Without local voices, the history of the community is lost. Barbara Jordan Middle School was
named after one of the first black Congresswomen in the United States, Barbara Jordan.
Governor Snyder through his emergency manager changed the name to Palmer Park Academy.
The names East English Village and Palmer Park Academy reflect the names of the
neighborhoods nearby, but they do not represent the culture of the local people who petitioned
and succeeded in having the schools named after our own cultural heroes: Jared Finney and
Barbara Jordan.
It is psychologically damaging to voters and taxpayers to have our schools closed, renamed,
stolen from under us and have no say about, and watch those who do stand up be retaliated
against when taxation without representation is what our nation was founded upon. White
voters and taxpayers in Livonia can call a locally elected and accountable official to seek
redress of grievances. We cannot.
As my (homes are assessed) for a lower and lower value, I pay fewer taxes, and as we all do
the same, there is less money available for schools.
It might be argued by the state, that the Governor represents these minority districts in the
minds of the minority voters as much as their locally elected school officials would.
However, in the last election of November 2014, School Board Member, LaMar Lemmons
received three times as many votes for his seat as School Board Member, as the Governor did
in his re-election for Governor. Clearly, the citizens want local representation like any other
citizen in the state enjoys.
Additionally, it should be noted that the Governor's dissolution of the Inkster School District
and the subsequent division of this minority-majority electorate into white majority districts is
in my opinion a violation of the Voting Rights Act.
Snyder might not think so, but we benefit from having pride about our African American book
collection, our school teams, our neighborhoods and our voting power.89
Another complainant states:
Neighborhood clubs could meet at the school forever. Now in order to use the building as a
block club, you must have a million dollar liability. You have to pay $45 per hour for audio
visual and additional fees for use of other resources. You must have security and such and so
forth, so people are not feeling all of that. That means that we are not only retaliated against,
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