against African Americans. Police brutality, large-scale home foreclosures, high unemployment and the systematic forcing of people from the majority African American city of Benton Harbor has been standard policy for years.

In 2003, after the police chased an African American motorcyclist resulting in a crash and his death, the African American community in Benton Harbor rose up in rebellion that last for several days. Although the-then Gov. Jennifer Granholm pledged to provide assistance for the improvement of conditions in Benton Harbor, no action was taken other than the privatization of Jean Klock Park and the appointment of an emergency manager in 2010.

Although Benton Harbor is ostensibly out from under emergency management, the city is subjected to the more powerful and predominantly white St. Joseph, where the county court system is based. The fact that an all-white jury was impaneled in such a racially sensitive case in an area with deep historical tensions, speaks volumes in regard to the lack of sensitivity existing among the county authorities and the corporate interests.

Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of Pan-African News Wire.

MWRO Statement on UN visit to Detroit to investigate massive water shutoffs--Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:41:00 +0000

This is the first of a two-part statement from MWRO on the United Nations visit to Detroit by two Special Rapporteurs on Detroit water shutoffs.

On Oct. 20th, 2014, United Nations representatives Catarina de Albuquerque and Leilani Farha met with Mayor Mike Duggan and part of his staff to discuss the recent mass water shutoffs plaguing Detroit.

U.N. Special Rapporteurs. Photo credit: theguardian.com

The meeting was very frank and at times contentious with the Special Rapporteurs (SR) asking questions based on citizen/resident reports they had received from what they refer to as “civil society” organizations and direct visits to residential homes. The premise of the meeting was itself historic in that this was a session to discuss best practices, shared by the SRs, relative to how decreasing revenues might impact water access, distribution and sanitation specifically in low-income households. The two special investigators have amassed a myriad of expertise over the years after visiting many countries that have faced dwindling economies and transient populations.

Amid a flurry of “denials” and veiled attempts to discredit the intention(s) of these two specialists, the SRs continued to press for answers about recent water shutoffs. The session went back and forth until Mayor Duggan stepped up and suggested he would be interested in receiving detailed information about any current residents without water. The Mayor placed a call at the suggestion of the MWRO rep to the phone center and was able to get right through to someone without a long wait. This single act proved the City’s case that new practices are being put in place to address resident complaints — the problem is that these procedures aren’t reaching the poorest and most vulnerable residents. Long waits on the phone to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept. have been a frequent complaint and we hope, at least in this instance, progress is being made. In the end, what was suggested is that specific account information would be needed to examine any claims of denied water and the City would look into each case that was submitted.


Detroit Mayor Duggan with Alexis Wiley. Photo credit: clickondetroit.com

Since that historic session, several things have occurred. The City has issued statements that paint the Special Rapporteur’s visit as “nothing but a show.” One city employee, Alexis Wiley, the Mayor’s chief of staff, labeled their initial report as “sad” suggesting they were following a separate agenda that did not reflect the truth about water shutoffs in Detroit. Another City employee suggested that information gathered by talking with a few residents did not rise to actual truth, and that only through talks with the City were facts able to be put forward. Residential interpretations were not credible, in other words, and were not to be validated. There are none so blind than those who refuse to see!

In 2005, 2006, and 2007 — the Water Affordability Plan was submitted to the DWSD after is was tweaked and then accepted by the City Council and the then Mayor. Always, it is said there are legal reasons why this wonderfully crafted document can’t be implemented. And always when we ask, “Why not?” no credible answers are shared. The corporate interests that have lined up in great anticipation of receiving mega-infusions of cash is the logical place to search for the financial support needed to help shore up the City. Revenue sharing, unpaid commercial and corporate water accounts, so many places to look for untapped resources yet the then Emergency Manager’s only goal, it appears, was to inflict economic and physical pain on the most marginalized, most vulnerable, the poorest.

Over and over again, the City has suggested that those unable to find resources to help prevent shutoff or restore water already shut off were not truthful or that they were too dumb to find simple information. The old, tired, “people want free water” message was dragged out, a phrase that is repeated even though no one ever asked for that. It was revealed that the City has always practiced water shutoffs, and that was an established practice never before challenged. It was admitted that some 300,000 water shutoffs have happened over a period of years, a fact the City was not ashamed to admit. Must have felt the same rage and shock like those in the room in Nuremberg during that trial, listening to soldiers talking about how they were just following orders....

Shutting off water in Detroit. Photo credit: detroitnews.com

The Special Rapporteurs’ questions and the session ended in about 90 minutes, after which they traveled back to their hotel to prepare the press release for the media. Their specific UN conclusions are online, which include a strong recommendation that all residential water accounts be restored, which allows the City to investigate each address to determine if there are low-income families with children, the disabled, the elderly, or veterans living there who need supportive programs that structure payments they can afford. There are other recommendations the SRs offered, that have been published far and wide that address other ways of managing delinquent water payments that other nations routinely employ.

In closing, MWRO agrees with the basic, fundamental conclusion offered by our international guests. Because the population of Detroit has dropped, because the unemployment numbers have risen, because the good paying auto-industrial jobs have disappeared, and because many of the jobs available today are low-paying, the City still has a legal obligation to supply clean water and sanitation to all — even if only one resident is left! It is in fact a violation of international law to deprive residents of water if they are too poor to pay in the regular way. Ms. de Albuquerque and Ms. Farha were not daunted by Mayor Duggan and his staffs comments. Clearly, they don’t understand the UN reps’ mission.

This is not a popularity contest that is directed by who we like and who we don’t. It is patently wrong to disconnect water where low-income people live, and no amount of “American Exceptionalism” can alter that fact. There are millions of poor Americans who live in horrible conditions that are ignored daily while we act as if all is well; and Detroit has a large share of those families.

The responses coming from the City are at best shallow, defensive, ignorant, and at least, devoid of compassion. What kind of city is this and what kind of people are in charge who would countenance such demonic practices? Are our elected officials so drunk with power that they would choose not to find a way to keep the poorest residents safe and clean? Why didn’t someone in city government stand up when the emergency manager made this life-threatening recommendation and scream to the highest star how wrong it is and that as duly-elected officials, you would not force-march masses of Detroit residents into the crematoriums of poverty and torture?


Thousands march in Detroit against water shutoffs. Photo credit: michiganradio.org

Why did it take strangers, trained in recognizing violations against humanity, to shine a light on these dark-age practices and call them out for what they are? This is the best example of how the recognition of class differences have surfaced because we have different ethnic races of administrators, both men and women, both young and old who have been part of this sorry episode of residential infliction of pain. Our elected city officials would have found continued comfort in the torture of low-income people had they not had the covers of gross negligence pulled from them exposing what all knew but few had the courage to declare.

Along with our city officials stand many of the members of the clergy from all denominations, who have stood in silence while the torture of the most vulnerable has unfolded. The Spirit that many profess to serve has been waiting for you all to discover your courage or your voice or at least your crippled-hand gripped around a pen where you could author an anonymous note decrying what has been happening relative to these water shutoffs. I try daily to forgive your cowardice and hope only that when you make your transition to the afterlife, that the fires of “hell” are unkind to you.

We hope the legal violations identified by the two Special Rapporteurs find their way sooner as written charges to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, and also to the U.S. State Dept. All nations should be alerted about these international violations so that sanctions might be discussed and even levied to make this practice stop. The U.S. government is ultimately responsible to secure the human rights of the most vulnerable and that task lies first with our ‘beloved’ mayor, then with the county executive, then with the governor, and lastly with all presidents.

As a field general in the army of social justice for vulnerable, low-income populations, it falls to me and mine to keep this battle in the face of all humanity and to take every opportunity to convince those in power that their salvation lies in distancing themselves from the “dark” side in favor of protecting, serving, and advancing the quality of life for all.

Maureen D. Taylor
State Chairperson, MI Welfare Rights Organization

U.N. Comes to Detroit on Water-Sanitation and Housing Crises

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 17:26:00 +0000

Detroit is in the midst massive water shutoffs, sanitation health concerns and large-scale tax & bank foreclosures tied to widespread homelessness. These grave problems have drawn international concerns about the crises affecting low income and poor people in Detroit. Victims of poverty across the state of Michigan are losing their very right to live. We have sought help from all levels of government, non-profit organizations and the private sector but no one has stepped forward to stop these violations on the human right to water, sanitation and housing.

It is abominable that government officials and the courts have allowed banks and corporations to dictate whether people can or cannot have affordable water in their homes, and keep a roof over the heads of children! Public resources that are intended to support programs for low income people are regularly diverted to investment programs for private profit instead of public good.

Along with the Detroit People's Water Board and Food and Water Watch, MWRO has asked the United Nations Office of Human Rights to hear testimonials from residents, and receive evidence of violations from advocates and groups on these human rights atrocities.

Please come to United Nations Detroit Fact Finding Public Town Hall Meeting on Sunday, October 19, 2014 from 4-6 p.m. (doors open at 3:00 p.m.), at Wayne County Community College District, 1001 W. Fort St, Detroit, MI 48226. For more info9rmation, contact MWRO at (313) 964-0618 or info@mwror.org Spread the word!

Statement on Court Denial of Detroit Human Right to Water

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 16:36:00 +0000

MWRO's statement on today's decision by the federal bankruptcy court NOT to stop residential water shut-offs, restore water to residential customers without water, NOR implement a water affordability based on fixed incomes for low-income seniors, families with children and persons with disabilities:

Federal Bankruptcy Court Judge Steven Rhodes

Of course, we are not surprised that our capacity to seek relief from the Federal Courts no longer exists! The fact that low income customers were ushered into court and testified how miserable their lives were because water was cut-off without an option for them to make arrangements with the DWSD could not have impacted the Court because the Court concentrated on what the 1% needed to continue their reign of terror tied to the Emergency Manager and this bankruptcy ploy.

This is the humanitarian crisis of our times here in America, where every step we take is being analyzed to see which fights we launch as the corporate class encroaches on our standard of living.

Denying specific populations access to clean drinking water was today deemed legal even though rich and wealthy water customers receive a different standard of treatment. Millions are owed by these corporate pirates while $150 and two months behind is the rule applied to our constituency -- a position clearly supported by the Federal Court.

Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder

Poor people, their children, seniors, the disabled, veterans -- it doesn't matter -- if you can't pay for water, you can't have it. Go to the river with a bucket and get what you need still remains the sentiment by this draconian class and they have no shame in taking this position. This sham court-case was just that...a plot to look like justice would prevail if we just had a chance to plead our case. The answer was always going to be NO!!!

So what are we going to do...give up the fight for social justice? We think not!

In the movie, The Untouchables, the question was asked, "What are you prepared to do about this??" When brilliant lawyers went to court to file suit against slavery, and against lynching, at first the Court said "NO"...there is no enforceable right to not be lynched if that is the custom in that area of the country! The Court's explained that with the laws on the books at that time, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, women, children, and other oppressed folks should be able to manage their lives and avoid pain and suffering, and if not, they had every right to return to Court! Madness and Madness today!

Our case demonstrated great attorneys, courageous plaintiffs, determined advocates versus conservative, corporate courts who prefer the company of the rich & famous and will not rock the "status quo." We march on...

Maureen D. Taylor

State Chairperson - MI Welfare Rights Org

Photo credits: http://michigancitizen.com/mc/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/6-RHODES.jpg
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2013/07/24/stop-attack-say-detroit-workers-citys-bankruptcy-reviewed

DWSD Regional Water Authority Is an Assault on Democracy and Human Right to Water

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 14:29:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 10, 2014

Contact:

Lynna Kaucheck, Food & Water Watch, (586) 556-8805

Tawana Petty, People’s Water Board, (313) 433-9882

People’s Water Board Coalition Calls Regional Water Authority an Assault Against Democracy and the Human Right to Water
Community calls for protection and representation for all region’s residents

Detroit, Mich. – The People’s Water Board decried Mayor Mike Duggan’s plan to create a regional water authority as undemocratic and a threat to the human right to water for many in the region. We have access to the largest body of surface freshwater in the world, so it would seem abundance and access should not be an issue. However the manner of governing this valuable resource as responsible environmental stewards for the world has left many communities without trust.

The deal was negotiated behind closed doors without any input from the public and is the next step on the pathway to privatization. It takes away the rights of both the Detroit City Council and the citizens of Detroit to have input on big decisions impacting the system.

“Suburban customers should not be fooled into thinking that this deal gives them more control or influence over the water system,” said Lynna Kaucheck of the People’s Water Board. “The new authority will be made up of unelected officials who are accountable to no one. People need to know that this deal doesn’t take privatization off the table.”

Veolia Water North America, the largest private water company operating in the United States, has been hired to evaluate the management of the system and clearly has a vested interest in privatization. Privatization typically results in skyrocketing rates, decreased service quality and the loss of jobs. In fact, corporate profits, dividends and income taxes can add 20 to 30 percent to operation and maintenance costs, and a lack of competition and poor negotiation skills can leave local governments with expensive contracts. In the Great Lakes region, large private water companies charge more than twice as much as cities charge for household water service. This is not the solution for Detroit or the region.

“The regionalization plan is unacceptable. We need a system that is accountable and transparent and that works for all its customers,” said Tawana Petty of the People’s Water Board. “We want an elected board of water commissioners. We want to reduce costs for the region through bulk purchasing and resource sharing. And we want to implement the Affordability Plan as passed by Detroit City Council in 2005. Detroit and suburban leaders need to protect residents and democratize the system.”

The People’s Water Board advocates for access, protection, and conservation of water, and promotes awareness of the interconnectedness of all people and resources.

The People’s Water Board includes: AFSCME Local 207, Baxter’s Beat Back the Bullies Brigade, Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Detroit Green Party, Detroit People’s Platform, Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Food & Water Watch, FLOW, Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit, Matrix Theater, Michigan Coalition for Human Rights, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute, Sierra Club, Sisters of Mercy, Voices for Earth Justice and We the People of Detroit.

###

Temporary Restraining Order Filed Against DWSD

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 17:20:00 +0000

For immediate release:

See http://www.aclumich.org/sites/default/files/DetroitWater-TRO.pdf

Residents, Civil Rights Attorneys Urge Judge to Restore Water Services Until Litigation is Resolved

DETROIT – In an effort to preserve a moratorium on water shut-offs, a group of Detroit residents and civil rights attorneys filed court documents over the weekend asking a judge to immediately block the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) from terminating water service to any occupied residence, and to require the restoration of service to occupied residences without water.

The moratorium is currently scheduled to end today. The ACLU of Michigan and NAACP Legal Defense fund are serving as expert consultants in the ongoing litigation.

“Without a continued moratorium on water shutoffs, thousands more Detroiters, mostly low income children, seniors, and disabled, will immediately be at risk for shutoff,” says Alice Jennings of Edwards & Jennings, P.C., counsel in the lawsuit, “A comprehensive water affordability plan, a viable bill dispute process, specific polices for landlord-tenant bills and a sustainable mechanism for evaluating the number of families in shutoff status or at risk for shutoff, is necessary prior to lifting the DWSD water shutoff moratorium.”

The motion for a temporary restraining order filed yesterday is part of a class action lawsuit, Lyda et.al v. City of Detroit, on behalf of Detroit residents affected by the mass shut-off campaign of DWSD, as well as organizations active in the fight for the restoration of and affordable access to water including Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, People’s Water Board, National Action Network-Michigan Chapter and Moratorium Now!. This suit is currently in bankruptcy court before Judge Stephen Rhodes as part of the city’s bankruptcy proceedings.

The lawsuit argues that the DWSD began water shutoffs without adequate notice and against the most vulnerable residents, while commercial entities with delinquent accounts were left alone. The suit also argues that this violates the plaintiffs’ due process and equal protection rights.

“More than 17,000 homes have had their water cut off and water bills in Detroit are among the highest in the country and unaffordable to many Detroit residents,” says Kary Moss, ACLU of Michigan executive director. “The rush to resume shut offs when there are serious questions about the affordability plan, accuracy of bills, and issues with the water department's ability to process disputes, means that the City of Detroit should get its house in order before turning off anyone else's water.”

In March, DWSD began dispatching private contractors to begin shutting off water service to residents who are more than 60 days delinquent, or owe more than $150. Despite the fact that 38 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, the shut-offs began without a plan to help those who cannot pay.

After public outcry and this lawsuit, the city implemented a moratorium and announced a 10-point plan to address the dysfunctions raised by the lawsuit and civil rights groups.

"The mayor's plan only consists of proposals and temporary fixes,” said Rev. Charles Williams of the National Action Network-Michigan Chapter. “Until actual policies are in place to ensure that residents have access to affordable water, the water shut-offs cannot be resumed. The current proposal for residents to enter into non-negotiable payment plans is only a short-term solution."

Last month, the ACLU of Michigan and NAACP LDF wrote a letter to city officials arguing that that the poorly implemented and uneven DWSD shut-off policy violates the civil and human rights, as well as the due process rights of residents because it often fails to provide them with adequate notice and a hearing that takes into account whether they actually have the ability to pay.

“DWSD must immediately restore water to all its customers,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, President of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. “In addition, they should create a reasonable timetable for a hearing and appeals process, pending resolution of these issues."

Attorneys for residents are calling on Judge Rhodes to order DWSD to extend the moratorium to ensure that the most vulnerable Detroiters are not left without water. The moratorium on shut offs should be extended until DWSD has policies in place to ensure that collections are done in a way that doesn’t violate residents constitutional rights.

Tawana Petty, an activist with the People’s Water Board Coalition, echoed these sentiments. "We are asking the Governor, Mayor, Emergency Manager and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to stop their assault on the citizens of Detroit and restore all water to residents. Water is life and without it, we perish.”

UAW Local 551 Resolves to Support Detroiters In Water Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Sat, 16 Aug 2014 15:00:00 +0000

First the shutoffs, now the floods

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 20:13:00 +0000

As the old saying goes: when it rains, it pours. And boy, did it pour in Detroit yesterday! Southeast Michigan streets were flooded yesterday as severe storms poured into the Motor City and surrounding areas. Backed up sewer systems and blocked drains along major streets forced vehicles to maneuver through nearly two feet of water. There was nowhere to go as cars were turned around in all directions -- many becoming stuck and water-filled at underpasses, on dirt roads, rail road tracks and interstate highways.

A local photographer, Joe Gall captured many of these scenes.

This is all while we are in the moral fight for our lives to defend the human right to water. At least since March 2014, the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) has been shutting off water weekly to thousands of residents. Information about this international violation of human rights began to get out to allies and forces all over the country. With this support, local grassroots activists and attorneys were able to force DWSD, Emergency Manager and Mayor Duggan to revamp their customer service policies and institute a moratorium on shutoffs. The shutoffs are scheduled to resume on August 25 so we are bracing for new wave of despair. Meanwhile, local groups are delivering gallons of water to homes with newborn babies, seniors with serious medical conditions and persons with disabilities.

The People's Water Board, a coalition of over 20 Detroit community organizations, is supporting water stations, a hotline and canvassing efforts (led by We the People); challenging water shutoffs and DWSD debt in bankruptcy court (led by Moratorium Now). MWRO is still advocating for residents who've been shutoff that the water department won't assist.

How can a first world nation deny water to its residents? Follow what's happening in Detroit and we'll show you.

You can help by signing these water petitions or making a contribution to the People's Water Board. Thank you!

MWRO Statement on DWSD 10 Point Plan

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 01:00:00 +0000

Today in Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan and Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DSWD) Director Sue McCormick announced a new 10 point plan for water payments and shutoffs for Detroit residents. We note: it does not meet the needs of restoring water delivery and stopping shutoffs to ALL low income residents. Read MWRO's statement on the 10 point plan.

Since March 2014, DWSD has been shutting off water to residential customers -- mostly low income households -- at the rate of several hundred to several thousand per week. MWRO, along with the Detroit People's Water Board Coalition, called for a halt to the inhumane water shutoffs. With support from the Council of Canadians, Blue Water Planet and Food & Water Watch, international attention to this violation of human rights was sent by a letter from the United Nations to DWSD. Netroots Nation with National Nurses United, Robin Hood Tax and actor Mark Ruffalo, helped expose the crisis to wider audiences.

Detroit and Michigan residents continue to fight vigilantly for the right to fresh drinking water in their homes! We know of teachers who wash laundry of school children from homes without water. Our organizational partner, We the People, tells of homes where newborn babies have no water for formula and seniors have no water to clean wounds. This is an outrage that we must not allow to continue.

Canadians Deliver Water to Thirsty Detroit Residents

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 04:32:00 +0000

Michigan Welfare Rights Organization welcomes allies and friends from the Council of Canadians and cities across Ontario, Canada as they deliver dozens of gallons of fresh water to Detroit residents whose water has been shutoff.

Please join us at 3:30pm as we gather to welcome a Canadian caravan of vehicles when they cross the border at 4pm! We'll greet them at the Spirit of Detroit statue in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, 2 Woodward Ave (at Jefferson) in downtown Detroit. Following the welcome rally, the caravan and local residents will deliver the water to a People's Water Board water station at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 1950 Michigan Ave (at Trumbull Ave) in Detroit -- only a few short minutes away. For more information see: Canadian Convoy to Detroit on facebook.

Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians; and Maureen Taylor, MWRO State Chair are among the featured speakers. Please spread the word!

Below reposted from Detroit Greens

Welcome the Canadian Water Convoy to Detroit

Wed, 07/23/2014 - 09:24 — Lou

Sign Petitions to Stop Detroit Water Shutoffs

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 14:08:00 +0000

You've heard about the thousands of low income Detroit residents whose water has been shutoff by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD). These shutoffs have continued despite appeals from local residents, national groups and international organizations like the United Nations.

Please lend your voice and support to end these shutoff by signing one or more of the petitions below. Your actions will demonstrate to the DWSD, the Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, and President Obama that people across the U.S. -- across the world! -- say water is a human right!

Without water, all life withers and dies within a few days. Babies, the elderly and people who are ill are especially vulnerable to disease and sickness. Whole communities are at risk of public health crises from a lack of proper sanitation and hygiene. Most of all, water is a natural resource that belongs to everyone and must be publicly managed by communities, not profiteers and corporations.

Thank you for defending the human right to water!

More Online Petitions:

Oppose Detroit Water Shutoffs, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee -- Target: Mayor Michael Duggan, DWSD Director Sue McCormick, and Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, updated 7/18/14.
Sign the petition: Declare a public health emergency in Detroit, Daily Kos -- Target: President Obama and Health Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, 7/16/14.
Grant Emergency Assistance to Families Affected By Detroit Water Shutoffs!, White House Petitions -- Target: President Obama, 7/12/14. CLOSED
Provide disaster relief to the thousands of Detroit residents without clean drinking water due to city water shutoffs, Color of Change -- Target: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Detroit Emergency Manager Kevin Orr, 7/11/14.
Tell Detroit to turn the taps back on: Water is a human right!, Blue Planet Project -- Target: President Obama and Gov. Snyder, Summer 2014.
Sign the Petition to Keep DWSD Publicly Accountable, Food & Water Watch -- Target: Elected officials, Summer 2014.
Preserve Water as a Human Right by Investigating Detroit Water and Sewage Department's Water Shut-offs., Change.org -- Target: President Obama and Governor Snyder, Summer 2014.
Turn Running Water Back on for Thousands, ForceChange.com -- Target: Sue McCormick, Director Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, Summer 2014.

Maureen Taylor at National Nurses Union Rally Against Detroit Water Shut...

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 02:00:00 +0000

Maureen greets Netroots Nations and the National Nurses Union on behalf of low income people in Detroit whose water has been shut off. It's time to hold "tricks" [politicians and water officials] and "their "hoochie mama girlfriends" [the banks] accountable!

This rally and was held at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit. Maureen Taylor has been State Chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Union since 1993.

Welcome Netroots Nation to Detroit!

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Wed, 16 Jul 2014 05:00:00 +0000

Michigan Welfare Rights Organization welcomes Netroots Nation to Detroit, July 17-20, 2014.

Thousands of "bloggers, newsmakers, social justice advocates, labor and organizational leaders, grassroots organizers and online activists" are converging this week in the Motown City to connect and report on the issues most important to Detroiters and citizens of the world!

At Cobo Center in Downtown Detroit.

Detroit activists like us are excited to share many of the pressing issues we're working on to advance the people's right to water, housing, food, education, living wages and more! Find out more about the Detroit water shut-off crisis here and through our partner the People's Water Board.

Stay posted as we post more information here in coming hours and days!

In Solidarity,

MWRO Union Members

Stories we encourage you to read and share about Detroit grassroots issues:

Welcome the Canadian Water Convoy to Detroit on July 24, 2014 on People's Water Board facebook page, 7/16/14.
A year into Detroit's bankruptcy, many residents still feel abandoned in L.A. Times, 7/16/14.
Detroit Water Shut-offs Declared ‘Major Health Disaster' by RNs in National Nurse United, 7/15/14.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, In re: City of Detroit, Debtor Objection to “Plan of Adjustment”:
Testimony by Kristen A. Hamel, Detroit resident and homeowner at Moratorium Now!, 7/15/14.
Detroit must do what is right - turn the water back on (guest column) in Detroit Free Press, 7/14/14.
No Water For Motown: Why Detroit Is Denying Its Citizens This Basic Human Right
in The Nation, 7/11/14.
'Escalating Resistance' in Detroit as Residents Block Water Shut-Offs' in Common Dreams, 7/10/14.
Going Without Water in Detroit in New York Times, 7/3/14.
Water is a Human Right: Detroit Residents Seek U.N. Intervention as City Shuts Off Taps to Thousands on Democracy Now, 6/24/14.

Online Petitions:

Sign the petition: Declare a public health emergency in Detroit -- Target: President Obama and Health Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, 7/16/14.
Tell Detroit to Turn the Taps Back On: Water Is A Human Right! -- Target: The White House, 7/12/14.
Provide disaster relief to the thousands of Detroit residents without clean drinking water due to city water shutoffs -- Target: Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Detroit Emergency Manager Kevin Orr, 7/11/14.

MWRO Water Affordability Program

(not to be confused with the DRWAP promoted now by DWSD)

Outline of the MWRO Water Affordability Program -- this is based on the original 2005 proposal from water specialist Roger Colton.

Stop the Shutoffs, Turn on the Water! Rally and March

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 22:46:00 +0000

There's much going on in Detroit these days as MWRO with members of the People's Water Board and Food and Water Watch work to protect the human right to water. In the latest news, Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept. executives were told today by the federal bankruptcy court judge to come up with a better plan to help people whose water is being turned off.

To read more about this and recent stories, check out the links below.

We'll be at this Friday's, Stop the shutoffs, Turn on the water! rally and march at Cobo Center during Netroots Nation, led by allies from National Nurses United and the Robin Hood Tax. Join us there!!

Judge Rhodes: Water shutoffs hurt Detroit's reputation internationally, on freep.com, July 15, 2014.
Low-wage Detroit Citizens Fight for Basic Necessities of Life in the Face of Corporate Onslaught, in LaborRadio.org, July 14, 2014.

“Shame on you”: Maureen Taylor rips WDIV reporter, in Michigan Citizen, July 8, 2014.

Water Crisis in Detroit: Putting Corporate Profit Ahead of Human Rights, in Blue Planet Project, June 26, 2014.

Water is a Human Right: Detroit Residents Seek U.N. Intervention as City Shuts Off Taps to Thousands, on DemocracyNow.org, June24, 2014.

International Appeal to Stop Detroit Water Shut Offs

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 02:03:00 +0000

Detroit residents and activists are calling global attention to the city's water crisis where the Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept is scheduling 3,000 shutoffs per week to low income families. This human rights violation is being condemned by national and international social and economic justice groups who believe water is life and can never be denied to human beings.

Maude Barlow's Blue Water Project with Food & Water Watch, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization and the Detroit People's Water Board has drafted a report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur calling on authorities to stop the shut offs and restore water to those who have been cut off. Read the public announcement about this water shut off crisis.

Please help us in this effort by signing the petition: "Tell Detroit to turn the taps back on: Water is a human right!" directed to President Obama and Governor Snyder.

More information can be found on the MWRO facebook and MWRO twitter pages.

Rev Pinkney Framed in Benton Harbor Election Fraud Case

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 17:17:00 +0000

Reposted from BANCO

Note from MWRO: Rev. Edward Pinkney, President of the Black Autonomy Network of Community Organizations in Benton Harbor, has issued this statement following his hearing on June 5, 2014. Jury selection begins July 17 and court begins July 21. Please support Rev. Pinkney against these fraudulent charges by being a court observer and/or contributing to his legal defense by making a PayPal contribution to BANCO asap! His legal team is seeking $5,000 to appeal to the circuit court.

Statement by Rev. Edward Pinkney on BANCO website
June 8, 2014
My case is one where there is no evidence whatsoever that proves the acts constituting a crime were in fact committed by me.
–There is no physical evidence that I was the person who changed any petitions.
–There is no expert testimony that I was the one who changed any petitions.
–There are no statements to the police or anyone else that I committed acts constituting a crime.
–There are no confessions or witnesses to show that I committed a crime, or if there was a crime.
In short, the alleged crime consisted of the alteration of documents, and there is no evidence that I committed those acts or that I was the only person in a position to commit the acts.
Based on the evidence presented at the preliminary examination, it appears the prosecution will not be able to present sufficient evidence at trial unless they do what the Berrien County Court normally does: fabricate evidence.
Judge Sterling Schrock and Prosecutor Mike Sepic have been working together. They are a tag team. Corruption rolls on in Berrien County.
- See more at: http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/06/07/benton-harbor-rev-pinkney-to-face-trial-on-felony-charges-july-21-despite-no-evidence/#sthash.4NBCiBZn.dpuf

Pinkney Framed Again

My case is one where there is no evidence whatsoever that prove the acts constituting a crime were in fact committed by me.

--There is no physical evidence that I was the person who changed any petitions.

--There is no expert testimony that I was the one who changed any petitions.

--There are no statements to the police or anyone else that I committed acts constituting a crime.

--There are no confessions or witnesses to show that I committed a crime, or if there was a crime.

In short, the alleged crime consisted of the alteration of documents, and there is no evidence that I committed those acts or that I was the only person in a position to commit the acts.

Based on the evidence presented at the preliminary examination, it appears the prosecution will not be able to present sufficient evidence at trial unless they do what the Berrien County Court normally does: fabricate evidence.

Judge Sterling Schrock and Prosecutor Mike Sepic have been working together. They are a tag team. Corruption rolls on in Berrien County.

-- Rev. Edward Pinkney

Pinkney Framed Again
Statement by Rev. Edward Pinkney on BANCO website
June 8, 2014
My case is one where there is no evidence whatsoever that proves the acts constituting a crime were in fact committed by me.
–There is no physical evidence that I was the person who changed any petitions.
–There is no expert testimony that I was the one who changed any petitions.
–There are no statements to the police or anyone else that I committed acts constituting a crime.
–There are no confessions or witnesses to show that I committed a crime, or if there was a crime.
In short, the alleged crime consisted of the alteration of documents, and there is no evidence that I committed those acts or that I was the only person in a position to commit the acts.
Based on the evidence presented at the preliminary examination, it appears the prosecution will not be able to present sufficient evidence at trial unless they do what the Berrien County Court normally does: fabricate evidence.
Judge Sterling Schrock and Prosecutor Mike Sepic have been working together. They are a tag team. Corruption rolls on in Berrien County.
- See more at: http://voiceofdetroit.net/2014/06/07/benton-harbor-rev-pinkney-to-face-trial-on-felony-charges-july-21-despite-no-evidence/#sthash.4NBCiBZn.dpuf

Water Warrior Maude Barlow to visit Detroit Thursday, May 22

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Thu, 22 May 2014 21:30:00 +0000

(Reposted from Detroit Greens)

Michigan Welfare Rights Organization members will be there and we know you will be too! Tonight at 6:30pm, Wayne State University, downtown Detroit. This event is co-sponsored by the Detroit People's Water Board -- a coalition of grassroots organizations committed to demanding affordable water, no shut-offs, no privatization and affordable rates for all Detroit Water and Sewerage Dept.residential customers

Reflections on the Anniversary of Dr. MLK Jr.'s assassination

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Fri, 04 Apr 2014 23:03:00 +0000

Marching through Detroit, 1963. Photo from http://voiceofdetroit.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Dr_-Martin-Luther-King-Jr_-leading-freedom-march-in-Detroit-1963-smaller.jpg

Then, and Now…

Today marks the 46th year of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination, April 4^th, 1968. Many events have transpired since that bullet rang out just a short time ago that requires an analysis of our current situation. Where does one start to understand the roots of the current crisis unless we compare and contrast what was then and what is now.

The attempts on Dr. King’s life are chronicled. His pursuit of equal access throughout the South was highlighted by his relentless fight to stop the violence against Blacks in communities, on the farms, in schools, at work, and in all phases of everyday life. In the grip of the Vietnam War, the country was torn by so many events, many of them aired on nightly national television. Our existences were filled with bombings, attack dogs, demonstrations, and terrible violence with no end in sight. Were those the “good old days”?

As we pause to remember the significance of this day, the new world reality has shaken us to our core. President George W. Bush, V.P. Dick Cheney, and the Koch Brothers tricked the country into a war that was based on an absolute lie. The World Trade Center bombings were attributed to Iraq and their allies, and after several months, said intelligence was proven to be untrue. The impact of such an outrageous series of events that touched the lives of countless Iraqis and Americans injured or killed because of this gross un-truth has been mostly excluded from the pages of history…but it happened.

So, over a 46 year span of time, our consciousness includes both ends of this spectrum. Dr. King was murdered because he wanted peace, freedom and equality for all. On April 4, 2014, we still can’t find peace, freedom for all is questionable, and we are still reeling from the abuse of the 1% who will not tolerate economic equality. How is corporate America working out for us, these days? Miss you, Dr. King.

Maureen D. Taylor

State Chairperson – MI Welfare Rights Org.

A Call for Progressive Action

noreply@blogger.com (MWRO) — Fri, 28 Feb 2014 20:00:00 +0000

Calling Progressives: Geoffrey Fieger, Monica Lewis-Patrick, Jeff Edison, Rev. Ed Rowe, Ed Deeb, Nasser Beydoun, Rev. Bullock, Magic Johnson, Cornelius Pitts, JoAnn Watson, and all of the visionaries of Michigan...where the hell is our fight and our capacity to dump Snyder?

Photo from http://inthesetimes.com/images/articles/RIGHT_TO_WORK.jpg

A grassroots initiative is being mounted to lead and to galvanize our resources and talents in an effort to stem the tidal wave of attacks against our quality of life and we need all-on-deck to pull together the required dollars.

The governor speaks about a "surplus," but doesn't mention where these funds came from. In Auschwitz and Buchenwald, there were surpluses as well...extra eye glasses, extra teeth, extra pairs of pants, dresses, socks, shoes, etc.

Thousands of welfare mothers and their children were stripped of the meager cash assistance they were living on during a time of extreme unemployment across MI. Mental Health sites had their funding slashed or zeroed-out, entire public education systems closed, state funding owed to Detroit and other urban cities was not paid, pensions were taxed, and the greatest insult of all was the coronation of an EM who gets paid $1000/per hour - $8,000 a day.

A welfare mom with one child is entitled to $420/mo - $5040/per year! $8,000 per day versus $5,040 per yr?

Millions of our tax dollars are being paid out to scoundrels -- friends of the ones who helped put us in our current dilemma -- while we are being told day after day that we are a poor and backward city. No more of this torture!

We need to amass $1 million dollars so we can run ads about "right to work," about how banks are destroying our neighborhoods, about EM's being put over bankrupt cities who are paid 3 and 4 times what elected officials earn, and how the plan is to sell-off our city assets to their families and friends at our expense.

-- What happened to democracy?
-- What happened to union workers who seem to have lost their voices and their courage?
-- What happened to our right to vote?
-- What happened to our once progressive, militant churches who too often today stand in silence?
-- What happened to our standard of living and our right to look forward to better lives for our children?

Let's pull together, raise the money we need to mount state-wide campaigns, and let's inflict political casualties on their side instead of working people who are always suffering. We may not have Koch brothers money, but we for damned sure have millions of "boots on the ground" from which we can mount a non-violent offensive in Michigan from top to bottom, and from left to right!

"I went down to the rich-man's house...to take back what he stole from me..." Stay tuned for plans of action...

"At some point, silence suggests complicity."

Maureen D. Taylor,
State Chairperson, MWRO