Nancy Kaffer of the Free Press asks a good question: Where are the normal, everyday, reasonable Detroiters at Detroit City Council meetings?
Especially for hot-button issues, like turning Belle Isle into a state park, she writes, the chambers are packed with an overflow crowd that's loud and combative. During public comments, speakers call down the wrath of God on council members, accuse them of collusion with state officials, of taking payoffs, of racism, and, in a committee session Thursday, of being "disciples of the anti-Christ" for considering a deal to lease Belle Isle to the state.
To call it a tough room is a bit of an understatement. But this is the environment in which Detroit City Council members are expected to vote for the level-headed reforms necessary to move the city forward.
The Belle Isle lease deal is a perfect example. It's supported by the majority of Detroiters, a survey last summer found, and most folks seem to understand that becoming a state park would actually improve the condition of the island.
But Thursday, during a council subcommittee meeting about the lease, the public comment session was heated, with dozens of attendees speaking out against the plan. Moderate voices in favor of the plan were nowhere to be heard.
