Thinking for ourselves Democracy in cities By Shea Howell December 16, 2014 The recent move by the lame duck legislature in Lansing to pass a bill outlawing Community Benefits Agreements and local minimum wage requirements should be a concern for every one who cares about democracy. This is a direct assault on the power of […]

Thinking for Ourselves By Shea Howell Homrich 9 and Human Rights December 2, 2014  December 10 is International Day of Human Rights. Two days earlier, on Monday, December 8, nine people will appear in 36th District Court. The Homrich 9 were arrested for putting their bodies on the line to protect the basic human right […]

Thinking for ourselves Mayor’s reality By Shea Howell November 4, 2014  It has been widely reported that the successful exiting from bankruptcy will depend on the leadership abilities of Mayor Mike Duggan. The court appointed expert selected to give an opinion on the feasibility of the plan, Martha Kopacz, testified that it depends on the […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell New Culture Emerging October 21, 2014 There is a new force for life emerging in Detroit. Across the city this week-end people gathered to talk about justice, peace, children, work, music, healing, revolutionary wellness, passion, play, human rights, and freedom. Black farmers and urban gardeners, new work and new […]

Thinking for ourselves By  Shea Howell Water Costs October 7, 2014 The last days of Kevyn Orr removed any pretense that there is a concern for the Detroit the quality of the lives of the people of Detroit. It should be clear to everyone that the only value that matters to Orr, Snyder, and go […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Water Realities Week 77 of the Occupation September 23, 2014  Mayor Mike Duggan has spent much of the occupation of the city overshadowed by the Emergency Manager Orr and Governor Snyder. Occasionally the mayor would pop up at to mention how much he was cooperating with the Emergency Manager. […]

  Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Finance, Ferguson and Orr Week 76 of the Occupation of Detroit   Governor Snyder, his Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr and the corporate interests who back them all breathed a sigh of relief last week as Syncora blinked. The bond insurer agreed to support the bankruptcy plan last week. […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Suburban Waters Week 71 of the occupation of Detroit August 23-30, 2014   Decisions about the future of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department are being made behind closed doors. On Monday, Nolan Finley of the Detroit News described a deal “to turn over ownership and operation” to a […]

Democracy Shut off Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Week 70 of the Occupation of Detroit The human toll of living under Emergency Management was made clear through the water crisis. Detroiters have endured an unprecedented assault on our basic human right to water for nearly 6 months before any action was taken. The decision […]

Thinking for ourselves Fair Water By Shea Howell Week 69 of the Occupation August 5, 2014 The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department held a Fair last Saturday. On Monday, Mayor Mike Duggan announced he will extend the moratorium on shut offs until August 25. The extension is to give time to “redesign bill collections.” The […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Collapsed Pause   By Shea Howell Week 69 of the Occupation August 29, 2014 The move toward bankruptcy in Detroit is complicated and complex. The most direct way to understand what is happening is a slogan being used by some local community advocates. “First they shut off our democracy, […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Beyond the Bottom Line Week 66 of the occupation July 8, 2014   The decision by Kevyn Orr/ Governor Snyder to make the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department more marketable by shutting off water to those who cannot pay raises fundamental questions. This crude, vicious, and dangerous decision reveals […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Water choices Week 65 of the Occupation  The pursuit of profits is endangering the health and well being of everyone in Detroit. What Kevin Orr, Jones Day, and the corporate powers they serve termed a business necessity is being revealed to the world as a violation of the most […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Future Time Week 64 of the occupation June 24, 2014 Time is slippery in Detroit. Sometimes you turn a corner and step into the future. It happens in early summer walking through the Cass Corridor, coming upon an unexpected iris garden, determined to provide wild beauty in the face […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Water, Dispossession and Resistance Week 62 of the occupation June 10, 2014   Water is a basic human right. That was the strong message sent to the Detroit Works/Detroit Future project during the environmental session held as part of their community conversations. These are the orchestrated conversations that Detroit […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Beyond Pensions Week 61 of the Occupation of Detroit June 3, 2014 The dictatorial running of our city distorts our ability to think and discuss the kind of future we want for ourselves and our children. Currently, we engaged in an outrageously brutal, sham process of public decision-making. Across […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Form and substance Week 57 of the Occupation May 10 – 17 2014 Last week, the destructive direction for Detroit being pushed by the corporate elite was on full display.  In the courtroom, boardroom, and banquet hall, the image of a whiter, wealthier city, governed by fiat was celebrated. […]

Thinking for ourselves On Public Relations By Shea Howell Week 54 of the occupation April 15, 2014 Judge Steven Rhodes scolded Kevyn Orr and everyone else last week. After approving the latest proposal from Emergency Manger Orr to settle the swaps debt with Bank America Merrill Lynch and UBS, the judge said, “This bankruptcy is […]

Thinking for ourselves Water Rights By Shea Howell Week 53 of the occupation  Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr’s plan to turn the water department into a regional asset has been smashed by the absolute refusal of Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Mark Hackel of Macomb County. In a politically motived move to pander to […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell Value Choices Week fifty of the occupation March 18, 2014 Voices critical of Kevyn Orr’s plan are growing. Basic assumptions fostered by Orr, the corporate-foundation elite, and their media are being undermined. The criticisms of community and labor activists are spreading from the streets to the halls of academia […]

Thinking for ourselves  Evil consequences By Shea Howell Week 49 of the Occupation. March 11, 2014   This week Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr visited the Michigan Citizen. We had a wide-ranging discussion about his role as emergency manager, his understanding of the development of the city, and his hopes for the future. The Citizen staff […]

Thinking for ourselves Toward a People’s Plan By Shea Howell Week 47 of the Occupation  Emergency Manger Kevyn Orr delivered his proposals for exiting bankruptcy to Judge Steven Rhodes on Friday morning. Called The Plan of Adjustment, the document is more than 400 pages long and includes a dense “Disclosure Statement” that describes how Orr […]

  Thinking for ourselves Blind Justice By Shea Howell   Week 46 of the occupation February 18, 2014   The plan proposed by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to address Detroit’s financial crisis is finding its way to court.  Its outlines how the Emergency Manager expects to deal with debt, pensions, and services.   The Plan […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell On behalf of the city Week 40 of the occupation January 7, 2014 The carefully constructed claim on competence and legitimacy by the Governor and his Emergency Manager, Kevyn Orr, is eroding. The current drama of the proposed Barclay’s loan to pay off Bank of America and UBS reveals […]

Thinking for Ourselves A different vision, saying No to Hantz By Shea Howell December 11, 2012 Something very new is happening in Detroit. Forces long dispersed are coming together, recognizing the possibilities of creating a future based on values of care, compassion, local production, and sustainable ways of living. Thanks to the Hantz Farms/Woodlands proposal, […]

Thinking for ourselves Duplicating Efforts By Shea Howell Week thirty-three of the Occupation November 19, 2013 The incompetence of emergency management raises critical questions. What exactly are we paying these high paid consultants to do on our behalf? A recent article in Crain’s notes that much of the new plan to get us to financial […]

Thinking for ourselves On Love and Fear By Shea Howell Week thirty two of the occupation. November 12, 2013 The news that mattered most this week was not about bankruptcy, emergency management, secret meetings by foundations, city council land deals, or the new mayor-elect. It was the news of death. Newborns, toddlers, teens, and adults, […]

Thinking for ourselves On Love and Fear By Shea Howell Week thirty two of the occupation. November 12, 2013 The news that mattered most this week was not about bankruptcy, emergency management, secret meetings by foundations, city council land deals, or the new mayor-elect. It was the news of death. Newborns, toddlers, teens, and adults, […]

Thinking for ourselves Democracy and Resistance By Shea Howell Week 30 of the occupation October 29, 2013 The legitimacy of the Detroit financial emergency is eroding. Whatever the legal decision on bankruptcy by Federal Court Judge Steven Rhodes, the use of Detroit’s financial problems by a corporate elite for personal and political gain is becoming […]

Thinking for ourselves Democracy and Resistance By Shea Howell Week 30 of the occupation October 29, 2013 The legitimacy of the Detroit financial emergency is eroding. Whatever the legal decision on bankruptcy by Federal Court Judge Steven Rhodes, the use of Detroit’s financial problems by a corporate elite for personal and political gain is becoming […]

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 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 Public Values By Shea Howell Week nineteen of the Occupation August 13, 2013 There is a recurring theme emerging in national news coverage of Detroit. Whatever the writer’s political perspective, all agree that the filing of bankruptcy by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr is an indication of their own future, and the future […]

Thinking for ourselves Fact, fiction and the assault on democracy By Shea Howell August 10-17, 2013 Week 18 of the occupation The majority of Detroiters are outraged over Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr’s latest utterance. By now most of the city knows that in a recent Wall Street Journal interview, Detroit Emergency Manger (DEM) Orr claimed […]

Thinking for ourselves Emerging future By Shea Howell Week 18 of the occupation Aug 3-10 2013 Now that the emergency manager has filed for bankruptcy, the national media has become fascinated with Detroit. The city the mainstream media describes has little to do with the one most of us know and love. The New York […]

Thinking for ourselves For the Future Week 17 of the occupation By Shea Howell July 23, 2013 The decision by Governor Snyder and Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection came in the midst of grieving in Detroit. The wounds from the acquittal of the killer of Trayvon Martin were all […]

Thinking for ourselves Week16 of the Occupation From Trayvon Martin to Monica Lewis Patrick By Shea Howell July 16, 2013 Much of the country mourns the death of Trayvon Martin as the man who killed him was released from prison. One of the most thoughtful responses to this tragedy came from UCLA Professor Robin D. […]

Thinking for ourselves Week 15 of the Occupation Collateral Damage By Shea Howell The next few weeks will be crucial for the future of Detroit. The possibility of bankruptcy is looming large on the horizon. The Emergency Manager has reduced the City Council, in violation of the City Charter, by directing them to not fill […]

Thinking for ourselves Different values By Shea Howell Week 15 of the Occupation July 2, 2013 Last week more than100 people gathered at the Church of the Messiah for the March for Peace. It was a spirited gathering, as people walked through the East side neighborhood, chanting, “peace, now” and “silence the violence.” Neighbors stood […]

Thinking for ourselves By Shea Howell March for Peace Week 14 of the occupation June 25, 2013 Life is bursting out the doors of the Church of the Messiah. The sidewalks surrounding the 138-year-old gray stone building can barely contain the riot of colors spilling over from the lush flower gardens. The bland and broken […]

Thinking for ourselves Restoring our souls By Shea Howell Week Twelve of the Occupation June 11, 2013 The Emergency Manager was compelled by law to hold a public meeting to discuss his Report on the financial condition of Detroit. It turns out the Emergency Version of a public meeting is not much. It means finding […]