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Caught in the crossfire

What will it take for Mayor Dennis Archer to recognize that when it comes to cops shooting and killing civilians – and the police department investigations that follow – he’s got a major problem on his hands?

First, the Metro Times reported six weeks ago that, in at least some cases, the Detroit Police Department does not thoroughly investigate its officers when they shoot civilians ("When Cops Shoot," MT, April 5-12). The story pointed out that the police and the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office never interviewed a key witness to the shooting of Johnny Crenshaw by an off-duty Detroit cop who thought he was being robbed at an ATM machine on Joy Road in 1998. The witness, whom Crenshaw’s attorney easily found through the bank, said that the officer shot Crenshaw after he raised his arms in the air, begged not to be shot and ran. Despite this – and the fact that Crenshaw was unarmed – the department and the prosecutor’s office both ruled the shooting justified. The prosecutor’s office did not respond to Metro Times phone calls for comment.

Less than a week later, the Michigan Citizen published "Serial Killer Kops," which focused on Detroit police officer Eugene Brown, who shot and killed three civilians. The department ruled at least one of the shootings justified, though two of the victims reportedly were unarmed. The story also alleged that Brown beat up a fellow officer, threatened a process server who was delivering a lawsuit to him, and that he shot at alleged shoplifters outside Toys ’R’ Us at the Tel-Twelve Mall in Southfield.

Then, earlier this week, both the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press followed the weekly papers’ leads and published front-page articles of their own. The News basically rehashed the Metro Times’ and Citizen’s stories (while somehow failing to credit either paper for the scoops), adding that Brown not only killed three civilians, he shot and wounded six others during his seven-year tenure with the force; Brown is still with the DPD. The News wrote another front-page story about the millions spent defending the city and police officers – $7.5 million since 1995.

But the Free Press went even further, printing its analysis of FBI statistics showing Detroit cops are involved in more fatal shootings per capita than those cops in the country’s largest cities – 2 1/2 times the per capita rate of New York and 1 1/2 times that of Los Angeles. (Detroit, with about a million residents, averaged nearly 10 fatal police shootings a year between 1990 and 1998; New York, with 7.3 million residents, averaged 28 fatal shootings a year during that time period. The Freep, however, failed to point out that a Pulitzer Prize-winning series in the Washington Post last year found that the nation’s capital actually has the highest per capita number of fatal police shootings, averaging 10 fatal shootings with 545,000 residents, nearly twice the rate of Detroit.)

According to the story, the Free Press met with nearly a dozen top police executives and interviewed Chief Benny Napoleon; the DPD is recalculating the FBI data. At least someone is getting Napoleon’s attention. When the Metro Times ran its story, the chief refused to comment.

As for Archer, it seems that it will take a little more than four major stories – and FBI data – to get him to concede the obvious. In a phone interview this week with the mayor’s press secretary Greg Bowens, the Metro Times asked if the city has changed its view of police shootings since the MT article was published six weeks ago. At the time, he dismissed the story, saying that the lawyers representing victims of police shootings were just out to make a buck. As for the FBI data, Bowens, a former News reporter, said, "You know as well as I do, just because the Free Press says that it is so, does not mean that it is true."

Asked what the city intended to do to find out whether the paper’s FBI analysis is accurate, Bowens did not answer, said he had to go and hung up. The Metro Times called Bowens again for a response, but did not hear from him.

So, Mr. Mayor, what will it take?

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Sizable protest

With five fat women, two pickup trucks and plenty of food, friends and good cheer, this was no ordinary tailgate party.

Heather MacAllister of Ypsilanti and her friends celebrated International No Diet Day on May 6 with their own sort of movable feast in the parking lot of the Medical Weight Loss Clinic in Ann Arbor.

The women belong to The Venus Group of southeastern Michigan, a support group for women of size. Not that they mind the word "fat." MacAllister considers it roughly equivalent to "tall" or "blonde." During the demonstration, partying protesters exhibited slogans including "Big, Bold and Beautiful," "I Love Fat Girls," "I Love Fat Boys," and "Fat! So?" The last phrase is actually the title of an irreverent "size-acceptance" zine put out by 270-pound journalist Marilyn Wann.

MacAllister says her group chose Medical Weight Loss Clinic, at the corner of Washtenaw Avenue and Huron Parkway, for its visibility. She says the group got mostly positive feedback from onlookers. Even the clinic staff didn’t seem to mind the festivities.

"Everyone’s entitled to their opinion," said weight-loss supervisor Debbie Lipinski, although she added that seeking weight loss isn’t always a matter of vanity. Noting that obesity can be dangerous, she said the clinic encourages healthy eating habits, not drastic diets, and that many of its clients are referred by their doctors.

Later that afternoon, The Venus Group left the clinic parking lot and joined a gathering by the National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) at another picnic in Gallup Park.

The Venus Group was formed a few years ago; NAAFA has been around since the late 1960s. MacAllister says The Venus Group plans to have another protest next year.

We couldn’t resist saying it: "Now that’s phat!"

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Tiptoe through the toxics

Imagine this: You own one of the 40 or so properties on the Detroit riverfront which the city intends to buy, demolish and replace with three shiny new casinos. Further imagine that the soil upon which your home or business sits may be contaminated. Now, imagine that some busybody gadfly, who lives about two blocks from the proposed development site, requests copies of all of the city’s environmental studies regarding the land. Would you want them to have this information? Would you want to be notified that they want this information so that you could possibly oppose the request? If your answer is yes, you agree with Michael Sapala, Wayne County Circuit Court’s chief judge.

Sapala ruled last week that Carol Weisfeld, a member of REAL (Riverfront East Alliance, which opposes casinos on the waterfront) who lives a stone’s throw from the proposed casino site, must notify all property owners that she is seeking the environmental studies. Until Weisfeld does this, Sapala said he will not even consider having the studies turned over to her.

According to Weisfeld, she will issue the notices before the next scheduled hearing.

We say, keep after ‘em, Carol. Information like this needs to see the light of day.

News Hits will keep the rest of y’all informed on her progress.

Due to our high standard of journalistic ethics, News Hits can’t answer those questions above.

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Drag of a race

News Hits is like totally not into being all, you know, negative and shit. But if you live near Eight Mile and Woodward, there is a major possibility that your property values could take a deep nosedive and your quiet summer nights may be poof, gone. At least that is what some Detroiters and suburbanites who live in the area predict will happen if Nederlander Theatrical Organization, which is developing the State Fairgrounds, agrees to host the Grand Prix. (News Hits knows about this, by the way, because a whole passel of our compadres here at this rag live within shoutin’ distance of the track – not that we’d let a little thing like fraternity cloud our subjectivity.)

So far, NTO says that it has no plans to take on the – not to be a downer but – obnoxiously loud, ear-piercing event currently held at Belle Isle. Despite these assurances, neighboring residents are not taking any chances. That’s why they plan to gather at St. John the Baptist Church to voice their opposition to the – not to be a bummer but – pointless-drive-real-fast-in-circles-like-a-million-times-and-see-who-wins racetrack. Representatives from the State Fair and NTO will also speak at the meeting. So if you live in the area, you may want to stop in at the church on the southwest corner of Woodward and Woodstock near Eight Mile at 7 tonight (May 17). If you don’t speak out, it could be a real drag.

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Jennifer Bagwell and Ann Mullen contributed to News Hits, which is edited by Curt Guyette. Guyette can be reached by phone at 313-202-8004 or via e-mail.