When I was growing up, my grandmother was my Sunday school teacher. She and my mother raised me in the church, and these values have guided me throughout my life of public service.
So when I read recent comments by Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson about Detroit, I thought about a verse I learned in Sunday school: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
In case you missed it, in an article titled “Drop Dead, Detroit,” Patterson told the New Yorker, “I made a prediction a long time ago and it’s come to pass. I said, ‘What we’re going to do is turn Detroit into an Indian reservation, where we herd all the Indians into the city, build a fence around it, and then throw in the blankets and corn.”
These comments are not just insulting and offensive to Detroiters and to Native Americans. They’re damaging to our entire state.
There’s no question the auto industry has made a remarkable turnaround in recent years, thanks to the auto rescue signed by President Obama, which I was proud to support in Congress. But at a time when Michigan is still struggling with the third worst unemployment rate in the country, the last thing we need is a prominent elected official like Patterson attacking our largest city in a national magazine.
Patterson has a long history of self-described “Detroit bashing.” But it was even more troubling that Gov. Rick Snyder refused to condemn Patterson after his comments were made public on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
As Dr. King said, “The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”
Instead of remaining silent, Snyder has a responsibility as our governor to stand up for Detroit and demand Patterson publicly apologize for his shameful remarks.
It’s clear that Brooks Patterson just doesn’t get it. And Rick Snyder — the person who has ignored the will of the voters, set aside democracy and installed an emergency manager, all while putting hard-earned and guaranteed Detroit pensions on the chopping block — is completely out of touch.
As governor, I would forcefully repudiate Patterson’s comments, and work tirelessly to bring the region together instead of dividing it.
Whenever I get questions about Detroit as I travel the state, my response is always the same. For Michigan to be strong, we need Detroit to be strong. And we must all be Detroiters.
This great city was the arsenal of Democracy and the birthplace of the middle class. Detroit has gone through tough times, but what matters most now is how we work together to build a better future for the city’s families, businesses, and neighborhoods.
Rebuilding Detroit won’t be easy, but Gov. Snyder’s disinvestment in our cities is only making things worse. Snyder’s deep cuts to public education, the Snyder Retirement Tax, his proposed cuts to retired police and firefighters, and his tax increases on low income families clearly demonstrate that he’s not of the side of everyday Michiganders.
One thing is clear. Michigan needs a governor with the right priorities.
We need a governor who will stand up for people and do what’s right for our entire state. We need a governor who will make education and public safety top priorities to help ensure our kids can get a great education in safe neighborhoods, so they can compete for good jobs.
And most important, we need a governor who understands that, as Dr. King said, “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
Mark Schauer is a former member of Congress and a Democratic candidate for governor
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