Kwame scandal flashback: The Manoogian Mansion party. Manoogian Mansion AP file photo DETROIT — The Manoogian Mansion party that never was — or at least that never was proven — is among the most fantastic of Kwame Kilpatrick lore.
Less than a year into his tenure came the most famous unproven party in Detroit's history, the raucous, stripper-pole laden Manoogian Mansion party that lore says involved a fight between Detroit's first lady and a stripper named "Strawberry. " But, then again, many say it never happened, including investigative reporter M.L. Elrick, formerly of the Detroit Free Press where he helped break the text-message scandal that led to Kilpatrick's resignation. He is now with Fox 2 News. "We could never prove that it happened (and I believe it did not, at least not as portrayed in legend)," wrote Elrick in October of 2012 reminiscing about the time he and fellow reporter Jim Schaefer of the Free Press received a private tour of the mansion.
Fact or fiction, it affected Kilpatrick for years. Kwame Kilpatrick, former Detroit mayor, sentenced to 28 years in prison for corruption. DETROIT Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in prison for corruption, the apparent last step after a series of scandals destroyed his political career and helped steer a crisis-laden city even deeper into trouble.
Kilpatrick, who served as mayor from 2002 until fall 2008, fattened his bank account by tens of thousands of dollars, traveled the country in private planes and even strong-armed his campaign fundraiser for stacks of cash hidden in her bra, according to evidence at trial. "I'm ready to go so the city can move on," Kilpatrick told the judge. "The people here are suffering, they're hurting. Interactive timeline: Kwame Kilpatrick corruption case. How Coleman Young Ruined Detroit. Many observers, including us, have written about how Detroit’s slavish devotion to liberalism, unions and the Democratic Party ruined that once-great city.
But one malefactor stands out above all others: Coleman Young, former organizer for the UAW, whom the union booted for being too radical, and who went on to become Detroit’s long-time mayor. A reader with first-hand experience recounts Young’s role in Detroit’s downfall: I listened to some of your appearance the other day on the Bill Bennett show on my way to work. I would have loved to call and offer my two-cents worth on the situation in Detroit, but can’t afford the time to sit on hold for an extended period. Maybe when I retire in a year or two.A little biographical detail to set the stage: I am not a native Detroiter. The second technique he used was to keep race relations at a boil. Brief history of Kwame Kilpatrick public corruption trial. Detroit: History - Riverside Stronghold Established by French, Manufacturing Center Becomes Automobile Capital. Riverside Stronghold Established by French In July 1701, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and his party landed at a riverbank site chosen because the narrow strait there seemed strategically situated for protecting French fur trading interests in the Great Lakes.
The river was called d'Etroit, a French word meaning "strait. " Cadillac and his men built Fort Pontchartrain on the site, naming the fort after Comte de Pontchartrain, French King Louis XIV's minister of state; soon a palisaded riverfront village developed nearby. “Bankrupt: How Cronyism and Corruption Brought Down Detroit” By Todd ZywickiFebruary 10, 2014 A couple of weeks ago I attended the premiere of the new movie “Bankrupt: How Cronyism and Corruption Brought Down Detroit.”
It is a terrific movie and traces the dual collapse of the American automotive industry and the city of Detroit. Of particular interest is that the filmmaker, Ben Howe, tells the stories of the downfall of GM and Chrysler onthe one hand and Detroit on the other as being intertwined and deriving from the same causes. Forgotten Detroit. Detroit demolishes its ruins: 'The capitalists will take care of the rest' Shervonne Colvin is ecstatic.
This spring, one streetlight was turned back on at the end of her block. Last month, almost one third of her block was razed to the ground by demolition trucks. That would hardly excite most city dwellers, but Colvin doesn’t live in just any city. She lives in Detroit, where municipal neglect has become customary. Detroit has been the unwitting star of a photo subgenre christened “ruin porn”, with fans in all corners of the world – except in its native hometown.
Good riddance to that, say residents. “It makes me feel like the city is doing something, that they are paying attention. Unfunded public pensions and corruption broke Detroit's back. WASHINGTON, May 26, 2014 — Detroit is the largest American city ever to file for bankruptcy.
Its long-term debts are estimated at $18.2 billion. Of this, about $9.2 billion is in unfunded retirement benefits. Nearly half of Detroit’s liabilities stem from promises of pensions and health care to its workers when they retire. Public Corruption: Inside the Kwame Kilpatrick Case. The case of former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who stole from citizens he vowed to serve.
When Kwame Kilpatrick became mayor of Detroit in 2002, he promised to revitalize the city. Instead, he shamelessly used his position to steal from the citizens he had vowed to serve. “Criminal activity was a way of life for him, and he constantly used the power of his office to look for new opportunities to make money illegally,” said Special Agent Robert Beeckman, who investigated the mayor and his corrupt regime for eight years. Last month, a federal judge sentenced Kilpatrick to a 28-year prison term for his role in a wide-ranging racketeering conspiracy that included extortion, bribery, and fraud. Thirty-two others have also been convicted of crimes in connection with the case, including Kilpatrick’s contractor friend Bobby Ferguson, who received a 21-year jail term.
Kilpatrick and Ferguson established a “pay to play” system that made breaking the law standard operating procedure. From then until now: A look at Detroit's corrupt political past. A lot of you are probably happy that disgraced Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is going to spend most of his life in federal prison.
I don't like people that steal from me and my children either.