Chairman of the Safer
Michigan Coalition
Tails Wagging the Dog in Detroit
By a wide margin, Detroit voters gave the proverbial middle finger to the City Council, prominent ministers, a corrupt zoning board and hysterical neighborhood association "leaders." In the finest tradition of direct democracy; the voters approved two measures which would ease harsh zoning laws against dispensaries and allow for state licensed grow operations, processors and secure transporters.
Proposal A passed with 60% of the vote and would allow for more dispensaries. Proposal B eased zoning laws and took power from the Board of Zoning Appeals, which arbitrarily and capriciously denied variances and allegedly engaged in 'pay to play' scams with members of their special inner circle. Proposal B passed with a 58% margin.
How could such a thing happen? Why were experts from the Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, eight members of the City Council and the Detroit Planning Commission so dead wrong? What about big time preachers like gospel music entertainer Rev. Marvin Winans, pastor of the "Perfecting Detroit" mega church, political pundit Steve Hood and a myriad of self anointed "neighborhood" spokespersons and their amen chorus be so off the track?
"The answer is simple," explained former State Representative LaMar Lemmons, (who was term limited out of the Legislature) a member of the Detroit School Board and founder of the powerful "East Side Slate."
With the exception of the "Michigan Chronicle" newspaper, the Slate was the only community organization of its kind to endorse both proposals.
"Detroit voters understand the way African Americans are dis-proportionally targeted for drug crimes" said Mr. Lemmons. "Just as many white people use marijuana as blacks, but black people take the hit. People underestimate that fact, even the pro (marijuana) side."
"I don't smoke anything, but as a public official I have always resented government imposition on my freedom of choice" Lemmons continued. "Most prescription drugs are more dangerous then marijuana. No one has ever died of an overdose of marijuana...and people know that."
"What about Hash Bash in Ann Arbor?," Mr. Lemmons continued. "Everyone is smoking weed out there and nothing ever happens. You can't do it like that in Detroit," he asserted.
So what happens next?
The answer to that question was made brutally clear by the Mayor Mike Duggan administration.
In a statement to the Detroit News on November 22, Detroit Corporation Counsel Melvin 'Butch' Hollowell declared: "I have no plans to challenge the will of the voters on this matter. My position is the voters have spoken and so what we now should be focusing on is how we make the regulatory framework adopted by the voters work." Mr. Hollowell went on to say that
the Mayors office is in alignment with his decision.
The failure of the losers smoke and mirrors crusade, was not for lack of trying. They fought until the bitter end.
Their usual advocacy method on the marijuana issue, was to pack public meetings with loud, angry, fear mongering persons, in order to get what they want through mob style intimidation. Their goal was to shut down all cannabis businesses in Detroit and for a time they seemed to be succeeding.
That was until a consortium of dispensary owners called "Citizens for Sensible Cannabis Reform" (CSCR) decided to run a ballot initiative to take control of the situation and preserve their rights.
When CSRC secured the signatures they needed to make the ballot, the opposition pressured the Detroit Election Commission to keep the measures off the ballot. The Commission capitulated to their demands, forcing the CSRC to go to Court. As a result, Wayne County Circuit Judge Robert J. Colombo Jr. ruled against the Election Commission, forcing the Detroit government to put the measures on the November 7th ballot.
On November 16th the City Planning Commission held a public hearing at Cobo Hall regarding the November 7th election results. The disgruntled were once again out in force, albeit more subdued. No hooping and hollering this time. The Commission members however, knew who they were. By a vote of 8-1, they recommended to the Mayor and City Council, that the election results be challenged in Court by the City Law Department.
On November 21, the City Council fell into line. They voted 7-1 to challenge the election results. Fortunately, neither the City Planning Commission or the City Council are running the show. The Mayor's office is in charge of the Law Department and calls the shots on who gets sued.
Coming fresh off a massive victory at the polls in the November election; Mayor Mike Duggan and his man Melvin Hollowell did the right thing. They stood firm for voter rights, even though many experts suspect the Mayor was not exactly pleased by the peoples decision.
In the end game, the curtains fell on mob rule in Detroit this November.
For now anyway, in this instant case, the tails did not wag the dog.
