Tonia Williams:
Revitalizing a Detroit cultural icon, while respecting its rich history
valet services with a universal woman’s touch See page C-1
See page B-1 POWERED BY REAL TIMES MEDIA
michiganchronicle.com
Volume 79 – Number 40
June 15-21 2016
Lawyers of wrongfully imprisoned teen say false confessions are more common than we think By Tatyana Hopkins The lawyers of wrongfully convicted DaVontae Sanford said it was clear from the beginning that he was innocent and his confession was false. Sanford’s lawyer, Megan Crane, said his false confession is not to blame for his nineyear imprisonment, but “police practices that are widely inappropriate for vulnerable juvenile suspects and a criminal justice system that systemically failed him at every step of his process.” Sanford was wrongfully imprisoned since age 14 for a quadruple homicide that occurred in 2007 on Runyon Street in Detroit. According to Sanford’s legal team, he was approached by homicide investigators as they canvassed the neighborhood about midnight, just a few hours after the shooting. They said law enforcement convinced Sanford to go to the sta-
(l-r) Wayne County Jails and Courts Chief Robert Dunlap, former Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee, Mothers of Murdered Children head Brenda Hill, and Wayne State professor Charles Bell.– Paul Warner photos
Violence and mental illness, a combustible mix Poverty summit connects the dots between mental health and violence
By Paul Warner
Special to the Michigan Chronicle
DaVontae Sanford with his sisters tion to tell them about information he may have had about the crime. The officers received permission from his grandmother to take him to police headquarters for questioning. Sanford was picked up by police in his pajamas and questioned for nearly 24 hours over the course of two days without a parent or lawyer present, according to his lawyers. On the second consecutive day of questioning, Sanford confessed to being involved in the homicide. Only his confession was videotaped. Sanford confessed after several hours of police interrogation over the course of two days. He subsequently entered a guilty plea in the middle of the trial once he realized his defense attorney was not going to do anything to defend him, said David Moran, Sanford’s other lawyer and director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic. Crane said that after “bullying and coercion” during police interrogation, Sanford “just made something up” in order to go home.
See SANFORD page A-3
WHAT’S INSIDE
Former Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee made a revealing statement on Saturday during the Violence and Poverty Summit at the Mathis Community Center in Detroit: “I go to a clinical psychologist twice a week. I am a consumer because I've experienced post traumatic stress.” A primary topic of discussion during the forum, sponsored by The National Action Network’s Michigan Chapter, was how mental health issues are a catalyst for crime and violence in cities like Detroit. Godbee went on to talk about how his well-paying job affected his own mental health. “I had a $156,000 a year job but I saw murder and mayhem every day. I was in the emergency room when Ayana Stanley-Jones was pronounced dead. I was the one who had to tell her family that we, as the police department, killed their child,” he said.
Judge Greg Mathis Godbee also said the mental health problem does not just exist in criminals, but the rest of the population also. “It’s not just them that need mental
He was believed by most to be the greatest boxer of all time, but Muhammad Ali also kept the world entertained.
$1.00
See MENTAL
ILLNESS page A-4
Detroit Peacemakers call to ‘Stop the Beef’ in wake of recent violence
By Sidnee King
Muhammad Ali… the entertainer (Page D-1)
health help, it’s us. One out of seven people will experience some type of mental health issue in their lifetime,”
On Saturday, Detroit Peacemakers celebrated the launch of its conflict resolution center and “Stop the Beef Hotline” with a community meeting and peace march at Don Bosco Hall, located at 7375 Woodward Avenue in Detroit. Thirty individuals graduated from a six-week intensive course in conflict resolution and mediation, CPR, and self-defense. The individuals received certificates cementing their dedication to working toward a more peaceful Detroit. Following the meeting, organizers and attendees walked around Don Bosco Hall, handing out crisis cards and introducing the hotline to those in the neighborhood. “This program is welcomed by the community because the police can’t be everywhere. If we can mediate an issue without the issue resulting in violence, and the groups involved agreeing to mediate and resolve the conflict without, then we are an additional help to the community,” said Victor Muhammad, a conflict resolution specialist who
of Minister Louis Farrakhan to establish a conflict resolution center in the city. Last year, Farrakhan went on a three-city tour in preparation for the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington.
Peacemakers organizers Mahalieka Muhammad and Victor Saadiq Muhammad spoke to those in attendance. “We’re fighting a war on two fronts. We have to address issues like police brutality and unjust incarceration of males and females. But we also have to deal with the harsh reality of us killing us,” said Mahalieka Muhammad, a Detroit native who was inspired by the instruction
Minister Farrakhan’s message during the tour encouraged his followers to not only deal with the challenges African Americans face from society, but also the problems within the black community. He charged those attending the talks to establish conflict resolution centers across the country. Mahalieka Muhammad and Victor Muhammad took this instruction and ran with it. The conflict resolution center will serve several purposes, but its primary focus is to train individuals to mediate problems in the community and to teach everyday people how to communicate through their issues rather than resorting to violence. “If you have any conflict, male female relationship, mother and daughter, father and son, sibling, business owner and customer,
call us if you cannot resolve it on your own.” The center also aims to provide food, clothing and access to job and entrepreneurship training to those in need. Mahalieka Muhammad is the director of Your Community Events, LLC, and From Girl II Goddess, two organizations that are an extension of her passion for strengthening communities and families throughout Detroit. Muhammad’s experience growing up in Detroit and understanding the nature of the people and crime around her has driven her passion for the city. “I’ve always had a great love and respect for Detroit,” she said. The launch of the conflict resolution center is timely considering recent violence in the city. Last week, three individuals were charged in the death of 13-year-old Devontae Mitchell, who was killed after picking up $70 that a man dropped in a parking lot. In a press conference with Mayor Mike Duggan
See PEACEMAKERS page A-4