The help Detroit needs

I got an email last night at about 10:30 calling people to a protest today at 10:00. Yeah, less than 12 hours notice. The protest was called because Obama administration officials would be coming to Detroit to meet with city officials about various grants the Obama admin was ready to hand out. The protesters, associated with Detroit Eviction Defense and Moratorium Now, consider Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, Mayor Dave Bing, and Gov. Snyder in cahoots with the banks that are swindling Detroit. The protesters want Obama officials to meet with them, not the crooks.

Since I had nothing scheduled today and the weather was lovely I went. I counted about 25 protesters, not bad for such short notice. We marched outside the Wayne State University Law School where anyone coming from the parking structure would have to walk through or around us. There were a couple TV vans and several photographers. I'm sure my picture was taken many times from close enough that I would be easily identified.

Small problem though. The meeting wasn't in the Law School building, but in the Conference Center on the other side. And all the bigwigs drove up between the buildings, parking their big SUVs in the pedestrian zone. So it is quite likely they didn't see us. And security was such that I'm sure we would not have been allowed between the buildings.

The sheet passed out at the protest listed several things that Obama could do (without Congress) which probably wouldn't happen if he worked through Snyder and Orr.

* The head of the state Department of Human Services (alas, acronyms aren't explained so this is a guess) illegally withheld block grants from the city. The City Council didn't fight it and the city officials who administer the grants lost their jobs. Obama could restore the grants under city management.

* The city illegally turned over administration of the Head Start program to a Denver company. That had Obama administration approval. That approval could be withdrawn, restoring the program under city control with city jobs.

* Gov. Snyder has blocked a half-billion dollars from the federal Helping Hardest Hit Homeowners. This fund pays delinquent property tax bills and would allow more people to stay in their homes. The blockage means more foreclosures, lower property values, and lower tax revenues. Obama could remove Snyder's blocks.

* Obama could order an investigation of the shady bank practices that preyed on poor residents, and when the huge string of foreclosures impoverished the city gov't those shady banks turned their attention to "help" the struggling city.

* Obama could declare a state of emergency and put a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions in Detroit.

* Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own perhaps 70% of all mortgages in the country. It is these two that push for most foreclosures. In addition to stopping foreclosures, Obama could push the two to reduce the principle on underwater mortgages.

A good bet that none of this happened at today's meeting.

I'll have to rely on Michigan Radio for a news report of what did happen.

Attendees from the White House were: Gene Sperling, director of the White House Economic Council, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of HUD Shaun Donovan, and Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx. That's some pretty impressive firepower. Detroit attendees were not listed, but probably included Orr and Bing and maybe even Snyder.

The White House bunch announced a $300 million grant (not a "bailout"!). $140 million of that is for public transportation, $30 million for crime reduction, $25 million for demolishing abandoned commercial buildings. The purpose of the rest of it was not listed.

The protest broke up around 11:30. I got lunch at a Mediterranean place at the other end of campus, then went home. I certainly got my walking in today and was tired enough that I didn't spend the beautiful afternoon on my bicycle.