Distorted Story By Shea Howell  We are beginning the third year of the crisis in Flint. In spite of thousands of news articles, visits by politicians, apologies, and claims of relentless positive action, little has changed in the daily lives of the people. Water is still unsafe. Filters, touted as a cure all, have been […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell No Excuses April 17, 2016 This week headlines warned that the crisis of water in Michigan is far from solved. More than one third of Detroit elementary schools reported unsafe levels of lead and copper in their drinking water. Officials believe the problem rests with old lead pipes, not […]

Jan Thomas – SoulandMeaning.com April 3, 2016 The Legacy of Grace Lee Boggs: “Re-imagine Everything” On March 20, 2016 a celebration of Grace Lee Boggs’ 100-year life was held at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center. The memorial speakers offered memorable social change stories and lessons learned from knowing her over the years. Here is a small sampling of what was […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Establishing justice March 27, 2016 This week the Flint Water Crisis Task Force released its final report. The report makes critical contributions to the public discussion of what happened in Flint, where the responsibility rests, and what should be done about it. Most importantly, the report makes clear that […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Diminished capacity March 22, 016 On the eve of World Water Day, Governor Rick Snyder released his new “action plan designed to ensure Flint’s recovery and strong future.” The banner heading of the plan repeats Snyder’s slogan “Getting it right. Getting it done.” Designed by public relations experts and […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Rhodes as Emergency Manager March 6, 2016 Governor Snyder has appointed Judge Steven Rhodes as the 5th Emergency Manger of Detroit Public Schools. Judge Rhodes presided over the Detroit Bankruptcy hearing and gained widespread support from Snyder and the corporate elite for his handling of the case. Snyder hopes […]

Thinking For Ourselves Shea Howell The State of Our City Mayor Duggan gave his third State of the City address last week at the Second Ebenezer Church on Detroit’s East Side. He emphasized the progress he has made cutting crime and increasing police response times, tearing down blighted houses, encouraging businesses, and creating job programs […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Who decides? February 21, 2016 The toxic water in Flint has vividly brought to light the toxic consequences of right wing republican thinking that government should be run like a business. It has also shown us something about the poisoning of our own thinking. It took the poisoning of […]

Design by Innosanto Nagara   SAVE THE DATES  West Coast GLB Event In celebration of the Detroit-based activist and philosopher Grace Lee Boggs (1915-2015), we are honored to invite you to commemorate Grace’s life and ideas commemorate Gr ace’s life and ideas on March 9 and 20, 2016. Sat. 3/19 – Growing Our Souls, Building […]

Thinking for Ourselves Shea Howell Unchecked Greed No matter how the Governor tries to spin the crisis in Flint, Emergency Managers are at the core of this disaster. They are the means to destroy local democracy. Emergency Managers (EMs) are a tool in turning public goods into private wealth. They are the means to seize […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Repeal EM Law February 7, 2013 Governor Snyder’s main response to the Flint water crisis has been to hire two public relations firms. He has yet to replace a single lead pipe. Snyder wants to save himself and his emergency manager law. He has launched a full scale campaign […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Dangerous Authorities January 30, 2016 The dimensions of the failure by Governor Snyder to respond to the water crisis in Flint are still emerging. Over the last week import questions have been raised about the Governor’s truthfulness and motivation. The claim that saving money was behind the decision to […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell King, Water and Will January 17, 2016  As we approach the national celebration of the life and legacy of Martin Luther King it is important to reflect on what Dr. King was doing on another January, 50 years ago. In January of 1967, he moved into a small apartment […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Flint and Silence January 10, 2015  Almost everyone knows of the criminal activities of Michigan Governor Snyder. His administration was well aware of lead contamination in the Flint water system. Yet they did nothing to remedy the situation. Worse, they actively told people to “relax” and drink the water. […]

Flint Efficiency By Shea Howell January 3, 2016 On the eve of the New Year, the Flint Water Advisory Task Force felt compelled to deliver a letter to Governor Snyder. It is a remarkably candid assessment of the Governor’s failures, the crass attitude of his appointees, and the creation of a culture of disrespect and […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Imagination and Peace December 27, 2015  The 21st century is no longer young. Its contours are now clear. It is a time of extraordinary violence and brutality. Young people, entering the first stages of adulthood have spent most of their lives in a state of unending war. For most […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Lessons for our children December 19, 2015 The Detroit Journalism Cooperative (DJC) and WDET were clearly shaken by the disruption of their media celebration of the Detroit Bankruptcy. On December 15 they posted their perspective on the meeting under the heading “Detroit: We won’t move forward unless we learn […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Disrupting Denial December 12, 2015 This week the corporate elite celebration of the Detroit bankruptcy was brought to an abrupt halt. Gathered on the campus of Wayne State University, the Governor, Mayor, bankruptcy judge, and members of the mainstream media left the stage in the face of protests. Governor […]

The Revolutionary Soul of Ron Scott by Barbara A. Stachowski In contemplating the life of my friend and comrade Ron Scott, I’ve struggled to encompass all the aspects of the man that I saw embodied as he walked in the world. Ron Scott was a soulful man, always expressive of deep feeling and emotion. Ron […]

Thinking for ourselves Last of democracy By Shea Howell December 5, 2015 The outcome of the trial against two of the defendants who blocked trucks from shutting off water to Detroiters is unclear. In an unprecedented move, Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hathaway intervened and halted the trial of the two of the Homrich […]

Complete disregard By Shea Howell November 21, 2015  The drive to establish safe, affordable water in Michigan intensified over this past week. Through direct action, public education, legal initiatives, public testimony, and court trials, people are pressuring federal, state and local governments to live up to their responsibilities of providing safe, affordable water while protecting […]

November 15, 2015 in Thinking for Ourselves Fair and Just Shea Howell The Detroit City Council is finally going to consider a Community Benefits Agreement. Business interests oppose it. The right wing legislature has made moves to outlaw such agreements statewide. Roderick Miller, the head of Detroit Economic Growth Corporation has said, “I think it […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Bedtime stories November 7, 2015 It has been one-year since Detroit exited bankruptcy. The corporate elite are celebrating their success. On November 19 the Michigan Bar Association will gather at the Detroit Institute of Arts to give the 11th Annual Dennis Archer Public Service Award to bankruptcy judges Gerald […]

Thinking for ourselves Learning from Flint By Shea Howell October 25 Many people breathed a sigh of relief as Flint residents returned to the Detroit Water System. For decades Detroit has provided nearly 5 million people with fresh, safe water. The injuries suffered by the citizens of Flint did not need to happen. Their return […]

Blue Ribbon Beginnings October 17, 2015 This week the Detroit Blue Ribbon Committee on Water Affordability held its first meeting. It did not begin well.  The panel is repeating the same mistakes that the last water affordability committee made. Reports of the day-long meeting raises serious concerns. The meeting began in the wrong place. Instead […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell No Moral Difference October 10, 2015 Michigan Governor Rick Snyder finally gave the go ahead for the City of Flint to reconnect to the Detroit water supply. In a press conference flanked by the head of the Mott Foundation, public health and environmental appointees, Snyder said he was “in […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Criminal Waters October 4, 2015   Governor Snyder has finally acknowledged that people in the city of Flint are suffering from poisoned water. He is also reported to be considering the only sensible response to this crisis, reconnecting to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. All of this is […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Flint and Lead September 27, 2015  This week hospital researchers confirmed that Flint water is poisoning children. After sustained concern from water activists and parents questing the quality of Flint water, Hurley Children’s Hospital did a study comparing levels of lead in children before and after the decision to […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Moving out, moving in September 19, 2015  On a quiet street on the east side of Detroit last week a family moved out of their home due to foreclosure. Another family moved in.  It sounds simple enough. It is a scene that is familiar to Detroiters. Over the last […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Water Costs September 13, 2015 This week officials in Ann Arbor Michigan issued a boil water advisory. It seems there was a problem in the instrument system of their pump stations, indicating a loss of pressure, creating a potential problem of bacteria entering the water supply. This is the […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Labor Day Memory September 5, 2015 This Labor Day marks the passage of twenty years since striking Detroit News and Free Press workers strode down Woodward Avenue in the Parade. It was the beginning of a long, bitter, and brutal battle. Much of the mainstream media has ignored this […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell August Choices August 23, 2015 August is month of many sorrows. One hundred years ago, the war that was to end all wars moved into its second year as German troops swept into Warsaw. Thirty years later, in another world war of unimaginable destruction, the United States dropped atomic […]

Thinking for ourselves Distorted Water Report By Shea Howell August 8, 2015 While Mayor Duggan was slushing water ice to welcome in another downtown business, the water assistance advisory group of the newly emerging Great Lakes Water Authority issued a draft statement. Tasked with establishing the foundation of a water assistance plan, the draft developed […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Water Laws July 31, 2015  This week water advocates held a town hall meeting and press conference on July 29 to highlight the connections between Detroit and Philadelphia. Philadelphia City Council has just passed a Water Affordability Program that ensures water is provided to everyone and that money continues […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell New opportunities July 25, 2015  Detroit City Council missed an opportunity to provide leadership in creating an equitable, sustainable water system. Reversing their earlier vote to reject the rate hike proposed by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, the Council narrowly agreed to a 7.5 % rate hike. Over […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Water Reflections July 17, 2015 It has been a year since the beginning of the aggressive campaign to shut off water to more than 30,0000 households in the city of Detroit. This week, many of us remembered the life and spirit of Charity Hicks, whose intellect and heart still […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Mayor’s Balancing Act July 10 2015 Mayor Duggan revamped his story on the water shut offs. Last week he was frustrated as advocates for a Water Affordability Plan confronted him about his disastrous shut off policies. This week, as hundreds of people walked and rallied between Detroit and Flint […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Water reconsidered July 4, 2015 On Tuesday, June 30, in a vote of 6 to 2, the Detroit City Council rejected the proposed water rate hikes backed by the Duggan administration.  This was the first of a series of events this week to encourage the Mayor, The Emergency Manger […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Faygo and Community Wisdom June 26, 2015 As part of the celebration for the 100th Birthday of Grace Lee Boggs, the Boggs Center announced a weeklong series of events. One of these was a community protest at the Faygo Bottling Company on Gratiot Avenue.  A number of people responded […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Common Sense Council June 20, 2015 The Detroit City Council voted down the Curfew of River Days after public pressure. Chief Craig presented the proposal to lock down all young people under age 18 for four days from 6 pm to 6 am. He argued at the packed public […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Duggan’s Curfew June 7, 2015 While much of the country is proclaiming “Black Lives Matter,” the Mayor of the city of Detroit is acting as though Black Lives Threaten. He is certainly threatening the lives and liberties of many of youth of our city. This week his administration proposed […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Council resolves on water May 16, 2015 The Detroit City Council has finally acknowledged the importance of a Water Affordability Plan. In a strong show of unanimous support last week the Council passed a resolution to take the first steps toward reassessing the water rate structure. The Council also […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Duggan Unraveling May 8, 2015 Unless Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan makes some major shifts in his thinking, he will be the Mayor who lost Detroit. While he is announcing redevelopment plans in Brush Park, water shut off trucks are revving their engines just a few blocks away. Defying all […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Being Managed Week 28 of the occupation October 15, 2013 The implications of emergency management for Detroit are becoming clear. A few people are making a lot of money. Those few individuals, including EM Kevyn Orr, his former law firm Jones-Day, various lawyers, consults and assistants are predicted to […]

Thinking for ourselves Water Rights By Shea Howell Week twenty-seven of the occupation October 8, 2013 While Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr announced speedy plans to create a regional authority to take over the Detroit Water and Sewage Department, global leaders were meeting in Budapest at the World Water Summit. The Summit has been called because […]

Thinking for ourselves Passionate fight By Shea Howell Week twenty-three of the occupation September 10, 2013 The resistance to Emergency Managers is growing. The Honorable John Conyers convened a public forum to discuss the role of Emergency Managers and Detroit’s bankruptcy filing. The forum was hosted by scholar and commentator Michael Eric Dyson and brought […]

Thinking for ourselves Resisting the EM By Shea Howell Week twenty-six of the occupation September 24, 2013 As Rick Snyder campaigns for his second term, people are bombarded with images of the “can do” governor. One image we wont see is Governor Snyder meeting with the Detroit elected Board of Education. If the Governor had […]

Thinking for ourselves Memory and Democracy By Shea Howell Week twenty-five of the occupation September 17, 2013 Just as the mainstream media rushed to foster myths and misinformation to justify the state takeover of Detroit, it is rushing to rewrite current history. We are being told that all elected city government was incompetent and bureaucratic. […]

Thinking for ourselves Passionate fight By Shea Howell Week twenty-three of the occupation September 10, 2013 The resistance to Emergency Managers is growing. The Honorable John Conyers convened a public forum to discuss the role of Emergency Managers and Detroit’s bankruptcy filing. The forum was hosted by scholar and commentator Michael Eric Dyson and brought […]

Thinking for ourselves Competent or incapable? By Shea Howell September 3, 2013 Week 22 of the occupation The new watch-words coming from the Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr are competence and efficiency. We are being told he is busy “streamlining” city government. He is eliminating cumbersome bureaucracies. His target this week is City Planning and Development. […]

Thinking for ourselves The city? By Shea Howell Week 21 of the occupation August 31- September 7, 2013 Nearly 50 years ago, James Boggs wrote an essay that startled the country. It was entitled, “The City is the Black Man’s land.” Boggs described the historic pattern of American municipal governments as the place where ethnic […]

Thinking for ourselves Learning lessons By Shea Howell Week twenty of the occupation August 20, 2013 As the process to decide whether or not Detroit can be declared bankrupt grinds on, a number of things are becoming clear. First, Governor Rick Snyder and Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr are neither truthful nor transparent. Secret dealings between […]