Federal judge Denise Page Hood honored at Honorable Judge Keith’s soul food luncheon See page B-5
Vanity
FROM ‘NASTY GIRL’ TO PREACHING THE WORD See page D-1
POWERED BY REAL TIMES MEDIA
michiganchronicle.com
Volume 79 – Number 24
WHAT’S INSIDE Bringing Justice Initiative (Page A-3) Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans, in partnership with the First Ladies of Wayne County and Prosecutor Kym Worthy, has launched the Bring Justice Initiative. The community will benefit.
Feb. 24 - March 1, 2016
Gov. Snyder speaks candidly, it’s not all gloom and doom
Back from a nightmare (Page B-1)
Minister Louis Farrakhan
Gregory Lindsay has been up, he’s been down, and today he is still around and doing well. Heroin, cocaine and gambling almost destroyed him. He is eager to share his story.
– Monica Morgan photo
Minister Farrakahn brings Saviours' Day back to Detroit
A daunting decision (Page B-4)
Michigan Chronicle Staff Reports
Dr. Julianne Malveaux is sure that Hillary Clinton would be an outstanding president, which is why she is voting for her. However, there is something in her heart that says “Bernie Sanders.”
Detroit Home Mortgage (Page C-1) Mayor Mike Duggan has identified the new Detroit Home Mortage program as “a game changer for Detroit” that will help greatly with the city’s neighborhoods improving.
In defense of Beyoncé (Page D-1) Beyoncé has stirred up a substantial amount of controversy with her “Formation” video. The words “reverse racism” have even been spoken. Longtime friend Kelly Rowland says people like former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani should “just shut up.”
Montez Miller photos to improve facilities and improve services to really help the new school district be successful.
By Roz Edward
W
hen embattled Gov. Snyder visited the Michigan Chronicle on Monday, Feb. 22, for an exclusive interview, he came prepared to face the hard questions with candid responses to the tough questions MC staff would pose to him. Snyder initiated the interview by first discussing the proposed 2016-2017 FY budget and the promise it holds to provide solutions to resolve several of the most critical challenges facing the state, and in particular Detroit’s failing schools which serve an estimated 45,000 students, and the Flint water crisis tragedy that continues to garner attention throughout the state, across the country and around the world. Snyder pointed to four new items in the 2016-2017 fiscal year budget to address issues, some of which have been eclipsed by the state’s most pressing challenges. On budget line items for DPS and the Flint water crisis… We have identified and allocated dollars to cover everything from helping with water and water infrastructure (in Flint), to food and nutrition, to health and educational needs, to help with water bills and then a large reserve fund in terms of structure … so that’s a significant investment. The second piece would be the Detroit Public Schools providing $72 million over 10 years, with those funds coming out of tobacco settlement proceeds which is critically important. We’ll also provide $50 million in a supplemental bill to go with that also that would help pay back the debt for DPS, which is projected to be $515 million by the middle of the year. That would leave about $200 million for investment by the new school district
On the state infrastructure fund … Instead of doing a rainy day fund deposit, put a $165 million deposit in a state infrastructure fund. Just as we have the issue in Flint with lead pipes and things that are a concern, I want to set our sights on dollars and say we have a bigger issue through many communities in our state with old infrastructure. This wouldn’t be able to solve it on its own, but it could be a catalyst to say here’s a starting point to identify ways to deal with all infrastructure across Michigan. And then the fourth category that came up was something that wasn’t part of the normal process, but a large investment is we’re having to do a large investment at cost of $135 million a year for two new specialty drugs to help with Medicaid in our corrections population for hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis. Snyder added that with the general budget the state’s legislators are making good investments in schools and school foundation allowances, along with additional money for career track education and increased investment in higher education. Snyder said he is proud of the proposed budget, adding that now the challenge is to get through the legislative process, “which I’m sure (the legislators) will make changes to,” he said. On 2015 plans for DPS reformations… It’s been a long legislative process. The Senate has now taken up the bills and they’re doing hearings as we speak. So there is progress in the
See SNYDER page A-4
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam held the Saviours’ Day 2016 convention and celebration in the Motor City, February 18-21. The event was open to the public. Minister Farrakhan delivered a keynote address, “Divine Instructions: Commands for 2016,” on Sunday, Feb. 21, at Joe Louis Arena at 2 p.m. Doors opened at noon. Saviours’ Day activities were held at Cobo Center. Thousands participated in the annual celebration that honors the birth of Master Fard Muhammad, founder of the Nation of Islam, and the Great Mahdi of the Muslims. Saviours’ Day includes sessions designed to uplift, inspire and facilitate positive change and justice for black America and in the broader society. Born Feb. 26, 1877 in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Master Fard Muhammad first visited Detroit in 1930. He established the first Muhammad Mosque in North America and commissioned the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, patriarch of the Nation, to raise black people in America. Saviours’ Day included workshops on education, economic development, housing and other subjects, concerts, a military drill competition, First Lady Mother Khadijah Farrakhan’s fun-filled and educational Children’s Village, a youth town hall meeting, an historical exhibit and more.
City and DPS enter into consent agreement establishing enforceable timeline for school repairs By Tamekia Ashford The Detroit Public Schools and the City of Detroit have signed a consent that outlines a timeline and deadlines for fixing hundreds of safety and health violations in the district’s school buildings. The agreement extends to an initial group of 26 schools with other schools being added as inspections progress.
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“What we wanted was a commitment from DPS with specific timelines for making each repair and a binding agreement enforceable in court if those timelines are not met,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “We’re very encouraged
that DPS has entered into this consent agreement and look forward to their prompt progress in creating safe schools for our children.” The signed consent agreement, as well as an 18-page spreadsheet detailing the issues that need to be addressed at each school and a timeline for completing them, is available on the city’s website at www.detroitmi. gov. The consent agreement covers the first 26 schools that were inspected and still require repairs. As specific timelines for additional schools are estab-
lished, they will be added to the website. In January, the City of Detroit’s Building, Safety, Engineering & Environmental Department (BSEED) began a four-month process to inspect all 97 DPS buildings after a series of complaints by teachers and parents about safety and health issues. So far, building safety inspectors have visited 64 DPS properties. When health concerns are found during BSEED inspections, the Detroit Health Department follows up with an inspection of its own.
Copies of all 64 inspection re-
ports are available on the city’s website, www.detroitmi.gov. Reports for additional schools will be posted 72 hours after DPS receives a copy of the inspection report. Thirty days after the initial inspection, BSEED is conducting follow-up inspections to check on progress. Re-inspection reports also will be posted as they become available. To see the timeline for the first 26 schools covered by the consent agreement, go to www. detroitmi.gov and click on “View School Inspection Reports” and then on the link for “View Consent Agreement and School Fix Timeline.”