At the time, I thought the old guy was a sour old cynic. Thirty years later, I would say that he was, sadly, a hard-headed realist.
Most of the time, the rich and powerful get their way. But not always. Sometimes, the system works. Maybe not as fast as it should or as efficiently as we would like. But sometimes it does work.
And yesterday was one of those times.
Some time ago, Manuel J. “Matty” Moroun, the billionaire who owns, among other things, the Ambassador Bridge between the United States and Canada, decided to seize part of a public park, Riverside Park in Detroit. He put up a fence to keep people out of part of it and tried to ban photography from the rest of it.
This was brought to the attention of the public by Joel Thurtell, a gutsy, civic-minded blogger who retired a few years ago after a long career as a reporter. Thurtell is an adventuresome man in his sixties whose book “Up the Rouge,“ about exploring that river by canoe was published this year.
A year ago, he revealed in his blog, www.joelontheroad.com, that Moroun had fenced off part of the park and put up bogus Homeland Security signs. When Thurtell began snapping pictures, he was threatened by a private guard with a shotgun.
The city of Detroit seemed astounded. Moroun claimed that a previous mayor gave him permission to seize part of the park. If so, city council never approved that. Then, something else became clear. Moroun wants to erect a second bridge next to the one he has now. Twinning the Ambassador Bridge is a controversial idea opposed by many in the U.S. and Canada. To do so, Moroun would need to take over Riverside Park.
The City of Detroit sued to get him to leave. Yesterday, a 36th District Court judge ruled in the city’s favor, and gave Moroun 90 days to vacate the park. State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents that part of Detroit, said this last night:
“Finally, justice has been served. The Ambassador Bridge Company stole a piece of our community and held it hostage for years. Riverside Park should be a healthy, vibrant community where families can gather and enjoy our city,” she said.
This doesn’t mean the decision won’t be appealed. But Mr. Moroun now has other problems. He is also in Federal Court trying to keep secret a safety inspection report on the Ambassador Bridge.
A great deal of trade between the United States and Canada moves across that bridge. Congressman John Dingell thinks Moroun’s request is outrageous, and that the thousands who pay to use the bridge are entitled to know what shape it’s in.
Whatever happens next, a retired guy armed only with a camera, a computer and the law, seems to be beating a billionaire accustomed to getting his own way.
And that pretty much has to make you smile.
Thanks for some sorely needed good news. Too bad Moroun's instinct for initiative is so lacking in those elected to lead Michigan in the public's interest.
Posted by: Jon | October 06, 2009 at 04:37 PM
Shallow victory and misdirected jollyand focus..The area needs economic development not the usual liberal whipping boy to make a worthless point...
Tlaib and her supporters can barely feed themselves yet they feel entitled to slay the evil dragon..
Truth is most people in that area do not pay attention to the glory hounds of the world like Tlaib..Many simply want to make a living..
Whenever the media starts to create fictional hero's like Tlaib( Please read Jack'earlier publicist style commentary on Tlaib Jack even played the Jewish/Arab card)something is amiss
Posted by: Thrasher | October 06, 2009 at 06:36 PM
Agreed, the area needs ec. dev., not a bridge to nowhere by a slumlord billionaire. Go troll somewhere else Thrasher.
Posted by: John Q. | October 07, 2009 at 11:00 PM
TROLL?? lol,lol,lol..interesting a troll calling me a TROLL..lol,lol,lol
Posted by: Thrasher | October 08, 2009 at 11:18 AM
troll seems like a good term to me.. after all you do live under a bridge.
Posted by: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1064196598 | October 30, 2009 at 11:32 PM