Border Race And Mayor Cockrel

For the border race, I do not mean the so-called competition between the Ambassador Bridge Company and DRIC as to who will build their bridge first.

Rather, I'm talking about what euphemistically might be discussed under the subject heading of "Environmental Justice."

• "EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 12898
  
  FEDERAL ACTIONS TO ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN MINORITY POPULATIONS AND LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS
  
  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
  Section 1-1. Implementation
  
  1-101. Agency Responsibilities. To the greatest extend practicable and permitted by law, and consistent with the principles set forth in the report on the National Performance Review, each Federal agency shall make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations in the United States."

The EPA defines environmental justice as

• “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies."

This is really not something that has been addressed on our side of the river. It is not the kind of issue here as it is in the US. It is certainly not something that we would be very comfortable talking about.

If you want to understand it very graphically, then listen to the clip above that I recorded. Listen to this interview that I heard on one of the Detroit radio stations. Adolph Mongo is a community activist and head of Adolph Mongo and Associates, a political consulting firm in Detroit.

Listen especially around the 4:15 minute mark. To me as a Canadian these are shocking comments. I would be surprised if anyone would dare make these types of statements over here. Yet, when I made a presentation to Detroit Council several years ago along with a number of other groups with respect to the border crossing, race was a very big issue with Detroit Council. I was quite surprised about how directly and easily the subject of race was brought up and discussed. Obviously my Canadian naïveté was showing.

As for the new Mayor of Detroit, if he is to be consistent with his past, he will have to take action immediately to put DRIC on hold. Below is a resolution that he introduced a number of years ago with respect to DIFT-- the Detroit Intermodal Freight Terminal. His concern was with respect to project of about almost 1,000 acres. When you combine that project along with several hundreds of acres to be eaten up by DRIC, then South West Detroit is devastated.

More hundreds of homes and businesses will be torn down in the name of these projects and people forced to move and relocate at a time of uncertainty while the tax base of Detroit will be further eroded by these projects.

No one it seems has taken a look yet at the combined environmental impact of both projects in Detroit. They are kept separate and distinct for obvious reasons. In fact, one probably should take a look at these two projects along with the Blue Water Bridge project as one total package to see what the impact will be on both Detroit and Port Huron. After all, the DRIC DEIS deals with the impact on traffic of a new DRIC bridge being built in Windsor/Detroit.

I found a copy of a note that I sent to then Member of Council Cockrel in January, 2006 and the response I received back from him. Here are some excerpts:

• I remembered your remark at Delray that there was a need to study all of the various projects being planned in South West Detroit as a whole and not look at each one separately. If you needed a practical example of the need to do so, this may be the information you need! [I sent him a copy of an MDOT Powerpoint]
  
  Interestingly, I note:
  
  -The same consultant is involved in both projects (Corradino)
  
  -The same project manager is involved in both projects (Mohammed Alghurabi)
  
  -There is the same threat to the community and the same constituents that are in harms way
  
  -Same process by which MDOT determines what Detroit needs
  
  -Same lofty expectations and the view that Senior levels know better (DIFT--"the greatest opportunity to stabilize Livernois-Junction yard, secure significant public infrastructure investments (from which private investment follows), and add economic value to the local community is through negotiation toward a partnership with MDOT."
  
  -Same negative impact on Detroit
  
  
• REPLY----I am not entirely surprised at this given that MDOT has a history of publicizing that both these projects as well as the proposed DRTP are all under active study. MDOT director Gloria Jeff has even come before our City Council and the Southeastern Michigan Council of Governments on multiple occasions and said as much.They have not gone so far as to characterize the projects as a "package though" so that is interesting.

Mayor Cockrel has no choice but to insist that a major environmental impact investigation be undertaken immediately. Let us find out early on what he is made of. If he does not do it, then he may as well not run during the next mayoral campaign.

If anyone believes that the border race will soon be finished, they will have a big surprise waiting.