Detroit Charter Commissioner Reggie Davis Shares With The Public

Detroit Charter Commissioner Reggie "Reg" Davis publicly responds to Commissioner Ford's statement that "Commissioners Personal Information Should Not Be Shared "

Detroit Charter Commissioner
Reggie "Reg" Davis

To Mrs. Ford

On behalf of the community which houses (according to the socially superior folk like yourself) such groups of disdain as the have nots, the working class, the children, the seniors, the disabled and the returning citizens to name a few, I thought I would discern for you what evidently you are not able to see. If you and those directly connected to yourself (i.e. 70% of our board) could penetrate through your elitist type membrane and then blink twice you would begin to see a totally different picture.

You would begin to see, via this new prospective, people who look just like YOU. And the reason you would begin to match vibratory patterns with those that you now react to as your subordinate, or those that are unadulterated, is because you would, at this point, be able to easily connect with YOU, yourself because in actuality WE ARE ONE!

I say this to say that it is time for you and those just like you to WAKE UP! You and your kind were elected by the People. And once the People entrust their vote and their lives with you, it is at that same point in time your responsibility to effectively communicate with them. The major problem you have with the People of this Great City we call Detroit is that you continue to separate yourself from them. If the People vote for you it is not the responsibility of your secretary to answer to them, it is YOUR absolute reliability to answer directly to the them; accountability is the name of the game. Therefore, if one who represents the community of the People decide they want to reach out to you by any means, they should be able to do so. However, when you continue to run from the gentle giants like Minister Malik Shabazz at the Charter convention at Cass Tech as if he means harm to you, when in essence he is only trying to confer with you or when you act as though your defecation has no order to it, and the People wish to call out to you and you reject their wishes, you will continue to see an act of defiance from many who represent the have nots, the working class, the children, the seniors, the disabled and the returning citizens to name a few because you have misrepresented them.

Mrs. Ford, WE THE PEOPLE ask that you make an effort to be like Jesus and allow ALL to come to you in order to expedite the much needed revision of the way our city operates. I am Reggie Reg Davis and it has been my pleasure to represent the People at the table with you for I AM THE PEOPLE! And never forget Mrs. Ford, the only entity worth fearing is God due to his Almighty power and the wrath by which he is in control of. Mrs. Ford you have absolutely NO reason to fear the People, and on behalf of the PEOPLE of this Great City we call Detroit I am allowing you to know that they mean NO harm to you.

May all the Glory be given to God for he is the exalting, the beneficent, the merciful, the all knowing, the omni present, the absolute which should resonate through me and you!

God Bless,

Reggie Reg Davis

Charter Commissioner

Detroit Charter Commissioner Davis Speaks On Charter Language

Reggie "Reg" Davis
Detroit Charter Commissioner

The newly proposed Charter language is better than the current language however, it is NOT good enough and I feel Detroit deserves nothing less than the best! As a voice for the grassroots community, standing for the have nots and the children of our community; the seniors and working class, I'd like to say vote NO on Proposal C on Tuesday November 8.

This new language is better because with the new addition of the office of Inspector General, it will not allow for an elected official to practice cronyism, in which they put their childhood friend into a position he or she is not qualified for. They wont be able to get away with nepotism in which they hire their family members as a favor to the family or any type of corruption whether it be waste, fraud, malfeasance, misfeasance etc. So for this reason its better, however it is not necessarily the things that are in the proposed language that i am in opposition to but those things that have been left out.

For example, the biggest conflict at the Charter table during the conception of the new language was if a Charter should be ONLY framework for city government to work by or if it should go even farther by adding some legislation measures. The problem with allowing it to be only framework is that by doing so the city of Detroit becomes a non progressive city unlike many other major US cities. Washington D.C. has embodied into their home rule Charter an office of Disability Rights, which deals head on with the concerns of their disability community. And other prominent US cities like San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and more have a commission set up to deal with issues related to disability in their community. The majority of our board voted to not include any dealings with the disability community in our Charter.

In 2009, Oakland Ca. added to their Charter a program called "KIDS FIRST" by which 3% of their general fund goes towards helping children with issues like health, education, and violence. And since 2009, the city of Oakland Ca. has witnessed a dramatic decline in youth violence and a major increase in graduation rates; the city credits their Charter for the change. This type of progression or thinking outside the box, is what we have failed to do in the new proposed Charter language.

Until we have a Charter that is inclusive of all the people of this great city we call Detroit and until we decide to progress, like many other major US cities, to the next level and not be afraid to sprinkle a small bit of legislation into this very important document we should say NO! This document should be prepared to stand until the end of time.

If the Charter is voted down this November, the commission will go back to the table and have no other choice but to SERIOUSLY be a voice for the people as we make the proper corrections to the document to BEST serve the people who we represent. And at that point, we will have newly proposed language prepared for a TRUE election year; 2012.

Thank you Detroit!


Reggie Reg Davis
Charter Commissioner
reggieregdavis@gmail.com

Detroit Charter To Include Interests Of Children

If everyone claims to include the best interests of children in everything that is done, then why not include it, formally, in Charter language.


I look forward to publicizing the arguments against including the interests of children in formal Charter language.

City of Detroit Charter Preamble and Declaration of Rights Recommendations

of the

Detroit Charter Commission Youth Caucus

December 15, 2010

The City of Detroit Charter Preamble and Declaration of Rights recommendations of the Detroit Charter Commission Youth Caucus provide opportunity to adopt inclusive vision to reflect the overall needs of the entire population of the City.

The issues of children and youth have been neglected by government for decades. There are national funding initiatives that shall require certain language and policy to maximize the revenues of the citizens and businesses of the city. Here we present the opportunity to reinvest in the most precious treasures of the city, the children.

This will be the first in the history of this nation to adopt the specific language of children and youth, which is all that is needed, as these are broadly sweeping concepts to further economic development for the benefit of all stakeholders of Detroit.

City of Detroit Preamble Proposal

We the people of Detroit, do ordain and establish this Charter for the governance of our city, to invest in the interests of our citizens and children, the most precious treasures of the City, fostering a healthy environment and accountable governance, to fulfill the intent of this Charter; acknowledging our blessing from God, we pray our efforts will be accepted.

COMMENTS: More attention is placed on children. The term “interests” can to be defined in public policy but also in the design of the goals of services and programs, addressing the needs and concerns of the people.

The concept of “fostering a healthy environment” is broadly termed to be a quality of life focus, inclusive of a green, technological, political, economic and social environments.

City of Detroit Declaration of Rights Proposal

1. Detroit city government is a service institution that recognizes its subordination to the people of Detroit.

The city shall provide for the public peace, health and safety of persons and property within its jurisdictional limits.

The people have a right to expect aggressive action by the city's officers in seeking to advance, conserve, maintain and protect the integrity of the human, physical and natural resources of this city from encroachment and or dismantlement.

The people have a right to expect city government to provide for its residents, CHILDREN AND YOUTH, decent housing; excellence in education; job opportunities; reliable, convenient and comfortable transportation; recreational facilities; organized programs of recreational activities; cultural enrichment, including libraries, and art and historical museums; clean air and waterways, safe drinking water and a sanitary, environmentally sound city.

2. The city has an affirmative duty to secure the equal protection of the law for each person and to insure equality of opportunity for all persons. No person shall be denied the enjoyment of civil or political rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of race, color, creed, national origin, age, handicap, sex, or sexual orientation.

3. A person shall have reasonable access to all files and records of the city which relate to his or her rights and duties.

4. The people have a right to know the rules and regulations governing dealings between the city and the public and to a means for the review of administrative decisions.

5. The police forces of the city are in all cases and at all times in strict subordination to the civil power.
6. The city shall endeavor to require application of the principle of one person-one vote to the policy-making body of any regional or other multi-jurisdictional organization which taxes or provides any service to city residents or takes any action affecting the city's interests.
7. The enumeration of certain rights in this Charter shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
8. The city may enforce this declaration of rights and other rights retained by the people.

COMMENTS: There is nothing written in stone that the scope of the City Charter must be kept within the confines of traditional format. Detroit is unique. With a global eye on the City, there must be a balance of interests. Much of the proposals from Council and Administration have targeted economic the goal of economic recovery in transfer of powers and business empowerment. These goals may only be met with a balance of powers.

The proposed balance of powers comes from reinvestment in the social infrastructure, necessary to foster and maintain business and government.

Simply put, workers will demand a quality of life comparable or better than what they have now to provide for opportunities for their children and families.

/s/Commissioner Reggie Davis

/s/Elon-Eloni Wilks, Ph.D

/s/Mildred Madison

/s/Beverly Tran