Best In Black
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2017
2017
www.bestinblackdetroit.com This issue of The Quad provides the information you need to help make decisions along your educational journey and as you prepare for your career.
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Volume 81 – Number 3.
michiganchronicle.com
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2017
Do fewer foreclosures, property auctions mean less county revenue? Then again, isn’t fewer foreclosures the goal? What’s the price of doing the right thing? By Keith A. Owens Senior Editor
If the rate of property tax foreclosures in Wayne County keeps dropping this fast, you almost have to wonder whether Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree is working to put himself out of a job. Because once that day comes [at this point very hypothetical] when there are no more delinquent taxes to collect, what is going to take the place of all that revenue?
COMMENTARY
But maybe this is a good problem to have. When the choice is between a lot of delinquent tax revenue and more people staying in their homes, fewer people being late on their taxes, and more stable neighborhoods…well… That really isn’t much of a choice, or at least it shouldn’t be. No doubt, Sabree must also be pleased that the latest numbers provide at least somewhat of a buffer against the rising level of criticism his office has been facing from critics who claim the foreclosure process is weighted against the poor, specifically the black poor, in Detroit. Sabree was named in a lawsuit filed last summer by the ACLU of Michigan seeking to call off the tax foreclosure auction, but Sabree’s office managed to dodge that bullet thanks to a judge’s ruling on Sept. 2. The ACLU’s lawsuit against the City of Detroit, however, was allowed to continue. From the Detroit Free Press posted on September 2: “The lawsuit, whose plaintiffs include the Morningside Community Organization, Historic Russell Woods-Sullivan Area Association, Oakman Boulevard Association and Neighbors Building Brightmoor, sought a moratorium on foreclosure of owner-occupied properties, citing improperly denied poverty exemptions. The suit also alleged the foreclosures disproportionately affected African Americans and that tax bills were wrongly inflated because of assessments that were simply too high. “Specifically, the lawsuit claimed,
See FORECLOSURE page A-4
WHAT’S INSIDE
An angry Jesse Jackson speaks as Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett and Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey listen and reflect.
Rev. Jesse Jackson visits Detroit, calls for NFL boycott amid racist Trump remarks
By Alisha Dixon
human rights issues that often go ignored.
Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett and Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey joined Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. for a news conference on Monday where he called for an NFL boycott, condemned President Trump’s constant stream of racist comments and his refusal to support recent peaceful protests, and expressed concerns about evidence of voter suppression seen in the 2016 Presidential Election.
“The flag has flown over some very dark times in our lives … I was arrested for trying to use a public library in South Carolina and the flag was flying over us. My father fought in World War II and had to sit behind Nazi prisoners
“President Trump’s crude name-calling is beneath the dignity of the office – way, way below. Attacking a citizen for expressing his or her political opinions in a legal, peaceful, non-violent fashion, as Colin Kaepernick did last season, is a chilling commentary on the current state of affairs and discourse in Washington. We the people deserve so much better than this,” Jackson said in a statement before the press conference. “We applaud the NFL players, coaches, owners and fans for standing up Sunday for free speech and justice. Your rights as an American citizen don’t end when you step on a football field.” The act of peaceful protest has been a tool often used by previous generations, both in the U.S. and throughout the world, to bring light to social and
of war on American military bases. The flag was flying. The day we marched for the right to vote, the flag was flying. Between 1880 and 1945, a thousand blacks were lynched as Night Riders had the Bible, the flag and the cross,” said Jackson. “These are symbols. It’s the substance that matters. We love our country so much that we fight for our country, but our country won’t fight for us. That’s absurd! Here’s a man who is
caught up to his neck and deals with Russia on the night of our election, but talks about patriotism. The flag is not patriotism. It’s a symbol” Trump’s remarks come at a volatile time as many Americans find themselves fighting not just for equality, but equity. Although free speech is protected under the First Amendment, the president continues to urge NFL and NBA owners to reprimand players for exercising that constitutional right. Kaepernick, who is obviously qualified to play, is still paying the price for simply exercising his rights by the refusal of any NFL team to now offer him a contract. Something Jackson believes is both egregious and a direct violation of the Constitution. “As long as their boycott of Colin Kaepernick continues ... their boycott of free speech and the right to gainful employment, we will respond with a boycott in every city,” the civil rights leader said. “There will be pickets at every game, there will be pickets of viewers and participants. We will challenge people not to attend the games and not to watch them on television.” During the news conference, Winfrey and Jackson spoke passionately about the seemingly endless issues discovered during the 2016 General
See JACKSON page A-4
No-fault reform provides major insurance rate cuts for drivers Michigan Chronicle Staff Reports
Touching Communities. Touching Lives.™ A PUBLICATION OF MGM GRAND DETROIT
September • 2017
It’s fall, and the time is ripe for giving back at MGM Grand Detroit! For many, the fall season in our area is the most beautiful time of the year. Fall also is a time that we enjoy many wonderful traditions like football games, tailgating, homecoming gatherings, and visits to cider mills and even haunted houses. At MGM Grand Detroit, fall also has special significance and is a period where we continue one of our favorite traditions—giving back to our community. Our commitment to our community would not be possible without our dedicated team members, who fully support our mission and share our vision. Our civic and charitable giving, along with our company wide volunteerism targets focus areas of concern across our area including education, services to youth, community development, diversity, and the arts. The pages that follow provide just a small sampling of the ways we serve our community during the fall and throughout the year. Giving in ways that truly count: More than a one-time visit, MGM Grand Detroit’s Count Day trips has provided resources, fun and encouragement that empowers students at the school for the entire year. To learn more about that tradition, please see Page 2.
Thank you for reading!
Inside This Issue • MGM Grand Detroit team members count down to Count Day; • 2017 Wright Gala will impact our community on many levels; • Paradise Jazz Series honors rich tradition; • And much more!
Special Supplement inside Fifth Third banking on Detroit’s rebirth See Page B1
$1.00
Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard, state Rep. Lana Theis and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan on Tuesday, Sept. 26, announced a plan to reduce Michigan drivers’ car insurance bills an average of 20 percent — and even more for seniors — bringing significant relief to residents paying the nation’s costliest insurance premiums. The bipartisan legislation to reform Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws is sponsored by Theis, R-Brighton, and backed by Leonard, R-DeWitt, and Duggan, a Democrat. The plan would end Michigan’s only-state-in-the-nation requirement that all drivers pay for unlimited lifetime health insurance through their auto insurers, no matter whether they already have health care coverage. Drivers who want to keep unlimited health care specifically through an auto insurance company could continue to do so. This new plan would preserve the most generous auto insurance coverage in the nation, while driving down health care costs, rooting out fraud and
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Detroit Branch NAACP President Wendell Anthony and other supporters of the no-fault reform plan. abuse and reducing the rapidly growing number of lawsuits statewide that Michigan’s 1973 no-fault law was supposed to prevent. The plan gives drivers options for lower rates and greater choice based on what they can afford.
“Everywhere I go traveling the state, people are demanding relief from their out-of-control auto insurance rates,” said Leonard. “Michigan drivers are paying the highest rates in the country because we are the only state that requires everyone to buy
bonus medical plans many don’t want and others don’t need. The families who are trying to make ends meet with this extreme burden deserve better. They deserve a plan that makes bold,
See INSURANCE
RATE page A-4