Sunday, November 27, 2011

Abayomi Azikiwe, PANW Editor, and Others Respond to the Imposition of Austerity in Detroit

Citizens respond to Bing speech

Abayomi Azikiwe, Alex Germany, Bruce Taylor

Published• Sun, Nov 27, 2011
By Marcus Wright
Special to the Michigan Citizen

Mayor Dave Bing announced he is going to privatize the bus and lighting systems. Do you think anything the mayor said is going to help the city out of its difficult financial position?

No, I don’t think anything Bing said is going to help. We need to bring more money into the city. As Councilwoman Watson has said again and again, the state owes us over $200 million in revenue-sharing. Even if it means taking [the state] to court and mounting a major political campaign, [we need] to get that money. We should also demand a moratorium on interest payments to financial institutions and banks. That is also strangling the city. At the same time, we should demand a bailout from the federal government. The banks have been bailed out, the auto companies have been bailed out. We feel the city of Detroit should be bailed out.
Abayomi Azikiwe

Bing did not address the issues, so how can what he said help? What he said he’s going to do will add to the problem. Public cuts help nothing but people flight from Detroit. What he is asking for will not help the city. Laying people off won’t help. Taking food off the table won’t keep people in Detroit.
Alex Germany

No! No! No! What Bing said will not help the city. I don’t think he wants to help the city. Balancing the budget may sound good to some people. Accusing the people we elected of being incapable of doing so is placing the blame on those who don’t have the power. It is a set-up for a takeover, a corporate takeover. Is a corporate takeover good for the city of Detroit?
Bruce Taylor

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