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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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A north end meting this week hit on a number of issues.
First was the failure to provide the necessary resources to tuly make the north end mini station the Resource Center that Chief Lock promised.
There is a lot of anger about the street light assessment. many lights don't work and citizens resent paying for nonfunctional lights. Some areas have only one light and trees block the light while other areas have multiple lights. Groups that had grants for neighborhood security cameras had Consumers refuse to allow the cameras to be mounted.
Matthew Williams, City of Flint Associate Planner working on the master Plan, spoke and was disturbed by residents comments made about the Master Plan at the special Council meeting last Monday. Williams stated the plan was intended to be inclusive and transparent. He remarked he did not intend to "discount the ill treatment in the north end".
First Ward candidate for council Anita Brown gave an impassioned and articulate speech about why she believed the Master Plan was not good enough. She ponted out there were no resources designated for the north end. "Downtown isn't designed for us", said Brown. She urged residents to stick together because in 20 years this neighborhood will be leveled. You told Williams that the plan took away from north end neighborhoods. Brown referenced the Emergency Manager laws and said Flint residents were being bamboozled as the state ad a bigger plan. There are no plans for incubators and crime reductions. " Your 20 year plan for the north end is nothing" Brown told Williams.
Developer Joe King agreed and noted there was nothing being planned to stabilize the north end. King agreed that in 20 years nothing will be here.
William Alexander voiced his opinion that participation was lacking where it counted most and that was in the allocation of HUD and other grant resources. Alexander stated that residents saw that HUD money all went downtown and was shifted from the census tracts it was designed to help.
It was noted that while the Master Plan was being developed, the Snyder administration EM was implementing plans developed by the Mott Foundation and the Land bank in 2002 and 2004.
land bank official Raynetta Speed took exception to criticisms. An advisory member of the Master Plan, Speed claimed it was the housing assessments completed under the Master Plan process that supported the grant application for demo money that gave the Land Bank $3.7 million in demo money . Speed stated it also supported a second grant requesting $25 million in demolition money.
Raising her voice and thumping her chest Speed said those funds would not be coming to Flint "had it not been for us". (emphasis on the us)
king stated that while demolition was great, stabilization was necessary. You keep
tearing down, some things must be saved.
Speed emphasized the money spent on rehabs using the NSP funding. She looked dumfounded when someone said "yeah but you can't sell them". |
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Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:02 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Raynetta Speed passed out maps showing the 3059 demolitions by ward completed by the Land bank since 2004.
Ward
1 494 demos
2 322 demos
3 650 demos
4 265 demos
5 787 demos
6 63 demos
7 125 demos
8 33 demos
9 65 demos
With the new redistricting Ward 5 runs through th middle of the city fro south of 12th to just north of Dayton and Dupont east into a portion of the east side.
The preponderance of demos are north and the east side west of Franklin. The land bank wants to demo another 2,000 homes and they estimate the cost per home is $10,500. |
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Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:16 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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August 6, 2013
Governor Snyder,
On May 9, 2012, correspondence was sent to you regarding the very grave concerns that had arisen within the citizens, faith leaders, and general populous in the city of Flint. Our expressed concerns pertained to the intensifying disconnection between the community and government that was causing increasing anxiety within our city.
Specifically, we advised that the rising crime on the North Side of Flint was atrocious; that the decisions rendered by the Emergency Financial Manager were troubling; and that it was imperative that the community be engaged.
It is our understanding that you convened a meeting with your senior staff, Emergency Financial Manager, Mike Brown, and others regarding our concerns. While we are not certain of all that was shared or suggested, we affirm that those resultant solutions have not negated the very grave occurrences since our initial communication and that we are sure that you as the Chief Executive Officer of the Great State of Michigan would agree are beyond
disheartening.
•.•. (Over 100 homicides, several victims under the age of 20; the marshaling of the Michigan State Police (MSP); a fear stricken, militaristic community).
Therefore, as it was then, it is now, our earnest desire that in an effort to address the rampant and all too frequent occurrences of violent crime, you review the following concerns presented in this communique and acknowledge these concerns by facilitating a meaningful and immediate personal dialogue between you and some of the concerned clergy and citizens of Flint.
You should know that the impetus of our concerns directly relate to the failing and ever deteriorating engagement of the Emergency Financial Manager in the city of Flint. From the initial appointment until now there has been a consistent decline in the mental outlook and social fabric of our city. The city’s residents have been assessed exorbitant taxes and fees for such public services as water, street lights, rubbish removal and public safety with lackluster results. There is a great disparity in neighborhood and economic development that has severely impacted the enrollment and effectiveness of the Flint Community School District. While these alone are alarming, even more important is the consistent peril pertaining to the safety of Flint’s residents. As mentioned above, we expressed this to you in our initial letter of May, 2012 where we detailed that crime on the north side of Flint was atrocious. Since then, despite your deployment of Michigan State Police
troopers, and the levying of an unprecedented public safety millage, Flint continues to lead the nation in crime per 1,000 resident and has retained the unfortunate distinction of the nation’s most violent city. Nearly one week ago, seven citizens, including two youth, ages 9 and 12, were murdered.
Responding to this tragedy, the Emergency Financial Manager and Chief of Police announced via local media that a press conference would be held on Wednesday, July 24, to inform the community of the strategies and investigative progress made. Several clergy along with the Vice-President of the City Council attempted to attend this conference only to be instructed that they were not allowed.
At your Public Safety Address, here in Flint, community involvement was emphasized, by you, as a essential part of addressing crime. Our question is how can we the community be involved, when such a reprehensible act as
being disallowed entry into a public press conference by the “unelected” representative that governs within Flint is tolerated and sanctioned.
Negativity permeates the community as it relates to the abundant presence of the Michigan State Police (MSP). A high degree of this uneasiness is due to the fact that many of the Michigan State Police officers are new and lack ethnic and cultural sensitivity to many of the residents of Flint. As you know, Flint is predominantly African American. The planned addition of new troopers to supplement the 26 that are presently here must be more thoroughly contemplated as it relates to the needs and demands of urban policing. There have been at least five fatal shootings involving MSP and Flint’s citizens, and countless more negative interactions that have contributed to a seemingly militaristic environment of racial and social profiling. These factors lead to an aura of great disdain and distrust.
We are extremely displeased with what we are declaring is a continued and convenient disregard for the overall welfare of our city. We feel we have shown and availed ourselves as competent and willing citizens who are genuinely concerned about Flint. Despite the fact that many of us have been impacted personally by violent crime we have not retreated from our efforts to help. However, your appointee continues to ignore many positive initiatives and opportunities for dialogue that are available within many facets of the faith community and community at large. While we are very skeptical of the appointee and the genuineness of his concern, we are holding on to the belief that you are stili trying to engage in fiscal stabilization for the entire State of Michigan.
The opportunity presented in the State’s appropriation bill for the Department of Health and Human Services for Adult and Family Services has provided an immediate opportunity for the faith-based and community at large to address the public safety issue in Flint through the development of a Fatherhood Initiative. As you are very aware, 33% of Genesee County Youths are being raised by a female parent. There are thousands of unemployed fathers that would benefit from this state and locally supported initiative.
Additionally, our community has been involved in the Lifeline Initiative. This model has documented success in Boston, Indianapolis, Stockton, CA, and Cincinnati, OH. Locally, this initiative has strong community participation and is only constrained by a lack of funding.
Therefore, we are asking for your support of these two initiatives that will immediately engage the richest of the assets remaining in Flint—the community— to assist you in addressing the issue of violent crimes for the residence
of Flint and surrounding areas.
At times we have a tendency of expecting or believing that somehow others understand your plight; what you are going through and how we must feel. However, the reality is, many have not seen nor can even imagine what the
average citizen is dealing with here in Flint. So we are asking you to join us for a walk down our streets. No cameras, no photo ops, no gotcha moments. Just a walk into what was and now is in our community. To see with your own eyes and hear with your own heart from the citizenry of your state the real impact that the lack safety and opportunity has brought to this community.
If the present strategy of creating an environment that is replete with militaristic presence, frequent arrest, and the absence of the community is the only one to be employed and unless you provide Flint a rapid and deliberate response to its residents’ call for state aid and support, you may well need to take an increasingly more drastic step to curb the violence in Flint that may include marshal law.
Respectfully Submitted,
Concerned Clergy and Citizens of Flint
Concerned Pastors for Social Action
Flint Area Congregations Together
Michigan Prophetic Voices
Flint Council of Churches
Flint Church of God in Christ (COGIC) Alliance
Flint Apostolic Alliance
Community Neighborhood Coalition
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Mid Michigan Methodist Alliance
Unitarian Universalist Church of Flint
Michigan Organizing Collaborative
cc: State Treasurer (Andy Dillon)
Office of Urban Initiatives (Harvey Hollins)
Emergency Financial Manager (Mike Brown) |
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Sat Aug 17, 2013 8:44 am |
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Raymond Sist
F L I N T O I D
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AMEN! This letter ties in quite well with Mr. Nolden's letter that was published a few days ago.
I find it interesting that the Detroit emergency manager keeps saying that the city must be made safe for all citizens, while here all we are told is that there's a plan, but it's secret. There's a plan, all right, it's to try to drive everyone out of the North End. Maybe the Pastors should start a "We're NOT going anywhere" movement.
It's also somewhat interesting that the journal (small "J") doesn't report any of this. It's only somewhat interesting because it's common knowledge that they're in the Mott/Uptown hip pocket. |
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Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:58 am |
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