Morale Turpitude In Detroit Has Harmed Its Children

It seems the Free Press did a very nice piece on the moral turpitude by addressing the children.

Thank you, Rochelle Riley.

Detroit must be vigilant in the fight against moral bankruptcy

In the new Detroit, we must make sure no councilwoman takes a bribe, that mayors don't lie and that school principals don't steal.

A year has passed since our city made the kind of history that no one wants: the day Detroit exited from the largest municipal bankruptcy ever.

We've spent lo, all these months focused on finance. And that needed to be done.

But now, as Detroit rises from the economic swamp that was, we must fight to leave another past behind, the one where we almost went morally bankrupt.

Unlike the financial crisis — which forced an emergency manager to rip the city from its past like a Band-Aid — this bankruptcy of character seeped in, one person, one administration, one bad decision at a time. And there was no easy solution.

It's not like we didn't see it. We just got used to it. We looked around and realized it was everywhere. Before we knew it, it had moved in like a bad neighbor.

The federal investigation of the Detroit Public Schools, as well as the smaller district of low-performing schools run by the Education Achievement Authority, is the best thing that could happen in the new Detroit. We should be cheering.

The firing of Land Bank Authority director Kevin Simowski — for coming to work drunk and allegedly stalking and threatening a coworker — was necessary. We should be cheering.

Ten years ago, the school district was untouchable, and Simowski he would have been placed in another city job.

We have a chance to change things; we are changing things, not just financially, but morally, where our leaders are concerned. We are at a point in the city's history where we must demand excellence, strong character, honesty. Period.

We can create a new model of education, a new place where crooks are not allowed. We can demand a City Hall and a school district that stay clear of the stench of corruption.

Detroit deserved better than being a dirty city. If the renaissance that we prayed for really is here, then we must meet every crisis of character that comes. In the new Detroit, we must make sure no councilwoman takes a bribe, that mayors don't lie and that school principals don't steal.

The new Detroit deserves better than some past leaders who were looking for "side hustles" and trying to help themselves as much as they helped Detroit.

We're already on the way.

No one has sung "Onward Christian Soldiers" at the City Council table in years. The council, as a matter of fact, has been boring to watch — and that's a good thing. They're doing their jobs, fixing the districts, working cooperatively with Mayor Mike Duggan.

A year has passed since Detroit exited from bankruptcy. What Detroit must do now is declare itself a crook-free zone. As the mayor brings people aboard, he must help redefine what it means to be a leader.

But most important, we must nurture a generation of leaders with high moral character so our city can, from this point on, be run by honest people.

Detroit deserves that — especially now, a year after we stood on the brink of a precipice and pulled ourselves back. We must be careful to never get near that cliff again — financially or morally.

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