Making Detroit into America’s very own Third World country is decidedly NOT the solution In the television series The West Wing, Republican candidate for president Arnold Vinick is asked in a debate about debt relief for impoverished countries. “Senator, are you saying you’re opposed to debt relief for impoverished countries?” Vinick is asked by the moderator. “No,” he replied. “We […]

Hear ye, hear ye I was on the Majority Report radio show with Sam Seder this afternoon. We discussed Detroit’s bankruptcy, the Education Achievement Authority, and other examples of the corporatist Republican takeover of Michigan. You can listen to it here: [ca_audio url_mp3=”http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/majorityfm/12-4-13-Chris_Savage-PUB.mp3″ css_class=”codeart-google-mp3-player” autoplay=”false” download=”false” html5=”false”] True story: the first time I met Sam Seder in person was when […]

With the announcement that Detroit is officially in bankruptcy and at the suggestion of my good friend Emily Hauser, we thought it would appropriate to rerun a photographic journey to Detroit taken by Eclectablogger and photographer extraordinaire Anne C. Savage the day Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr filed the bankruptcy paperwork – July 18th, 2013. It’s an antidote, if you will, […]

Ain’t NOBODY happy ’bout this Eclectagraphic by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog I’m on record as someone who supported Detroit going into bankruptcy from the very first days of that idea being discussed. As I pointed out in an op-ed at AnnArbor.com, Chapter 9 bankruptcy offers protections for a municipality that the imposition of an Emergency Manager does not. […]

The organization is making great strides in its mission to create a food sovereign Detroit, while harvesting community spirit and new income sources for Detroiters. As we prepare for Thanksgiving, it’s a great time to check back with Keep Growing Detroit, an urban gardening organization I first reported on back in May. Keep Growing Detroit was established this year as […]

Dear goddess, no. Just no. Senator Rand Paul, who has publicly told America that he does not support the part of the Civil Rights Act that forbids businesses from doing things like preventing African Americans from entering their premises, will be in Detroit on December 6th to open the Republican African American Engagement Office. Oh, the irony. Paul told the […]

C’mon, it’s not that hard to find black people in Detroit… [Photo credit: Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog] I want to start off by saying that I think Anthony Bourdain’s CNN program “Parts Unkown” is some of the best programming on television right now. From the insanely high-quality and artful videography to Bourdain’s ability to capture the heart and […]

It’s a team thing… Photo by Chris Savage | Eclectablog AFSCME has been doing a terrific job of being on the front lines, protecting Detroit workers from draconian cuts as the city works through the bankruptcy process. One of the things they have done is to put up the website Stand With Detroit that helps show the human side of […]

Cor·po·rat·ism (noun) – \ˈkȯr-p(ə-)rə-ˌti-zəm\ – The organization of a society into industrial and professional corporations serving as organs of political representation and exercising control over persons and activities within their jurisdiction. [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] After I reported on NERD Fund donor CVS Caremark receiving a multi-million dollar prescription drug benefit contract with […]

Isn’t this EXACTLY why Kwame Kilpatrick is sitting in jail? [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] NOTE: This story has been updated HERE. When Kwame Kilpatrick went to jail this year on corruption charges, it was because he basically used the city of Detroit as a personal ATM machine to dispense money to his friends. […]

This is why NERD Fund opacity is such a BFD Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog NOTE: This story has been updated HERE and HERE. I (and so many others) have talked a LOT about Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s NERD Fund, financed by unknown corporate entities and wealthy individuals. Because they have been paying for Detroit Emergency Manager […]