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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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January 12, 2014 at 1:00 am
OUR EDITORIAL
Keep close watch on Cushingberry
New Detroit councilman's odd antics suggests he'll be city's next big embarrassment
Detroit Councilman George Cushingberry's rough start to 2014 should be troubling to all who pull for Detroit. (Bryan Mitchell / Special to The Detroit News)
George Cushingberry gives every sign of being a train wreck waiting to happen for the city of Detroit. Barely more than a week into his term, the newly elected councilman has already embarrassed the city with bizarre behavior, and the likelihood of worse episodes ahead seems high.
The facts surrounding the traffic stop of Cushingberry last week by Detroit police aren’t entirely clear. We know he was pulled over after a short pursuit that may have involved an attempt to ram a police car, that he identified himself as a city councilman, that a police supervisor was called, that an open bottle of alcohol and marijuana were found in the car, and that he was ticketed and allowed to drive away without being asked to take a breath test for alcohol.
From there things turn bizarre, mostly because of Cushingberry’s clownish spinning of the incident. In a series of odd television interviews, he claimed, among other things, that the bottle was empty, that the marijuana belonged to his passenger — “he likes pot a lot,” Cushingberry posted on Facebook — and that they weren’t leaving a strip club, as media reports alleged — “We never saw a t--, Fox News is full of sh--” he said in another post.
Nice stuff from a guy who holds the No. 2 leadership on the City Council. Decorum is apparently not Cushingberry’s strength.
The most distressing part of this mess is Cushingberry’s outrageous claim that he was racially profiled by Detroit cops for being a black man driving an old car — as if that were a rare thing in the city.
He called the officers “Europeans” and “occupiers” in interviews, implying the cops were racially-motivated. There’s a slight problem with that narrative: One of the two officers was an African-American, according to police, a fact Cushingberry leaves out of his version of the story.
Cushingberry fashions himself a political wheeler-dealer, boasting this week that he masterminded the elections of the obstructionist Brenda Jones as council president and himself as president pro tem. He also told a reporter that he’s in control of Jones.
If it’s true that Cushingberry is pulling the strings on the council, the city has a huge problem. The councilman obviously has issues with judgment and veracity, and gives every impression of being unstable.
A police investigation is underway into how the traffic stop was handled. It will be most interesting to see if Cushingberry attempted to use his position to intimidate officers or attain special treatment for himself.
In the post-Kwame Kilaptrick era, Detroit must have zero tolerance for leaders who believe elected office comes with privileges and perks not available to its citizens. Detroit can’t tolerate one more entitled politician.
And it certainly can’t allow Cushingberry to become the visible face of its legislative branch. He is not the image Detroit wants to project to the rest of the world.
His colleagues on the council should relieve Cushingberry of his leadership responsibilities until the police investigation is completed. And if it turns out he bullied the cops, they should relieve the council of Cushingberry.
Detroit has had all of the Kwame Kilpatricks and Monica Conyers it can stand. Cushingberry shouldn’t be given the opportunity to join that Hall of Shame.
From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20140112/OPINION01/301120006#ixzz2qEjOrDmW |
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Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:13 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| That should go for Flint too. This story reminded me of Mays. |
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Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:14 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Detroit's inspector general to investigate Cushingberry's conduct during traffic stop
10:03 PM, January 10, 2014 |
Councilman Cushingberry tells his side of traffic ...
Councilman Cushingberry tells his side of traffic ...: Detroit’s newly elected City Council President Pro Tem George Cushingberry Jr. says he was mistreated by police officers during a traffic stop, which ended in a citation for not using his turn signal. Carlton Winfrey/Detroit Free Press
By Joe Guillen, Matt Helms and Gina Damron
Detroit Free Press Staff Writers
Rochelle Riley: Enough scandals — Detroit deserves better leadership
New state rule on carrying medical pot complicates Cushingberry incident
George Cushingberry apologizes to council for 'driving while black incident'
Henderson & Kaffer: Yet another scandal, another black eye for Detroit
Detroit Councilman Cushingberry claims police mistreatment in traffic stop
The Detroit inspector general launched an investigation Friday into City Council President Pro Tem George Cushingberry’s actions during a traffic stop earlier this week that involved alcohol and marijuana.
Cushingberry, who was cited with a ticket for failing to use a turn signal, has denied any wrongdoing. He insisted to his fellow council members on Friday that he was the victim of racial profiling.
“I wanted to say to my colleagues, if any of you were embarrassed by the driving while black incident that happened to me, please forgive me,” he said at a meeting Friday. “It’s unfortunate we still have these types of incidents in our city.”
But Police Chief James Craig said there is nothing to indicate Cushingberry was racially profiled. He said one of the officers who stopped Cushingberry is African American.
Craig’s account and others’ conflict with Cushingberry’s original version of the Tuesday night incident.
Cushingberry, 61, told the Free Press on Thursday that two white officers pulled him over after he left the Penthouse Lounge on Livernois.
He said he had an empty rum bottle, left over from a party about a week earlier, in the backseat of his 1993 Buick Park Avenue and a passenger who is a medical marijuana patient and caregiver who had three or four marijuana joints on him, he told the Free Press.
A source famliar with the incident said that Cushingberry nearly sideswiped the patrol car. Police stopped Cushingberry, who allegedly tried to drive away before stopping again, the source said. According to the source, when an officer thought Cushingberry was going to again put the car into drive, the officer reached into the car and took the keys out of the ignition.
According to Cushingberry, an officer told him to turn his car off, which he did, but after 10 minutes he turned the Buick back on so he and his friend would stay warm in subzero weather. He said an officer then yelled at him to get out of the car.
Craig said officers smelled alcohol and marijuana in the car, but they saw no indication Cushingberry was under the influence.
When asked Friday about Craig’s characterization of the stop, Cushingberry said in a text message to the Free Press that the two white officers arrived in the second car on the scene.
“All told, about nine cops showed up,” Cushingberry texted. “I am sur(e) cop who threw me in handcuffs on back of vehicle was white.”
The police supervisor who arrived at the scene let Cushingberry and his passenger go, the council president pro tem said.
There is no video of the incident because the equipment was not operational, Craig said. He also said there is no audio.
He said the department is conducting an internal investigation into the sergeant’s actions. He said the sergeant is still on duty and hasn’t been suspended, despite earlier conflicting news media reports.
Doubts about profiling
Cushingberry, who is black, on Friday reiterated his belief that he was racially profiled by the officers. But like Chief Craig, Councilwoman Saunteel Jenkins expressed doubt that Cushingberry was racially profiled.
“In a city that’s 80-plus-percent African American, the likelihood of an African American being stopped is huge,” Jenkins said. “The question is, was the officers’ conduct appropriate, and thus far, I haven’t heard anything that would put the officers’ conduct in question.”
Ron Scott, with the Detroit Coalition Against Police Brutality, said he couldn’t comment specifically on Cushingberry’s traffic stop because he doesn’t yet know the facts.
But in general, he said, the involvement of an African-American police officer in any traffic stop does not automatically rule out racial profiling.
“Merely because a person (officer) is black, that doesn’t mean the institution itself doesn’t engage in profiling,” Scott said. “That’s not just a biological thing, it’s an institutional thing.”
Marijuana law in play
Complicating matters further is whether Cushingberry or his passenger violated a new state law governing the carrying of marijuana.
As of Dec. 31, 2013, a new state law puts limits on transporting medical marijuana. It can’t be in a passenger’s pocket, the console or any other place accessible to a driver, even if it belongs to someone with a state registry card that allows using medical marijuana. Neither Cushingberry nor his passenger were cited for carrying marijuana.
Detroit Inspector General James Heath’s findings will be shared with emergency manager Kevyn Orr, Mayor Mike Duggan, the City Council and the public. The inspector general can subpoena witnesses, take testimony under oath and refer matters to prosecutors if he believes a crime has been committed.
Orr, who has the power to eliminate Cushingberry’s pay and benefits, declined to comment on the traffic stop due to an ongoing police investigation.
The City Council has the power under the city charter to remove Cushingberry from office. But Jones said such a move is not an option right now.
“Why are we considering having anyone removed for a ticket?” Jones said. “If you get a ticket, you’re a citizen. Yes, he is a public figure, but he has a ticket for failure to signal. Would you remove someone for failure to signal?”
Contact Joe Guillen: 313-222-6678 or jguillen@freepress.com. Staff writer Bill Laitner contributed to this report. |
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Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:28 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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This Inspect General position is awesome and far better than the Ombudsman for the investigation of ethics violations. Flint a wimpy history recently of uncovering, investigating and revealing ethics violations.
Some one I know recently laughed about the inability to prove allegations of bribery and illegal campaign donations although many people know about them. I think that is pathetic and a good reason we have no accountability for our local government officials. No wonder our reputation is constantly being besmirched.
Eric Mays has an on and off relationship with former Mayor Williamson. He told several individuals, including myself, that Jim Patton of Complete Auto paid him to conduct the unsuccessful recall of Williamson as mayor. Only the amount changed between conversations. He got away with it because the county elections did not know the laws on recalls and said he did not have to report the spending because his recall was unsuccessful. Sorry but that is untrue and Mike Carr and I argued over that story in the newspaper. Whether $5,000 or $7,500, there should have been a report.
Too many rumors of undercover campaign donations and "brown paper bag" money bribes are going uninvestigated. Some of these allegations surface in court cases. |
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Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:41 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Henderson & Kaffer: Yet another scandal, another black eye for Detroit
9:38 PM, January 10, 2014 |
By Stephen Henderson and Nancy Kaffer
Detroit Free Press columnists
Nancy Kaffer: So, here’s the story: Sometime Tuesday, newly elected Detroit City Council President Pro Tem George Cushingberry says he was pulled over by Detroit police, leaving a local bar called the Penthouse Lounge — not the Penthouse Club (a strip club), mind you. Reports say Cushingberry almost hit two officers near Northfield and Livernois, and that the councilman had an open bottle of alcohol and marijuana in the car.
A supervisor was called and Cushingberry was ticketed for a traffic offense, not for an open intoxicant. Cushingberry says it was an empty bottle, left over from weeks ago, that the weed belonged to a passenger who uses medical marijuana, and that the officers were racists who profiled him because he is black and drives a 1993 Buick Park Avenue.
I’m not sure where to start.
Stephen Henderson: How about with spectacularly bad judgment? Riding around town with an empty liquor bottle and weed in the car — you have to be kidding me. I know 15-year-olds who wouldn’t get caught up like that.
And let’s not be fooled by Cushingberry’s deflections (he has proffered several explanations, apparently hoping at least one sticks): An empty liquor bottle and the smell of alcohol are more than sufficient probable cause for a Breathalyzer test, and a medical marijuana license doesn’t entitle you to toke up in a car, if that’s what happened, or carry so much that a cop can smell it from outside a vehicle.
A more thorough investigation could have made this much, much worse. And not just for Cushingberry. He’s just a few days into a leadership position that carries the responsibility to represent the whole City Council — and the city. When I was a kid, this was the kind of behavior that would get you snatched up by the collar, while your mom or dad said through clenched teeth: “Are you out of your natural mind?”
Kaffer: Unfortunately, this kind of thing makes us look like buffoons in the eyes of the world — that includes businesses that might want to move here, people who are thinking about whether to come to the city, foundations that provide billions of dollars of investment, and the federal government, which has put a tremendous amount of time into the city and has promised to free up about $300 million for Detroit through existing federal programs. How long can we keep playing the fool on the world stage before folks throw up their hands and leave us to the struggle?
This was the first time Detroit has elected a City Council by districts in almost a century; the change was pushed by a group of lifelong Detroiters frustrated with a string of obstructionist, sometimes embarrassing, councils.
In theory, district representation makes members more accountable, but campaigning in a smaller field was also supposed to reduce the value of name recognition. That’s not what happened in District 2. Cushingberry is a veteran politician who has spent time in the state Legislature and on the Wayne County Commission; in this council race, his campaign efforts were cursory, at best.
And this is the flaw inherent in the system, in any system: Voters support changes like a switch to the district system, or term limits in the Legislature, because they are unhappy with the quality of the governance that they are getting. But unless there’s a corresponding change in the quality of candidates running, in the engagement of voters and in the amount of research those voters are willing to do, these kinds of systemic changes don’t seem to result in better government.
Henderson: That’s my fear with council, for sure. For example, look at the leadership elections this week. No question, a deal got cut for some newly elected members to support Brenda Jones for president and Cushingberry for president pro tem.
Deal-making tends to be the dominant political dynamic in district systems, so that’s not a surprise. But the “reward” for leadership votes was committee assignments and, as a result, two of the council’s most crucial committees — budget and economic development — don’t have any experienced members on them. It’s all newbies, which, no matter how well intentioned they are, is not likely to work out well.
This system will depend on strong leadership at the top insisting more firmly on good governance than playing games around political paybacks. Decisions have to be about Detroiters and their interests, not just about racking up wins or losses.
Is Jones that leader? I think we have to wait to see. How she handles the Cushingberry situation, once the police resolve their investigation, will be a key test. But we also will need Mayor Mike Duggan to play a key leadership role with regard to council.
The new charter endows the mayor with so much power that it will be easy for him to manipulate the district council members with crude, pork-style political rewards, but the calling for him is much higher. He can set a tone of expectation around high ethical standards and focus on service delivery that would strongly influence council members who need his support. Time to step up. |
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Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:37 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Resembles Flint. Backroom deal for Mays to try to get leadership appointment. Only Mays bid lost.
Embarrassing incident and Mays also comes up with multiple scenarios about how he got into the predicament while hoping one sticks. Also blames the police. |
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Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:46 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Motor City Muckrackers
Exclusive: Cushingberry’s expensive tastes, 4 homes pushed him into bankruptcy
Sunday 12th, January 2014 / 08:37 Written by Steve Neavling
George Cushingberry Jr., who collects an annual $50,000 tax-funded pension and is a practicing attorney, managed to bury himself into debt with unpaid taxes, credit card bills and mortgages on two homes in Detroit, one in Lansing and another at a resort in Orlando, Fla., according to bankruptcy records obtained by the Motor City Muckraker.
The former state lawmaker and pastor exited personal bankruptcy just five days before he won the Aug. 6 primary election for a seat on the Detroit City Council this year. He owed more than $530,000 to about three dozen creditors, including the IRS.
The Cush, as he calls himself, claimed in his October 2011 bankruptcy filing that he was unable to pay his debts, which included $5,750 in monthly mortgage payments for homes at 18201 Cherrylawn and 8625 Marygrove in Detroit, 3200 Hepfer in Lansing and Westgate Resorts in Orland, Fla.
The filing came just 10 months after he served his last term in the state House in 2010, where he was making $79,600 a year.
When Cushingberry, now 61, filed for bankruptcy, he declared he was only making $25,000 annually as an attorney and $50,000 from his pension as a legislator. He didn’t claim any pension income from serving on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners from 1983-99.
Cushingberry stated his only money was $3,500 in cash. His assets included $600 in guns, $2,000 in fishing equipment and $1,000 in clothes.
He also was accused of “knowingly or fraudulently” failing to declare three cars, according to bankruptcy records.
Cushingberry, who was 21 when he became the youngest elected state representative in Michigan history in 1974, didn’t respond to requests for an interview.
In his second week in office, Cushingberry has caused quite the stir. He’s accused of trying to flee police after leaving a bar Tuesday – just hours after he – or now he says a staffer – told the Detroit News to “go to hell” for writing a critical editorial about his ability to lead.
In the state Legislature, Cushingberry was a trailblazer for civil rights and other social justice causes. He sponsored legislation to ban bullying, expand early voting and offer new opportunities for felons.
But a review of his voting record shows he often had the worst attendance in the House. He failed to vote on numerous controversial bills, such as several smoking bans, a prohibition on late-term abortion, a second bridge to Canada and public school reform.When he held the powerful post of chair of the House Appropriations Committee in 2009, Cushingberry missed 114 votes.
Cushingberry’s time as an attorney also was marked with trouble. In 2000, then-Attorney General Jennifer Granholm fired him from a Wayne County post that involved handling the estates of people without a family or will. Granholm’s office accused Cushingberry of mishandling hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Attorney Discipline Board reprimanded Cushingberry in 2002 and 2005 for unprofessional conduct.
In 2005, the next attorney general, Mike Cox, filed criminal charges against Cushingberry for alleged campaign finance violations, but the charges were later dismissed.
Outside of politics, Cushingberry is an assistant pastor with the Northwest Unity Baptist Church, where he’ll be preaching at 11 a.m. today.
“Church is where I find my strength,” Cushingberry said Saturday on 1440 AM.
About the author
Steve Neavling, who lives on the city’s east side, is an investigative journalist, a freelance reporter for Reuters and former city hall reporter for the Detroit Free Press. A journalist for 13 years, his stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations. Neavling's work currently explores Detroit’s unsung heroes and the inner-workings of an often-misunderstood city. |
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Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:42 am |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Thu Jan 16, 2014 8:46 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Sam Riddle to U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade: Detroit has more Kwame Kilpatricks 'in training'
Sam Riddle, right, and members of Richard Dicks' campaign realize the election is lost Aug. 6, 1991. File photo
Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com (some vintage photos)
Gus Burns | fburns@mlive.com By Gus Burns | fburns@mlive.com
Follow on Twitter
on January 16, 2014 at 4:20 PM, updated January 16, 2014 at 7:59 PM
DETROIT, MI -- An ironic exchange between Kwame Kilpatrick-era corruption casualty Sam Riddle and U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade, the woman who put Riddle behind bars, occurred during an anti-corruption seminar at the Masonic Temple in Detroit Thursday.
Instead of dodging McQuade's "bulldog" assistant prosecutors, he's now offering anti-corruption advice.
Riddle, who writes the column "Detroit Raw" for the Michigan Citizen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in 2009 related to his work as a the chief of staff to then-Councilwoman Monica Conyers, who also spent time in prison. Riddle was sentenced to a 37-month prison term in 2010 and released to finish the remainder of his sentence at a halfway house in late-September.
McQuade, after discussing the Kilpatrick corruption trial and its ongoing impact on government fraud, fielded questions from the nearly 50 attendees, many who were attorneys, some coming from as far as Washington D.C. for the event.
Moderator Nolan Finley, a columnist for the Detroit News, looked to the back of the dimly-lit and ornate room in the basement of the Masonic Temple where the session took place. He called on Riddle for one last comment to McQuade.
"As one of the 30 that was quasi-successfully prosecuted by you... as someone who did time in a real federal prison and not a cushy camp... I can tell you that right now one of the problems we face in Detroit is that there are more Kwames in training," Riddle said. "The severe sentence in a city like Detroit with the political street swag that allows for a George Cushingberry getting elected; ain't nobody scared of it.
"I think that in Detroit and other urban areas" the best approach "would be to prevent the act from occurring, because there's a whole culture of corruption. I've said the only difference between Detroit and a third-world nation is the goats in the street."
Riddle said all the Kilpatrick case and 28-year sentence did -- for some -- was make them think, "Well, I've got to be slicker than that" but others simply don't understand "right over wrong."
He recommended that the U.S. Attorneys Office work with newly-elected officials to help them understand situations they might encounter in their position of power and how to legally respond.
McQuade, who said nearly 30 people were indicted stemming from Kilpatrick administration corruption, liked Riddle's idea and said it's something her office would look into.
She praised Dave Bing for "restoring dignity to the office of the mayor."
"He asked to meet with us to talk about some of the areas where we saw flaws in city government which led to the Office of the Inspector General," McQuade said. "But you take it a step further... I think it's a wonderful idea." |
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Thu Jan 16, 2014 8:49 pm |
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