were proud to buy American. In Detroit, with unions to insure equal treatment, black people could as a group,
for the first time we ever knew of, live the American dream.
McClellan’s control and command model was created to break up the minority district “monopoly” and take
control of our tax dollars on the promise that the dissolution of our locally elected school boards, local
bureaucracy and our powerful unions, would result in better student achievement. The EAA and the Charters
overall, have not done that. The Governor’s control of DPS has not done that.
What the Governor agents have done is create hostile working conditions for many teachers, force teachers to
go against their training, best judgment, and the best interests of the child.
What the Governor’s agents have done is misappropriate money, create blight, create dangerous and hostile
living conditions around school unnecessarily closed, put children in danger on their way to and from schools,
wilt the tax base and lower our property values.
What the Governor’s agents have done is destroy the fabric of the community. We know the downtown area
thrives, but many children live in neighborhoods. Whether a neighborhood enjoyed hosting movie night, like
those at Oakman; enjoyed rooting for the famous Finney vs. Denby basketball rivalry; or enjoyed perusing the
African American literature collection in Highland Park. Detroiters spend a lot more time in our own
neighborhoods than we spend downtown.
Command and control has insulted our culture. Command and control harmed many members of an entire
generation.
Taxation without representation was one of the underlying causes of the American Revolution. The American
colonists believed that they should not have been taxed by a government unless they had a political voice in that
government.
The lack of transparency makes it difficult for the average Detroiter to understand all the details, but all can see.
The threat of retaliation and understanding of who is running things in our community makes it impossible for
many to speak up at all. Many speak up in a whisper. Many have spoken up and been retaliated against.
We were told that Command and control legislation would improve scores. However, based on the
overwhelmingly egregious actions of the Governor’s agents, we are left with one conclusion and that is that this
was all a pretext for discrimination because; they just di d not want black people to have a monopoly without
giving them a piece of it.
We the elected School Board find ourselves as the last line of defense. We gave Detroiters an opportunity to
share their thoughts, we are receiving more complaints every day.
Whether the actions were done with malice of intent, gross incompetence, or blind greed with our coffers, the
result is the same. Minorities and disabled students have been harmed. The ELL students have been harmed.
The fabric of our minority history and culture has been harmed. Property owners have been harmed. Minority
voters have been inconvenienced and harmed. Public safety has been compromised. If there are any benefits to
these actions in terms of meeting the educational goals of the community, the Governor is yet to identify them.
We are injured. Without any other rational, we are left to conclude these actions were a pretext to retaliate and
discriminate based on race, national origin and disability of the student population.
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