On March 27th, David Alexander Bullock took on a project nobody has yet dared to do: To see if he can collect nearly 790,000 valid petition signatures in just 60 days to put the recall of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on the ballot. Prior to 2012, signatures had to be gathered in 90 days but Republicans were tired of people […]

Effective change in Detroit must come from communities, not from the top down This Saturday, the Change Agent Consortium (CAC), a coalition of Detroit faith, labor, and social justice groups, will hold their Advance Detroit Summit at the Bethany Baptist Church (15122 W. Chicago) in Detroit. The event is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to the […]

“It’s time not to fight back, but to fight forward”

Next Monday is Memorial Day in the USA, a day to remember those who gave their lives to defend our country and our democracy. On that day, a coalition of civil rights, labor, and faith leaders from around the state are staging another memorial: the death of democracy in Michigan.

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Back in the saddle again…

Regular readers may have noticed that blogging has been light for the past few days. Both of my kids graduated from college this past weekend so Saturday morning found us at the Cleveland Institute of Music watching Arleigh graduate from graduate school (she’s a bassoonist.)

Then it was off to Ithaca, New York to watch Cameron graduate with an undergraduate degree in film making from Ithaca College…

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Using financial crises to disenfranchise citizens Last year, faced by over $300 million in debt from a failed trash-to-energy incinerator, Pennsylvania’s capital city Harrisburg attempted to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy. They were, however, rebuffed. A law passed in earlier in the year specifically to prevent Harrisburg from filing for bankruptcy prohibits them from doing so until July 2012. In […]

Here are some photos, courtesy of Michigan Forward, from the delivery of over 226,000 petition signatures to the Secretary of States office on Wednesday. Some details along with a statement from Michigan Forward are available in yesterday’s News Round-up. Rally at Central United Methodist Church Another rally shot Brandon Jessup, Rev. David Bullock, Rev. Charles Williams and others delivering petitions […]

Showtime! Click for a larger version This morning at 11:30 there will be a rally in Lansing, Michigan for those who support the repeal of Public Act 4, Michigan’s undemocratic Emergency Manager law. Then, at 1 p.m., close to 250,000 petition signatures will be delivered to the appropriate officials. 160,304 valid signatures are needed to put the citizens’ referendum on […]

Great coverage by The Rachel Maddow Show last night of the march and rally in front of the gated community where Michigan Governor Rick Snyder lives. Rev. David Bullock was spot-on perfect with his message and it’s one that will resonate with a wide variety of people. My favorite part of Rev. Bullock’s comments came at the end. There is […]

Just a reminder that this afternoon, starting at 4:00 p.m., there will be a protest march on the Ann Arbor-area home of Governor Rick Snyder. Word has it that, in addition to scheduled speakers, the Reverends Al Sharpton & Jesse Jackson are also in town for the event. Here are the details from my original post that also had an […]

Last night I spoke on the phone with Pastor David Bullock, the president of the Michigan Chapter of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition and the Highland Park NAACP. He and his group are organizing a Martin Luther King Day march on the Ann Arbor home of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. Details on the “Occupy for Democracy Rally” to protest Michigan’s anti-democratic […]

I’ve been happy to see hear coverage of the takeover of Benton Harbor on Michigan Public Radio over the past three days. They’ve done a three-part story which is pretty balanced, on the whole. Wednesday, April 27 – Benton Harbor called “ground zero” in fight over emergency manager powersThursday, April 28 – People in Benton Harbor disagree about what’s best […]