For those who’ve never had the privilege of witnessing a Detroit City Council meeting, a short brief in the Freep today perfectly represents the typical activities that take place. This short anecdote captures it all – the race baiting, the demagoguery, the grandstanding, the self-importance, the bizarre thought processes. It’s exactly what happens when you get several very, very stupid individuals who in any other context would be utterly unqualified to hold any sort of decision-making power over others, and put them in charge of something. If anyone ever wonders why the perception across the state is of a city that cannot responsibly govern its own affairs, this should explain it somewhat.

Company takes a beating

It started out as a discussion last week to get the Detroit City Council to mediate a year-long dispute between residents in the city’s Midtown section and a city contractor, Posen Construction.
It veered into a harangue by council members over Posen’s hiring practices and its headquarters in Utica.
“Utica — that’s in Macomb County,” said Councilwoman JoAnn Watson. “Macomb County was in the news this morning. There are a lot of cross burnings out there.”
The councilwoman was referring to an interracial Chesterfield Township family that found a burning cross on its lawn last Tuesday.
The discussion got more heated as council members grilled the company on the number of minorities and city residents it hires.
“It seems to me you take advantage of Detroiters,” Councilman Alonzo Bates told company representatives. Onlookers cheered as Bates declared the company has not hired enough of the city’s unemployed people.
At one point, as the company owner tried to respond, Bates barked: “Why don’t you shut up and listen to me?”
The dispute — over noise and the company’s alleged trespassing on a resident’s property — has yet to be resolved.