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Kwame Kilpatrick Sentenced, Former Detroit Mayor Gets 28 Years In Prison On Corruption Charges. Kwame Kilpatrick was sentenced to 28 years in prison Thursday, seven months after he was convicted of public corruption in federal court. It marks the end to another chapter in the saga of Kilpatrick, who was elected mayor of Detroit at the young age of 31. Once mentioned as a possible candidate for president later in life, Detroit's "hip-hop mayor," now 43, is generally credited as one of America's worst mayoral leaders of the past decade. The former Detroit mayor's sentencing recommendation called for at least 28 years to life for Kilpatrick, who prosecutors say robbed the City of Detroit of millions through criminal enterprises when it was at its most desperate.
It's "equal to the longest sentence" for corruption ever handed down to a public official, said U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade after the sentencing was announced. "Kwame Kilpatrick was entrusted by the citizens of Detroit to guide their city through one of its most challenging periods," the prosecution's memo read. How corruption deepened Detroit's crisis. DETROIT -- Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was a spender, a schemer and a liar. And taxpayers paid for it, by the millions. Over seven years, Kilpatrick's public corruption schemes, lavish lifestyle and ethical missteps cost taxpayers at least $20 million, a tab the financially strapped city was in no position to pick up but did anyway — usually without knowing.
On Thursday, Kilpatrick will be sentenced for 24 corruption convictions. As he heads to federal prison for what could be decades, one important question lingers: How much did his extortion, kickback and bribery rackets contribute to the city's financial crisis and its filing in July for the largest municipal bankruptcy in the nation's history? "Kilpatrick is not the main culprit of the city's historic bankruptcy, which is the result of larger social and economic forces at work for decade," federal prosecutors said in court documents.
In purely monetary figures, the cost of Kilpatrick's ring of corruption is staggering: Tax burden, low property values lead to exodus of Detroit residents. Detroit — For a generation, Detroit has levied as many property taxes as it legally could on its citizens. Now, after decades of plummeting population and property values, some wonder if that was such a good idea. Few officials defend Detroit's tax rate, which is tops among big cities nationwide. Fewer still have any solutions. "Of course property taxes are too high, but what do you replace them with? " Detroit is past the tipping point where taxes become so high they backfire, become a disincentive to invest, produce fewer revenues and lead to weaker city services, said Alan Mallach, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies Detroit. Economists call the phenomenon the Laffer Curve. "Detroiters aren't sheep lining up to be sheared.
"Detroit has such a crushing property tax burden, it's no coincidence the land value is so low. " If property taxes are a social compact — pay the bills, get services in return — it's broken in Detroit, said state Sen. Former U.S. 15 Detroit Fire companies closing, nearly 200 demotions. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, "the city has essentially said I think everybody better make sure they have their own garden hose," said union president Dan McNamara. He is disgusted with the city's plan to reorganize the Detroit Fire Department, cutting it to the bare bones.
Engine Company No. 5, located in the Cass Corridor, is one of the fire stations now shutting down. "The citizens of the city are going to suffer because they can say what they want, they cannot justify these closings. " Here are the numbers. A total of 15 companies will close -- Engines 5, 8, 20, 21, 23, 31, 33, 38, 42 and 47, Ladder 1, 10, 16, 24 and TAC 2. Nearly 200 demotions from battalion chiefs to fire truck drivers on top of the 156 layoffs. It's part of a shell game that the union claims will leave the oldest firefighters fighting the toughest flames trying to save your house and life. Normally three fire engines show up at your average fire. Detroit's cash-strapped firefighters take on arson epidemic.
For the city’s fire department, conditions have been deteriorating for a while. Mayor Dave Bing cut the department’s $184 million budget by 20 percent last year, worsening a devastating equipment shortage. When America Tonight visited Engine Company 44, both its trucks were in for repairs. “Our repair shop is short-staffed, the city is short-staffed,” Jefferson said.
“We are short-staffed, so we can only do with what’s given to us.” The hose tower used to be strung up with hoses. Now, it’s empty. Jefferson says they haven’t purchased any new equipment since 2007. “When we have a budget of so many millions of dollars, and our leaders are told to cut $10 million, where are they gonna look?” The firefighters at Engine Company 44 say they bought all the furnishings at their station – couches, chairs and tables – out of pocket. “We get caught behind an 8-ball, where they may not have size 10 fire boots, they may not have size 46 fire coats,” Jefferson said. “We need everything right now. 28 Detroit houses selling for $500 at county auction | Motor City Muckraker. Nearly 15,000 homes, businesses, churches and industrial buildings in Detroit are up for auction for a minimum $500 bid.
This is the second and final round of Wayne County’s annual tax-foreclosure auction. Some of the properties are abandoned and gutted, while others would fetch more than $85,000 in any other community. The auction kicked off this week and ends between Oct. 21 and 25. This is part of our continuing coverage of an auction that could help or hurt the struggling city . Check out Why Don’t We Own This? To view all of the properties up for bid and to use some nifty mapping technology. 4851 Tillman, Built in 1900, 5,314 square feet. 37451 Concord, Built in 1910, 4,617 square feet. 2500 W. 2446 Atkinson, Built in 1910, Sold for $110,000 in 2007. 2414 Atkinson, Built in 1914, 5,358 square feet. 2401 Oakman, Built in 1962, 12,327 square feet. 2271 Pasadena, Built in 1925. 3,833 square feet. 2263 Atkinson, Built in 1921, 5,401 square feet. 2210 Concord, Built in 1912, Two-family flat 263 W.
As Detroit breaks down, scourge of arson burns out of control. July 13, 2013|Steve Neavling | Reuters (Reuters) - On the night of July 4, some Detroit residents watched fireworks, and others just watched fires, more than a dozen in a space of two hours. The Independence Day blazes marked the latest flare up of a longtime scourge in Detroit - arson. It is a problem that has festered in the city for decades and has persisted even as the population declined. With the city now teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, the futile struggle to contain arson is an insistent reminder of the depths of Detroit's decline. "It's not safe here. It's a war zone," Terrence Coleman, a 52-year-old resident, said as embers from a blaze on Detroit's east side rained down on him.
"This whole neighborhood is going to burn down one day, I'm afraid. " As firefighters attacked flames raging in two adjacent vacant houses, they called for backup equipment that never came. In the next two hours, at least 10 more suspicious fires broke out, leaving skeleton crews to battle the blazes. Picking Apart Detroit To Make It Whole Again. Jeremy Haines (left) is the sales and marketing manager for Reclaim Detroit. The salvage business is just one of the companies helping tear down and reclaim materials from Detroit's many abandoned buildings. Marvin Shaouni for NPR hide caption toggle caption Marvin Shaouni for NPR Jeremy Haines (left) is the sales and marketing manager for Reclaim Detroit.
The salvage business is just one of the companies helping tear down and reclaim materials from Detroit's many abandoned buildings. Marvin Shaouni for NPR Images of a fallen city have drawn national attention to Detroit. Part of the recovery process is repairing the bankrupt city's blight. There are an estimated 80,000 abandoned buildings scattered throughout Detroit. "We have an approach that systematically takes apart these buildings piece by piece," says Jeremy Haines, the sales and marketing manager for Reclaim Detroit. Founded in 2011, Haines' organization has been trying to recycle the wood found in these buildings. Center for Problem-Oriented Policing | Problem Guides | Abandoned Buildings And Lots. What This Guide Does and Does Not Cover This guide begins by describing the problem of abandoned buildings and lots, factors that contribute to the problem, and who is responsible for the problem. It then presents a series of questions that will help you analyze the problem.
Finally, it reviews several responses to the problem and what is known from research, evaluation, and government practice. Abandoned buildings and lots are a subcategory of the larger problem of physical disorder in a community. This guide is limited to addressing the harms created by abandoned buildings and lots. Related problems not directly addressed by this guide, each of which requires separate research and analysis, include: Some of these related problems are discussed in other guides in this series, all of which are listed at the end of this guide.
General Description of the Problem Definition This abandoned row house is an example of what one usually thinks of when hearing the term"abandoned building. " Squatting. Poll: Crime drives Detroiters out; 40% expect to leave within 5 years. Detroit — Detroit's crime crisis is prompting such pessimism that 40 percent of residents plan to move within five years, according to a comprehensive poll of Detroiters' attitudes about their city and leadership. Residents overwhelmingly believe the city is on the wrong track and have no faith that city leaders have a plan to turn it around. Crime is by far their biggest worry — even higher than finding a job in a city where some put the true unemployment rate as high as 50 percent. The survey suggests that, unless city officials can combat violence, efforts to halt decades of decline will fail. The city's population already has fallen by 1 million over the past 50 years, and residents including Michael LaBlanc said they are ready to leave.
"There's an aura of fear that just pervades the whole neighborhood," said LaBlanc, 63, who installed a security system at his northeast side home last week because he's weary of car thieves and gunfire. "It's almost like being in prison. The Rev.