Cocktails & Popcorn: WXYZ Found The Detroit Development Fund But Forgot To Ask Who Owns The Patent

Much love to WXYZ, except Carolyn Clifford, because she does not remember Father Michael Winkowski from the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Elizabeth Warren said really dumb things about Detroit and his Detroit legacy, but it was for the purposes of stealin' more from the people of Detroit under the reparations banner of a #coloredrevolution because they stole all the TARP money and want to steal more children, land and votes.

But, I digress.

Someone should ask Mike Duggan about those child welfare NGOs that like to do stuff with tiny humans like preterm births and infant mortality.

Someone should ask him who owns the patent because it looks like it is possibly the land patent to the City of Detroit, courtesy of the Detroit Land Bank Authority, but, hey, what do I know?

https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/search?q=detroit+development+fund

Duggan once ripped ‘secret funds.’ Today, he ducks questions about his own.

'Progress Fund' has spent $750,000 in secret since '14

DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan refuses to disclose how a non-profit set up “to promote the City of Detroit’s turnaround” has spent $750,000 since 2014.

His decision, allowable by the IRS, stands in stark contrast to a 2013 promise Duggan made while running for mayor, vowing that he would have “no part in a secret fund when I’m elected.”

But in 2014, shortly after Duggan took office, the Detroit Progress Fund was created to “assist the Office of the Mayor on expenditures necessary to conduct the business for the City but for which there are no funds available in the City budget.”

The fund summarizes its expenses in broad categories, like spending more than $16,000 last year on “meals,” nearly $34,000 on “community outreach” and more than $41,000 on “travel.”

Fund administrator Abbey Dinsmore, who is also a fundraiser for Duggan's mayoral campaign, says the Progress Fund has been used for things like flying in job candidates from out of state and helping put on an annual dinner during Ramadan.

“We are following the law, we are disclosing everything the IRS requires that we disclose to the IRS,” Duggan said when questioned by 7 Investigator Ross Jones earlier this month.

Unlike many similar non-profits, the Detroit Progress Fund discloses its donors quarterly or bi-annually. But expenses have remained a secret and, as Duggan points out, the IRS doesn't require funds to disclose them publicly.

History of controversy

Duggan is hardly the first Michigan politician to be associated with a non-profit 501(c)(4) like the Progress Fund. Over the years, a number of elected leaders have come under fire over how their non-profits spent money.

Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick insisted his Kilpatrick Civic Fund was in complete compliance, saying in 2001: “We’ve done all the paperwork, followed every rule, every regulation from the IRS.”

But reporters and eventually federal prosecutors would reveal that the Civic Fund was used to pay for things like Kilpatrick’s lavish family vacations, golf clubs and even yoga lessons.

Ex-Governor Rick Snyder said his NERD Fund was acting above board, saying in 2012 that “there’s nothing that exciting about it. We’re just following the rules and moving ahead.”

But the fund was ultimately closed after reporters learned it was paying Snyder’s top aide, Rich Baird, a salary of $100,000 from donors who were unknown.

Former Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano ran into trouble with his non-profit, the Wayne County Business Development Corporation, when it was revealed by 7 Action News to have paid his economic development czar a secret $75,000 annual bonus, paid in part by county contractors.

“Government doesn’t always run best on ‘trust me,'” said Peter Henning, a former federal prosecutor who today is a law professor at Wayne State University.

“That’s the key to government is transparency,” he said. “That we know this much is coming in and here’s what it’s being spent on.”

'Erodes confidence in government'

Henning isn’t alone in cautioning public officials from using secret funds as an extension of government. Duggan himself spoke out against them in 2013 when he was a candidate for mayor.

In an interview on Channel 7, Duggan was asked specifically about non-profit funds that got Kilpatrick, Snyder and Ficano into trouble.

“You’ll notice in this campaign, I did not create one of those funds,” Duggan said. “I had advisers telling me, let’s create secret funds where you don’t know the donors. I said absolutely not, I’m not going to participate in that. I think it erodes confidence in government, and I’m going to have no part in a secret fund when I’m elected.”

Earlier this month, Duggan was asked by 7 Action News about his change in heart.

“I didn’t change my mind,” Duggan said. “The issues were raised about people not disclosing their donors. We have disclosed our donors from the beginning,” he said.

“As you know, these funds have been abused, from Kilpatrick to Ficano to Snyder for how they've been spending money,” said Channel 7’s Ross Jones. “And the question is, if you have nothing to hide, why not show us exactly how it’s being spent?”

“There has been no suggestion of anything wrong,” Duggan said.


Close ties to Mayor

The Detroit Progress Fund is overseen by a board of five, but neither Duggan nor the fund's spokesman will say who selected the board members. All of them have ties to Duggan or his campaign.

Jonathan Quarles is the chairman of the Progress Fund’s Board. In 2014, he was appointed by Duggan to the city's Economic Development Corporation board.

Trunetta Roach, the Progress Fund’s treasurer, is the wife of Duggan’s spokesman John Roach. Campaign records show that she's donated $1,000 to Duggan’s campaign.

Attorney Thomas Bruetsch also sits on the board. In 2013, he represented Duggan in his fight to stay on the mayoral ballot. He's also donated nearly $2,500 to Duggan’s campaign.

Board member David Katz is one of Duggan’s longtime friends, having worked with him since his days in Wayne County government. Katz donated more than $10,000 to Duggan’s campaign.

In addition to serving on the Progress Fund’s board, Tatiana Grant also worked to help get the mayor elected. Records show that her company, Infused PR, has been paid more than $43,000 by Duggan’s campaign.

Fund spokesman Mario Morrow called the board “very competent people” and said their past history with Duggan doesn’t influence their judgment.

“They all seem to be pretty close to the mayor,” said Channel 7’s Ross Jones.

“This is a small town,” Morrow said.

#sayhisname

Detroit Development Fund Pa... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Detroit Development Fund Pa... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Part 1: Duggan’s formidable political machine relies on deep-pocket outsiders

This is a quote taken from the Motor City Muckrucker article, below:

" many of whom have contracts with the city or bought Detroit-owned property in the past three years."

I believe it should read:

"have contracts with or bought Detroit Land Bank Authority owned property" because the Detroit Land Bank Authority is not part of the City of Detroit as they are creditors in the Detroit Chapter 9 bankruptcy, have no corporation filings with the State of Michigan, and filed no corporate interest disclosures with the Courts.

Part 1: Duggan’s formidable political machine relies on deep-pocket outsiders

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. Photo by Steve Neavling.

Mayor Mike Duggan has built a formidable political fundraising machine unlike anything Detroit has ever seen. 

The first-term mayor raised a whopping $2.8 million for his re-election bid, courting big banks, suburban developers, corporate executives, political action committees and other deep-pocket movers-and-shakers, many of whom have contracts with the city or bought Detroit-owned property in the past three years.

Wow, considering the rate of child poverty in Detroit, I guess he would have to fundraise outside the city limits.

By comparison, his challengers raised a mere $44,300 combined, giving Duggan a significant money advantage going into Tuesday’s primary election. But the mayor’s fundraising prowess raises serious questions about his influence with outsiders who don’t always have Detroit neighborhoods’ best interests at heart or who have contributed heavily to Republican candidates, including Donald Trump, Gov. Rick Snyder and the Michigan Republican Party.

Something tells me Coleman knows something about something that is going to happen and will not have to raise a single penny for his campaign to be successful.

A Motor City Muckraker review of Duggan’s latest campaign finance report, which covers $1.6 million in donations from November 2016 to July 23, found: 

• Just 10% of the mayor’s donations came from inside Detroit. Of those, nearly half came from political action committees.
• Twelve of Duggan’s 26 fundraisers were held outside of Detroit, including two in New York City, three in Bloomfield Hills, one in Grand Rapids and one in Lansing.
• Duggan’s most successful fundraiser was held at the sprawling home of Yousif and Mara Ghafari, both of whom have histories of donating tens of thousands of dollars to the Michigan Republican Party and conservative candidates, including Donald Trump, Gov. Snyder, George W. Bush and Mitt Romney.
• An unusual number of employees from deep-pocket companies contributed to Duggan’s campaign, including more than 150 from Blue Cross Blue Shield, 119 from the law firm of former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, 30 from DTE and 43 attorneys from Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn. Two Blue Cross employees said they felt pressured to donate.
• Miller Canfield Paddock and Stone, the law firm representing the mayor’s controversial demolition program, which is under a federal grand jury investigation, donated $26,600. The firm’s PAC also donated $10,000 in October 2016.
• Duggan relied heavily on suburban billionaires and their companies, including Dan Gilbert’s Quicken Loans, Roger Penske and his businesses, the conservative DeVos and Meijer families and Tony Soave, who gave former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s friend, Bobby Ferguson, $30 million in work from 2002 and 2008 and spent an additional $300,000 on Kilpatrick for private flights, hotels, watches and sporting events.
• Two high-ranking Snyder employees – senior adviser Richard Baird and former Chief of Staff Dennis Muchmore – both donated to Duggan and were influential in the financial takeovers of primarily black cities.
• Since Duggan became mayor in January 2014, he raised an additional $433,000 through his controversial nonprofit, Detroit Progress Fund, which can take unlimited contributions. A vast majority of the donors are corporations, many of which have contracts with the city.

Duggan’s campaign declined to comment on the outside donations but insisted the mayor was running a “grassroots campaign.”

I wonder if Motor City Muckrucker asked the Detroit Land Bank Authority about its participation in the campaign.

“Mayor Duggan has been running a grassroots campaign from the beginning and will continue to do so,” said campaign spokeswoman Sharon Banks, who also served as the press secretary for then-Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano. “He is across the city every day visiting and meeting with residents in the neighborhoods. The more than 10,000 families with a sign in their yard is a good sign that they believe the city is headed in the right direction.”

I believe "grassroots" means what is left of the properties that were stolen from the people by the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

Sen. Coleman Young II. Photo by Steve Neavling.

Duggan’s most competitive challenger, Sen. Coleman Young II, who raised $22,000 so far, criticized the mayor for relying on big banks and corporate outsiders who have preyed on the neighborhoods.

"Always remember, it takes a village...then pillages its treasury."

“Duggan has aligned himself with those who have made millions and millions of dollars off the misery of folks who live in Detroit,” Young’s campaign manager Adolph Mongo told us. “None of these corporations care about the revival of the neighborhoods. The banks, Quicken Loans and people like Dan Gilbert are the direct cause of the problems and foreclosures in the neighborhood.”

I believe the proper corporate reference would be Title Source, Incorporated.

Mongo added, “Unlike Duggan, Sen. Young refuses to be bought off and won’t sell the mayor’s office to get donations.”

While Duggan is leading Young in recent polls, serious questions have been raised about the mayor’s loyalty to neighborhoods, where most of the city’s predominately black population lives. Duggan, for example, is demolishing thousands of houses with federal money originally intended to help people save their homes. The mayor also repeatedly lied to the public about the use of $34.5 million in captured taxes to convince billionaire Tom Gores to move the Pistons to downtown Detroit. He also struck deals with the billionaire Illitch family and Dan Gilbert, allowing them to skirt affordable housing requirements for big residential developments in downtown and the rapidly gentrifying Cass Corridor.

Guess where the money for these project came from!  You, the taxpayer.

Among the biggest contributors to Duggan’s campaign was Blue Cross Blue Shield, which has lucrative contracts with the city. More than 150 employees and executives donated nearly $70,000 in the past several months, and the insurance company’s Lansing-based PAC contributed more than $75,000 to Duggan’s campaign and his Detroit Progress Fund.

I bet if you back track, the Clinton Foundation will be his biggest, dark, dirty money campaign contributor.

Blue Cross CEO Daniel Loepp

Blue Cross CEO Dan Loepp urged more than 1,000 employees to donate to Duggan’s campaign in March, potentially violating the company’s own code of business conduct, Crain’s Detroit Business reported. A day later, members of the company’s PAC received an email from Duggan’s campaign asking for money.

Blue Cross prohibits the use of “company property, facilities or time of any other workforce member for any political activity.”

Two Blue Cross employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of losing their jobs, told Motor City Muckraker they felt pressured to donate.

“If you want to climb up the ladder, you do what the CEO wants,” one employee said.

Hmmmm, I wonder what Bill Schuette is doing right about now....

Yousif Ghafari

Duggan’s most successful fundraiser – in which $277,000 was donated – was held on June 19 at the sprawling Bloomfield Hills home of Yousif and Mara Ghafari, who are deep-pocket donors to Republican candidates. Yousif Ghafari, the former U.S. ambassador to Slovenia, also sits on the Blue Cross Blue Shield Board of Directors.

The Ghafari family owns Ghafari Associates, which opened an office in downtown Detroit earlier this year. Wayne Count successfully sued the Dearborn-based company for its role in the failed jail project.

I wonder what his federal contracts were for.

Out-of-state donations

Duggan received 56 donations exceeding $1,000 from out-of-state residents, including six executives from JPMorgan Chase, which reached a $55 million settlement with the government in January over allegations that it discriminated against thousands of black and Latino mortgage borrowers.

Many of the out-of-state donations came during two fundraisers in New York City. Duggan raised $31,519 on the 20th floor of 277 Park Avenue, where JP Morgan Chase’s world headquarters are.

Duggan raised an additional $15,150 at a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser at Shinola’s flagship store in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan.

Banks, through the Detroit Land Bank Authority, hand out mortgages through the Hardest Hit Fund.

Another company that profits off of foreclosures, Ohio-based Safeguard Properties, also donated to Duggan’s campaign. Founder and chairman Robert Klein and his wife Ita Klein each contributed the maximum $6,800. The company clears out bank-foreclosed homes.

...and clears out Detroit Land Bank Authority Quiet Title Actions.

Detroit donations

More than two dozen executives with Detroit-based Quicken Loans, which the federal government also accused of predatory lending, contributed nearly $73,000 to Duggan’s re-election campaign. In early July, a federal judge ruled that Quicken Loans officers brokered illegal loans in excess of fair market value by relying on excessive home appraisals.

Title Source, Incorporated was fraudulently collecting non-existent, made up, delinquent taxes for Detroit Land Bank Authority because the Detroit Land Bank Authority is not a registered corporation, which means it has to run its money laundering through another host.

Dennis Archer Jr.

Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer and his son Dennis Archer Jr. turned out big for Duggan. Archer Jr., who won at least two competitive land contracts from the Duggan administration, was a guest speaker at the Shinola fundraiser in New York City. He and his company, Ignition Media Group, donated $14,000 to Duggan’s Detroit Progress Fund.

Archer’s father held a fundraiser for Duggan at the former mayor’s home in Palmer Park, where 29 guests donated a combined $49,240. Archer’s law firm, Dickinson Wright, also held a fundraiser at the company’s office in downtown Detroit, raising $10,850. A total of 115 employees of Dickinson Wright donated to Duggan’s campaign.

Oh, DJ...

On Monday, Motor City Muckraker explores how Duggan spent his donations and ran his campaign.

Motor City Muckraker is an independent watchdog funded by donations. To help us cover more stories like this, please consider a small contribution.

Sitting on the edge of my seat!

http://motorcitymuckraker.com/2017/08/06/part-1-duggans-formidable-political-machine-relies-deep-pocket-outsiders/

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Wikileaks Email On Clinton Foundation & Detroit Land Bank Authority - 2-18-2016

Mike Duggan, Detroit Land Bank Authority, Clinton Foundation, Nick Salter & Rick Snyder.

They were and are still all working together to take over Detroit, one child at a time.

For those of you who are not familiar with Donna Shalala, enjoy the backgrounder I have so graciously provided, below.

What Do Children, Organ Transplants, Land Banks & Voting Have In Common?

Q:  What do Children, Organ Transplants, Land Banks & Voting Have In Common?

A:  They are all synced databases, unregulated, privatized, and were set up by Donna Shalala for the Clinton Foundation.

https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/34453

This email has also been verified by Microsoft DKIM 1024-bit RSA key

Clinton Foundation Update: New Clinton Global Initiative Commitment for Detroit Announced Today

From:press@clintonfoundation.org To: press@clintonfoundation.org  Date: 2016-02-18 22:22 Subject: Clinton Foundation Update: New Clinton Global Initiative Commitment for Detroit Announced Today

Hi all, We wanted to give you some updates on a new Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action that Clinton Foundation President Donna Shalala helped to announce in Detroit today. This morning, Donna joined Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, and leaders from local banks, nonprofit organizations, and the real estate industry to unveil a new CGI America Commitment to Action: the Detroit Home Mortgage initiative<https://www.clintonfoundation.org/clinton-global-initiative/commitments/detroit-home-mortgage-bringing-lending-back-detroit>. This new mortgage program aims to increase homeownership opportunities in Detroit by offering new and much needed financing tools for homebuyers who are ready to buy a home, but lack the upfront capital to pay for necessary home repairs. In January of 2015, CGI's Head of U.S. Impact Investing, Nick Salter, met with Detroit Mayor Duggan, who challenged CGI to convene its multiple local and national partners to develop a solution to this persistent problem, and the result was this cross-sector partnership. Read our latest blog post<https://www.clintonfoundation.org/blog/2016/02/18/it-just-became-easier-families-buy-home-detroit-0> for a more comprehensive look into CGI's involvement with this commitment. Read coverage about the announcement from local and national media outlets: * The Atlantic's CityLab<http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/02/detroit-home-mortgage-housing-market-appraisals-lending-clinton-global-initiative/463395/> piece earned today illustrates the first-of-its-kind nature, CGI's role in sparking action, and how it has the potential to correct a market failure, not just provide a short-term solution: "'There hasn't been, at scale, any type of loan product that would cover those repairs,' says Nick Salter, head of U.S. economic empowerment at the Clinton Global Initiative. 'That's what this new program does.' "Duggan raised the appraisal gap issue with the Clinton Global Initiative in January 2015, and CGI helped assemble a crew of partners to do something about it, including two national foundations, five regional banks, local mortgage counselors, and the Obama administration's Detroit Federal Working Group. "'If you get enough home transactions going, you'll actually fix that appraisal gap over time,' Salter says. 'This doesn't need to be a permanent program-this is meant to correct a market failure.'" Share the article on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ClintonFdn/status/700453198188802048 * Today's Associate Press story highlighted CGI as a convener and has been picked up by more than 40 outlets in the first hour after being published, including top national and regional outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle<http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Detroit-mayor-announces-program-to-help-people-6840171.php>, the Boston Herald Courier<http://www.heraldcourier.com/workittricities/business_wire/detroit-mayor-announces-program-to-help-people-get-mortgages/article_6df9cbbe-4f20-5fa5-a171-7cdfa8b2d29d.html>, the Miami Herald<http://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article61010962.html>, San Antonio Express-News<http://www.expressnews.com/news/article/Detroit-mayor-announces-program-to-help-people-6840171.php>, The Charlotte Observer<http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/national-business/article61010962.html>, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer<http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Detroit-mayor-announces-program-to-help-people-6840171.php>, and The News & Observer<http://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article61010962.html>: "The discussions included meetings with the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together business, philanthropic, nonprofit and government leaders to develop solutions encouraging economic growth." * Today's Detroit Free Press<http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/02/18/new-program-aims-1000-mortgages-detroit/80563174/> story pointed to the commitment's history and CGI's role in bringing the right people to the table: "The mortgage program - details are at www.detroithomemortgage.org<http://www.detroithomemortgage.org> - took what participants said was a deeply complicated path to become a first-of-its-kind project. It began with two days of meetings in Denver last summer at the Clinton Global Initiative, a program put on by the Clinton Foundation, the charitable organization founded by former President Bill Clinton. His former health and human services secretary, Donna Shalala, also attended the news conference." Share the article on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ClintonGlobal/status/700411582568919040 * Today's Crain's Detroit Business<http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20160218/NEWS/160219832/duggan-unveils-40-million-fund-to-help-detroit-homebuyers> piece also provided additional history: "The program was born a year ago when Duggan met with former President Bill Clinton during the Clinton Global Initiative America meeting in Denver. "Duggan complained to Clinton about the appraisal gap. Clinton gathered bankers and foundation leaders, who created the fund after two days of talks. "'We created a partnership, a class example of a great, American partnership, said Donna Shalala, the former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and current president of the Clinton Foundation, a New York City-based nonprofit. 'Today, there is nothing distressing in the city of Detroit.'" * Yesterday's Detroit Free Press<http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2016/02/17/detroit-detail-mortgage-program-city-home-buyers/80504874/> piece emphasized the cross-sector partnership and its role in addressing one of the city's biggest issues: "Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, representatives from major banks and community and civic groups will announce a new program Thursday that takes aim at one of the biggest hindrances to neighborhood revival in the city: potential home buyers' inability to get a mortgage." Share the article on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ClintonGlobal/status/700096472042369025 Share the article on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ClintonFoundation/posts/929765307144911 * The Detroit News<http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2016/02/18/snyder-duggan-unveil-new-mortgage-plan-detroit/80550016/> highlighted the impact this could have for the people of Detroit, citing, "The new program will lend potential Detroit homeowners up to $75,000 to fix up a home or cover the gap between the appraised value and sales price." * Crain's Detroit Business<http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20160217/NEWS/160219859/banks-nonprofits-team-up-on-mortgage-program-to-boost-investment-in>' piece yesterday explained why it's particularly important for the people of Detroit: "Federal lending rules previously made it difficult for banks to loan borrowers enough money to pay for home repairs. Many borrowers, even those with good credit and stable income, could not obtain a large enough mortgage because there were no homes nearby with comparable sales prices." * Curbed<http://detroit.curbed.com/archives/2016/02/detroit-home-mortgage-announced-buying-will-get-a-little-easier.php> touted the multiple partners involved and what this means for potential homebuyers in Detroit: "This initiative is a collaboration between the Obama Administration's Detroit Federal Working Group, Clinton Global Initiative, Huntington Bank, Flagstar Bank, Talmer Bank and Trust, FirstMerit Bank, Liberty Bank, the Ford Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. "Banks will now be able to lend qualified homebuyers the full amount needed to purchase a renovated home, or to buy and rehabilitate homes anywhere in the city of Detroit, added Duggan." * The announcement was also covered by each of the local Detroit affiliates, including ABC here<http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/mayor-duggan-announces-detroit-home-mortgage-program-designed-to-help-homebuyers-in-the-city> and here<http://www.wxyz.com/news/mayor-duggan-to-announce-detroit-home-mortgage-program>, NBC<http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/mayor-duggan-to-announce-detroit-home-mortgage-program_>, CBS<http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2016/02/18/mayor-duggan-to-announce-detroit-home-mortgage-program/>, and Fox<http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/93459891-story>. At the event, Donna highlighted CGI's role as its strength in bringing a diverse group of people to the table, and relying on our knowledge that partnerships create progress: "Miracles can happen, but good work happens when people of good will - in the private sector, in government, in foundations - come together and decide that they can solve a problem. What the Clinton Global Initiative does is it convenes. It has convening power. The president loves locking people into a room and saying, 'solve this problem.' "But what we do is we create partnerships and this is a classic example of a great American partnership between the private sector, the public sector, foundations focused on a great city. "[The Detroit Mortgage Initiative] is an example of a partnership that works and that works for the people of Detroit. So we're delighted that our CGI model worked for Detroit this time." Mayor Duggan also credited CGI for sparking partners into action: "In February, former President Bill Clinton called me and he invited to come out to Denver to speak at the Clinton Global Initiative<http://livestream.com/CGI/events/4096617/videos/89869184> retreat which is their annual event, and be on the stage. And he said, 'What issue do you want to talk about?' And I said, 'Let me tell you what's going on with the mortgages.' And I explained it to him. It took about a minute and a half before he completely grasped it. He said, 'I can help with that.' I said, 'Really?' He said, 'Yeah, come on out and I'll take care of it.' "We went out to Denver and he did a fascinating thing. He invited several banks and several foundations. And we were all in Denver together and while everybody else was watching all the wonderful events on the stage, he had everybody locked in a room for two days and it included representatives of the banks you saw here. It also included people like Erica Gerson. It had folks from the Ford Foundation and the Kresge Foundation. Poor Laura Trudeau I don't think got out of the room for a couple of days. Frank Altman from CRF who was critical. "And at the end of the two days, we had the solution, the framework for the deal that being rolled out today came out of those two days with President Clinton and I'm so glad that they have the Clinton Global Initiative's Donna Shalala is here to celebrate with us today because they were so critical." Partners also offered insight on the commitment in a blog post available here<https://www.clintonfoundation.org/blog/2016/02/18/it-just-became-easier-families-buy-home-detroit-0>: "Detroit's single-family housing finance market is broken. The vast majority of home sales in the city are all cash purchases. While Detroit boasts an abundant and affordable housing stock, qualified homebuyers are largely unable to find mortgages that cover both the appraised cost of the home and the often necessary renovation and repair costs. "But a new commitment developed through CGI America is hopes to be a game-changer for families and homebuyers in Detroit. Today, Clinton Foundation President Donna Shalala joined Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, and leaders from local banks, nonprofit organizations, major foundations, and the real estate industry to announce the Detroit Home Mortgage initiative, a new program to increase homeownership in Detroit. Starting today, it will help qualified homebuyers access mortgages to purchase a home and pay for necessary renovations. "CGI's collaborative model made it possible for nearly 20 partners spanning multiple sectors to come together to address this critical housing and financing challenge. I spoke with several of the key players about the obstacles to Detroit's housing recovery, the magnitude of this CGI commitment, and their takeaways for other U.S. cities with similarly distressed housing markets." Watch the full announcement on PERISCOPE: https://www.periscope.tv/w/1mrGmOWgNgnxy Share the announcement on TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ClintonFdn/status/700367377192476674 Share the announcement on FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ClintonFoundation/photos/a.390214751099972.1073741828.389051904549590/929800797141362/?type=3&theater

This email has also been verified by Microsoft DKIM 1024-bit RSA key

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Center For American Progress Detroit Child Care Desert Study Sucks

Center for American Progress Sucks

Ahhhhh, the good ole think tank-hedge fund, Center for American Progress, in conjunction with the Clinton Foundation, the very same think tank that was conjured up to pump social media propaganda to implement their privatization agenda through social impact bonds, which are part of the federal investigations, and just so happens to be registered as a charity in the State of Michigan as "Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation",

TRANSLATION:  THE STUDY OF THE CENTER FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS SUCKS

Here is the link for the interactive study for Michigan and child care deserts.

This study was made really pretty, with lots of stratified, interactive data, to make it look really cool, so where is the meat?

Here it is:  This study is the launch of an entire strategic plan of land redevelopment because it always starts with the children.

Anything dealing with child policy is never vetted, as no one would ever do anything to harm a child, but I best there is a riveting scheme to maximize revenues implementing privatized human service programs in the assailing of education, property and industry.

Consider this study as a high quality geodemographic mining to create predictive modeling on the "best interests of the child", or rather how they can profit from this same targeted population, "The Poors, (always said with clinched teeth).

International investors are already locked and loaded in the so-called children's trust funds.

So, why is Detroit a "child care desert"?

A child care desert is just CAP's way of calling poor people poor without having to say the word poverty.

 I like my term, "The Poors", better.

Or, perhaps it is just a new term for gerrymandering political districts.

Well, for starters, Michigan, the last time I checked, only pays $2.51 an hour for daycare, which means, unless the caregiver operating at maximum capacity, they probably are still eligible for SNAP benefits.

Next, child care is for those who work, and since the jobs are at slave wages, with out of control auto insurance, someone is taking the bus to work, far away, because there are no jobs in the neighborhoods.

Then there are the homeless, whose children are eventually processed through foster care programs, which makes Detroit's children a targeted population to fraudulently bill federal programs like Medicaid, Targeted Case Management.

Foster care also is a form of child care, but, of course, the study failed to mention the number of foster care homes, residential institutions and group homes.

Last but not least to consider is that Detroit has, the last time I checked, the highest rates of cognitive and psychological developmental disabilities in the world, which means these child caregivers are not trained, qualified, nor get paid enough to take care of special needs children.

So, this is why these predictive modeling studies are popping up in Detroit, for the strict purposes of redesigning a geopolitical region, to garner the best interests of the child, through social impact bonds, of course.

This entire CAP study could have easily been conducted using economic indicators of poverty, a policy study of why the population of "The Poors" is exponentially expanding, with new members everyday, who are losing their homes to public corruption, but if they did that, who would invest in their children's trust funds?

Detroit is ripe for the pickings to maximize revenues through fraudulent federal funding of privatized initiatives and the plan to make Detroit a child care desert was intentional.

Bankole: Detroit is now tagged as  ‘child care desert’

Any discussion on Detroit’s future is undoubtedly incomplete without examining the amenities, experiences and challenges of the city’s youngest population — children as young as 5 or under — who deserve to be well cared for.

 Children are crucial to repopulating a city like ours with a declining population, more so when families are usually drawn to cities that place top priority on the young population, creating the environment that promotes their safety, healthy growth and well-being.

 But a new report released in late August by liberal think tank Center for American Progress (CAP), has labeled Detroit a “child care desert,” which simply means that it is a city with very limited or no licensed care service for kids. CAP estimates 59 percent of children under five reside in neighborhoods with a scarcity of childcare providers.

 “The supply of licensed child care is pretty low in all parts of Detroit, with the exception being downtown and Midtown. Of course, those are areas where there are few families, so perhaps that’s not surprising,” said Rasheed Malik, one of the authors of the report.

“Our estimate is that 29,040 children under five live in Detroit’s child care deserts.” And which areas specifically are most affected by the lack of child care?

 “Southwest and Mexicantown have a lot of kids and very few child care providers. This may be the area with the lowest supply relative to the child population.

The areas north of Hamtramck (NorHam, Grixdale, Davison, Pershing) are also heavily populated with families but have nowhere near enough child care options,” Malik said.

“Another trouble area is in the northeast part of Detroit (Denby, Burbank, Mount Olivet).” The ramification of this report is far reaching hence it raises serious questions about the ability of children in the mentioned areas to perform well in school and escape the poverty net.

 “Early childhood is a critical period for brain development, and when we don’t provide healthy and stimulating environments for young kids to learn they can have trouble when they enter public school,” Malik said.

“Even when young children are playing, they are learning how to interact with learning environments.

So even the little things have big impacts later in childhood and even adulthood.

Things like literacy, language, and early math skills have their roots in the kind of active play learning environments that quality child care curricula prioritize.” He added: “Without quality child care options, many families in child care deserts are forced to make less than ideal choices about child care so that they can go to work and provide for their families.

It would not surprise me if the city and state’s underinvestment in child care has played a part in the challenges that many children face when they get into Detroit’s public schools.” Asked if the CAP study looked at any significant steps Detroit has taken to address this issue, Malik said it remains to be seen.

 “I’m not aware of any child care policy choices that the city of Detroit has made on child care. I know that they have some pre-kindergarten slots and they also sponsor some Head Start classrooms, which is great,” Malik said.

“But the need far outstrips the supply. When it comes to child care, Michigan has been investing more under Gov. Snyder than in previous years, but not nearly enough from our point of view. The Great Start Readiness Program is a step in the right direction, but the overall public investment is just too low.”

 And when it comes to child care assistance, he described the state as having “one of the stingiest in the nation. Child care assistance is only available to the poorest families, and it doesn’t cover much of the cost, only reimbursing providers $3.25 an hour for three-year-olds.”

 One of the promises Mayor Mike Duggan made four years ago while running for mayor was increasing the city’s population. Four years later, that has not happened.

It will be difficult to see through that promise if Detroit continues down the road of limited care for children being raised in the city.

 Let’s face it.

Why would any family want to move into the city if they cannot be guaranteed child care services in neighborhoods?

 Families who reside in the areas highlighted in the CAP study need help now because the absence of childcare in their communities is directly tied to the educational success of their children.

 It takes no rocket science to figure out that an environment greatly impacts a child’s future, and if many Detroit kids are barely graduating from high school, we need to look at the root causes and begin to address them.

And the lack of adequate childcare would be among the culprits for the poor performance of some kids in school while their suburban counterparts would be expected to excel because childcare in their communities is never an issue.

 This report should remind the drivers of the city’s comeback that the road to recovery is long; Detroit’s compounding issues did not just start overnight.

Yet, every administration that comes and goes presents a laundry list of things it wants to accomplish.
This time around, the nurturing and safety of Detroit’s children should come first on that list.

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DOJ Is In Detroit - Bill Boo Boo Barr Is Busy, Busy, Busy - Bob Bashara Is Extracted From Humanity - Someone Is Getting Leaky

Bill Boo Boo Barr is busy, busy, busy in Detroit.

I was trying to figure out what was going on with all those helicopters flying over my house, serenading me by sirens and motorcycles at night.

#maytheheavensfall

Then, this happened...



Then, this happened...



I waved, you know.

US Attorney General Barr checks in on Detroit crime — from a helicopter

U.S. Attorney General William Barr, center, visits Detroit to assess a federal crime initiative that involves 42 federal agents coming to town to help fight escalating gun violence.
The feds have arrived.

"Sir Boo Boo! You cannot stop
the heavens from falling, for
the Celestial Goddess of the
Woodshed has cast her spell
many a moons ago."

U.S. Attorney General William Barr visited Detroit on Tuesday to see for himself how a federal anti-crime operation is going, though he didn't view the massive city  up close and personal — he saw most of it from a helicopter.

The nation's top prosecutor boarded a chopper in a field outside downtown Detroit to assess a new White House initiative dubbed Operation Legend, which, in recent weeks, has brought dozens of federal agents to town to help local police fight an uptick in gun violence. During a 45-minute helicopter ride, Barr saw some of Detroit's progress and blighted neighborhoods from above, though he also saw a little bit of Detroit from inside a sports utility vehicle.

After the helicopter ride, Barr and local officials drove to the JZ Motel on the city's east side and got out and spoke with the owners and workers about how crime has affected their business. Then Barr set out for a tour of the 9th Precinct, a police station surrounded by blight and crime, the same precinct where demonstrators gathered last month to protest the officer-involved shooting death of a man who was a suspect in a quadruple shooting.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr, center, met with Detroit Police officers and workers of the JZ Motel in Detroit Tuesday during a visit here to assess a federal crime initiative in the city. The Feds are sending 42 federal agents to Detroit  to help the city fight escalating gun violence.
Barr's visit to Detroit comes amid what has been a bloody summer in Detroit. Homicides are up 25% and shootings are up 51%, with nearly 380 being shot in the last two months alone, including 63 deaths — that's at least one killing a day by gunfire.

"I wouldn't call it an intervention," Barr said of the operation, adding  "I think Detroit does need an increase" in law enforcement to help fight the city's escalating gun violence.

"At the end of the day, it's about saving lives," Barr said during an interview from the back of his SUV-limo before he boarded the helicopter.

So far, 32 federal agents have arrived in Detroit. The remaining 10 are due to arrive in the fall.

The federal effort has drawn skepticism from local and state leaders and activists who question the government's motives. Black Lives Matter protesters have expressed concern that the feds may be used against peaceful protests, turning Detroit into another Portland. Others believe President Donald Trump, who announced the initiative last month, is trying to use Detroit's crime problem to win votes in November by portraying himself as the law-and-order leader.

As  NAACP President Wendell Anthony has argued: "President Trump is in the midst of his reelection campaign. He cannot have public rallies, visit key cities, hold conventions, or even take pictures in a crowd due to COVID-19."

Anthony views Operation Legend as a "political ploy" by Trump to win votes in November and to "scare suburban and city white folks into voting for him out of fear."

 "His poll numbers are tragically low," Anthony has said.

Meanwhile, Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who also rode in the helicopter with Barr, has stressed repeatedly that the crime initiative is about helping Detroit fight escalating violence. He has said he needs and welcomes the help. And the AG came to town, he said, to see how Operation Legend is working.

"He wanted to come see it up close and personal," Craig said. "This is all about crime."

Craig stressed the federal agents are already here.

"Folks are on the ground, but they're still building it up," Craig said of the federal presence.

Detroit is one of several cities that is part of Operation Legend. Federal agents are also being sent to Milwaukee, Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, where escalating violence has been reported.

“Frankly, we have no choice," Trump said about sending in federal agents to these cities. "This rampage of violence shocks the conscience of our nation."

But many local and state leaders are skeptical about Trump's motives.

"I have a lot of concern about what his intentions are," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has said, adding the election is less than three months out. "I’m concerned about his motivations here."

Nessel explained that her skepticism is based on Trump's behavior toward Michigan lawmakers, saying he has disrespected and mocked local and state leaders, including referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as "that woman from Michigan."

"He calls our cities war zones. That’s not someone coming in because he’s genuinely concerned about our populous," Nessel said. "He's not trying to help. He's trying to dominate."

Federal officials disagree.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said when he was an assistant prosecutor under President Barack Obama, federal initiatives like Operation Legend took place.

"I was doing the same thing then that we are doing now. It's the same. We are working with state and local partners," said Schneider, who believes federal law enforcement assistance is desperately needed in Detroit.

"We have more resources and tools. Who wouldn't want that? If you live in a dangerous neighborhood, you want to make it safe, and that's what we want to do,"  said Schneider, who also rode alongside Barr on the helicopter tour.

According to Schneider, Operation Legend is already seeing some progress.

"We have some active investigations going on right now," Schneider said. "We're seeing arrests. We've already taken guns off the streets and assault rifles."

Detroit chief James Deier of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has argued that Detroit can't afford to turn a blind eye to the escalating gun violence.

"Senseless gun violence is taking over the streets of the Detroit," Deier has argued. "Whether we want to admit it or we want to stick our heads in the sand, at the end of the day, statistics do not lie. ... What is happening on the streets of Detroit has to end."

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