Public Development: emergency manager

Showing posts with label emergency manager. Show all posts

9/13/14

Flier from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder's September 2014 Visit to the Flint Farmers Market

VOTE WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

Under Michigan’s Emergency Manager law, the city of Flint is run from Lansing. Flint’s city council, mayor, and charter have no power; residents have no voice. All local decisions are made by Gov. Snyder and carried out by an Emergency Manager (EM) he appoints.

This is dictatorship and it is dangerous!—not simply dangerous to our fundamental rights,

but dangerous to our very health.

Financial Emergency Fixes Cause Health Emergency Crises

The United Nations has declared “safe, clean, accessible, and affordable drinking water and sanitation” to be a human right. Water shutoffs and unsafe water deny this right and put entire communities at risk of disease and other health complications.

The multiple fecal contaminations of Flint's water supply are the direct result of the decision to abandon the Detroit water supply for a new Lake Huron pipeline. Even though independent auditors commissioned by the State called this a "major risk" and said Flint and Genesee County residents would be better off staying with the Detroit regional authority, Snyder's EM pushed the plan through.

Now everyone is paying high water rates because those fees are the security for bondholders in the new pipeline deal underwritten by J.P. Morgan Chase and UBS. That's the “comeback kid” in action!

Our Public Health at the Expense of Our Public Wealth

Through Snyder’s EM, the State of Michigan handed private Flint corporation Uptown Reinvestment $5.65 million in grants and low-interest loans to create “an emerging health and wellness district” downtown. Flint’s EM also awarded Uptown a 12-year, $1 million tax abatement and $880K in federal community development block grants for the project that:

privatized control of the once-public Flint Farmers’ Market
gifted publicly-owned Genesee Towers to Uptown for $1
setup MSU's Public Health program as Uptown’s tenant in the old Flint Journal building

If State resources exist for “public health districts” that benefit wealthy private interests, Governor Snyder can allocate resources to address actual public health emergencies arising from soaring water rates, water shutoffs, an unsafe water supply, and the theft of local democracy.

Lower Water Rates Now! Stop Water Shutoffs Now! Safe Water Now! Restore Democracy Now!

Labor Donated • Contact the Democracy Defense League at DemocracyDefenseLeague@gmail.com

5/14/13

Emergency Dictator Double-Standard in Michigan's Genesee County Alone

Kenneth B. Clark and the famous Doll Test.

On May 13, the Detroit Branch of the NAACP announced that it had filed a federal challenge to the current Emergency Manager Law in Michigan. In the section of their complaint (PDF) entitled "State Treasurer Process for Emergency Manager Selection was Discriminatory in its Application," they include Genesee County as an example of how the State's own methodology for determining if a "financial emergency" exists has been applied indiscriminately (or rather, quite discriminately as it were) :

73. In Genesee County, the City of Flint has a fiscal score of 8, and an Emergency Manager was appointed. Of further relevance is that Genesee Township (8.18% African American population) did not receive an Emergency Manager even though it had a fiscal score of 9, a higher score than Flint. Argentine (0.23% African American population) did not receive an Emergency Manager even though it had a fiscal score 6, equal to Pontiac’s score. Davison (1.8% African American population) did not receive an Emergency Manager even though it had a fiscal score 6, equal to Pontiac’s score. Flint Township (16.12% African American population) did not receive an Emergency Manager even though it had a fiscal score 7, a higher score than Pontiac. And Thetford Township (2.91% African American population) did not receive an Emergency Manager even though it had a fiscal score of 7, a higher score than Pontiac.

SEE: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/treasury/Genesee_341964_7.pdf

11/14/12

VIDEO: School House in the Red (1945) - W.K. Kellogg Foundation

What is the best way to train schoolchildren useful skills like pesticide application, Ms. Apple Blossom?

5/25/12

#OCCUPYTHEPGA: Benton Harbor, MI

FINALIZED WEEKEND PLANS:

Demonstrate in protest of land stolen by Whirlpool Corporation! We’re asking protesters to wear all black if possible, every day.

May 26-27 (Big day: Sat. May 26)

Death March every day: Arrive between 10 – 10:30am, Benton Harbor City Hall, 200 E. Wall St.

Bring kites if possible!

WordPress Blog: http://occupythepga.wordpress.com/
Twitter HashTag: #OccupyThePGA
Facebook Event Page

5/14/12

VIDEOS: Flint Rally Against Michigan's Emergency Manager Law (Public Act 4)

Rev. Jesse Jackson's visit to Flint's Foss Avenue Baptist Church the day before this rally helped bring out a large crowd of Flint residents. Rev. Jackson came to Flint to show solidarity with Foss Avenue's Pastor Flynn, who had been arrested earlier in the month for voicing his concerns about the undemocratic nature of Public Act 4 (the Emergency Manager Law) inside Flint City Hall. (NOTE: Apologies for not being able to stay to record Pastor Flynn's remarks).

4/24/12

FLINT PROTEST: Michigan Emergency Manager Law (P.A. 4) Amounts to "Taxation Without Representation"

Sign-Making Party for Monday's protest will take place Friday at 6 pm at Occupy Flint

FLINT, April 24 - On Monday April 30th Flint General Assembly will host a protest against Public Act 4 (the emergency manager law).

The protest will be from 11am to 1pm on the lawn of Flint City Hall, 1101 S. Saginaw Street.

The Flint General Assembly began meeting when Flint emergency manager Mike Brown cancelled the regularly scheduled city council meetings late last year. “Our Flint income taxes are due April 30th,“ said Nayyirah Shariff, one of the protest organizers. “As things stand now, because we have an emergency manager, we will have no say in how those taxes are spent.”

Governor Rick Snyder announced the appointment of an emergency manager November 8th, the day Flint residents went to the polls to vote for mayor. Mike Brown started December 1st 2011.

"We're paying for an unelected bureaucrat that doesn't have our interests in mind. He's using our tax money to harm the city," said Blair Neifert, another protest organizer.

Yesterday emergency manager Mike Brown presented his budget to Flint City Council. The budget included public safety layoffs, privatization of city services, and projected increased water rates for residents.

Under Public Act 4, the emergency manager assumes the power of the mayor and city council, the legislative and executive branches of local government.

In February, the grassroots group Stand Up For Democracy turned in 226,637 signatures to repeal the law. The state Board of Canvassers will be meeting April 26th to vote whether to certify the signatures to put the issue on the ballot for November.

"It's up to us to take back our democracy," said Paul Jordan. Mr. Jordan is one of the plaintiffs in the statewide lawsuit challenging the constitutionality for Public Act 4.

The protest will also include a short theatrical event.

For more information about the protest contact: Nayyirah Shariff at (810) 610-3681.

######

1/11/12

LEAFLET: "Occupy for Democracy" in Michigan! MLK Day March to Governor Snyder's!

Bus/Transportation Info: http://bit.ly/wXWTqk | Map: http://g.co/maps/fdfp8

MORE: "Occupy For Democracy" #J16

1/5/12

LEAFLET: Solidarity Rally for the 99% and the Planet at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

WHAT: Solidarity Rally at the 2012 Auto Show —Fight for the 99% and the Planet

WHO: Autoworker Caravan, an advocacy group for rank and file autoworkers (www.autoworkercaravan.org)

WHERE: Across from Cobo Hall, Downtown Detroit

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 8, 2011, 1:30-3:00 PM

CONTACT: Nick Waun 810-728-1717, Stacey Kemp 810-814-3738

This year autoworkers, along with labor and community supporters, celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Flint Sit-Down Strike. The 44-day occupation that ended Feb. 11, 1937 when General Motors recognized the UAW was part of a movement that brought economic justice, dignity and respect. Today, the Occupy movement of the “99%” seeks the same.

Auto executives—part of the 1%—are crowing about their return to profitability at this year’s auto show. Their recovery comes at autoworkers’ expense: the deteriorating working conditions on the shop floor including less break time, overloading of jobs and draconian absentee policies.

The issues that the Flint Sit-downers were fighting for are issues that autoworkers today are still struggling to win:

* Good jobs for all
* Equal pay for equal work; bring wages and benefits up, not down
* A shorter work week.

Now, with the crisis of global warming facing us, at the same time as the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, we also must demand that the closed plants be reopened and retooled for green jobs.

The 2011 contracts kept workers’ total compensation down to an annual 1% increase—if that. The claim of new jobs overlooks the 150,000+ auto jobs cut since the Wall Street financial crisis. And some “new” jobs are paying poverty wages.

We maintain that workers need good jobs, not more work to perform in less time, with more management monitoring and control. The 1% -- not workers -- are profiting from the rise in worker productivity.

We want meaningful work—jobs that will help us build a better future. That means prioritizing mass transit and constructing alternatives to fossil fuel. We call for the rapid conversion of closed plants for the manufacture of renewable energy components, electric vehicles, and public transit vehicles. Though politicians promised to create “green” jobs, little has been done. The Detroit Woodward Light Rail, a promising alternative to reliance on the automobile and boon to local development, has been derailed, due to a lack of funds.

We see the 1% making the most outrageous demands. Chrysler/Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne is threatening to pull out of Canada and Italy if workers resist his demands for more concessions. He has attempted to co-opt the demand for equal pay to bring all wages and benefits down.

In addition, here in Michigan Governor-appointed Emergency Managers are dictators: shredding contracts, laying-off workers and contracting out essential public services. Foreclosures in Michigan remain third highest in the nation. Autoworkers stand with public sector workers in demanding decent working conditions. We also need the public services that are deteriorating in this period of austerity.

As tough as times are, it’s possible to make gains. The Flint Sit-Down strikers in 1937 showed us how to win. We as workers will stand together in solidarity. We are the 99%! We demand a future! Come speak to rank and file workers and community supporters about how we feel about the so-called recovery.

Join us January 8 at Cobo!

-xxx-

Video from last year's "Rally for Jobs & the Environment" at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show:

3/10/11

VIDEO: Michigan's Emergency Manager Emergency

Downloadable version (w/ better audio) available at Archive.org

More:
Practicing Democracy in the Classroom
MIUnion.org
SoldiersOfSolidarity.com
LansingWorkersCenter
MI AFL-CIO
US UnCut MI
Recall Rick

Public Development