Cruise Woodward Avenue on the M1 in District 2 During Cruise Weekend Aug 12-Aug 16

by Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.

“Paying Homage to the Automobile from Highland Park to 8 Mile”

We are strongly encouraging all lovers of the Automobile to converge on Woodward Avenue from August 12th, 2015 until August 16^th, 2015 on Cruise Week along Woodward in Detroit and Highland Park.  Highland Park will be paying homage to the Automobile at the Old Ford Plant Site on Woodward Avenue. This site was the home of the plant that build Ford’s first car, the Model-T coupe. In Detroit the main event will be the Crusin the “D” event around Palmer Park.

1965 Dodge Challenger
Owner Name: Diamond

In the Main event, cruisers and City Vehicles such as Fire Trucks, Police Cars, form a big D loop around the Park on Woodward between 8 Mile and McNichols.   Last year Chief Craig headlined the Parade and the Detroit Fire Department, especially Engine 44 represented very well. This year will be even better because locations along Woodward between 8 and 6 Mile are available with permission of the property owners in advance.  Vendors and tables located at the intersection of Woodward and Goldengate will be there to greet cruisers on the road.  While you watch the Crusin the "D" you can eat some of the best Vegan food at the Golden Gate Cafe. Under the leadership of Gregory Reed, the Crusin the D event is a highlight of the District.  Currently we are waiting on approval from MDOT/State of Michigan to use the vacant State Fair Parking Lot for Cruise purposes. Talented people who love to build cars from scratch are strongly encouraged to participate in this event that pays homage to the City and Region that built a nation. 

For more information on the Cruise go to www.cruisinthed.com

If you are going to have a real regional transportation, going East and West is a priority. The eventual crossroad for the M1 and M102 Rail System is ground zero for the redevelopment of the neighborhood, including the Old State Fairgrounds. Eventual plans for the property are a new neighborhood, retail shopping, theater complex, and transportation center.  The transportation center will include a new stop for AMTRAK trains heading to Chicago. This station will replace the station on Woodward making AMTRAK people friendly and easy to park. Detroiters will not have to drive to Dearborn to catch the AMTRAK train.  To view the complete site plan for the Michigan State Fair, please visit Councilmember Pro Tem George Cushingberry Jr’s website by clicking here. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please call Councilmember Pro Tem Cushingberry's office at (313) 224-4535                                                                                                                              

A YES Vote for Riverside Park is a YES Vote for Detroit

by Richard Clement

"Mayor Duggan, Detroit City Council and The Moroun family push for peace on the Riverfront".

The vote to accept the land deal with the Morouns is a positive benefit to the Citizens of Detroit and Windsor Canada.  This investment trade off will give the City of Detroit an additional Boat Launch new playing field and a larger area to host neighborhood jazz concerts and other events.  The fishing is awesome at this location and to that effect investment in park infrastructure will increase opportunities for fishermen and fisherwomen.  This vote puts the Department of Natural Resources and the US National Park Service on notice that Detroit is ready to get to work right now instead of later. 

These two governmental agencies have known about the situation at the park for years. Both of them should not have any problem finding old paperwork to create an approval letter.  DNR’s objection to the vote is the kind of butt dragging bureaucracy that City of Detroit is eliminating from its vocabulary through; sound decision making and leadership by Mayor and City Council. The resulting development of the Park will create a new play field for Baseball and Soccer. On certain days, the river is full of people trying to catch fish and this will give the Michigan Department of Natural Resources opportunity to sell more fishing licenses

The Morouns have committed land and resources to make the park a viable park once again without the drama.  While the park issue is being resolved, the entrance ramp to the Bridge from W. Grand Boulevard and the Fisher Service Drive is suffering from poor road sign markings by the Michigan Department of Transportation. (View the Site)

Some of our American Citizens are forced to go across the Ambassador Bridge because they made a turn thinking that they were getting on the freeway.  No American leaving the park should be subjected to a full body strip search by the Canadian Border Security Agency and US Customs Agency for having “contraband” that is otherwise recognized as legal to have. To fix this situation we are strongly urging the Morouns to direct MDOT to place eye level signs at this Entrance with the Canadian Flag emphasizing that a driver will be leaving the Country if they turn, instead of the big green overhead sign that they have now. Some drivers have thought that this overhead sign is a part of the freeway and ignore it. Other driver's GPS units have told them to make a turn here to get on Interstate 75. This is a small fix from the State of Michigan that can easily resolved.

It is now time to get shovels into the ground and start getting to work on improving one of Detroit’s hidden assets on the Riverfront. The leadership of Detroit has clearly stated this is what we want for our citizens. All the Moroun haters out there will be happy once the Gordie Howe International Bridge is finally up and running. While truck traffic will decrease, personal car, bike and walking traffic will increase on the Ambassador Bridge.

(Request for Qualifications (RFQ) – Gordie Howe International Bridge Project)

Eventually, the old span has to be replaced by a new one. Before that new span is built, the old one has to stay open until the new one is completed. We anticipate that The Morouns will hire local labor because they want to come right to the City of Detroit after all of the conflict.  They have to live here like everyone else and we foresee a peaceful accord will be reached between the dissenters like Attorney Rashida Tilab and supporters like Malik Shabazz.  When this bridge of understanding is reached between the parties, there will be peace, profits, and prosperity on both sides of the Bridge for years to come.

Civil Asset Forfeiture Revenue and Marijuana Legalization by the Detroit Police Department

By Richard C. Clement

    In light of the recent raids on Medical Marijuana facilities in the City of Detroit this week, we asked Detroit Police Chief James Craig how much money does the Department make from Asset Forfeiture.  The Chief responded with a chart that shows over a 3 year period, the Department made $7.3 million dollars from taking assets under the Civil Forfeiture programs. The breakdown is as follows:

Year	Federal	State	Local	Total
2012	$   451,542.05	$   7,394.00	$2,224,477.40	$2,683,413.45
2013	$   410,168.87	$           -	$1,938,511.05	$2,348,679.92
2014	$   348,461.79	$ 36,254.07	$1,882,748.57	$2,267,464.43
Totals	$1,210,172.71	$ 43,648.07	$6,045,737.02	$7,299,557.80

The figure shows that there needs to be a redirection of assets so that Marijuana based businesses and, the policy on Civil Asset forfeiture needs some serious re-direction of funds toward expenses like retiree pensions and healthcare.  This is a large amount of money to make from taking someone’s money and property for Marijuana possession and, never charging the person for the crime in a court of law.

People on the receiving end of this lose everything seized to the agency who made the initial contact if; the person does not contest the seizure in 10 days. After 10 days, the money or asset(s) that was taken from a home or person during a police raid is kept by the arresting agency and sold for profit. The raid on the facility at Puritan and Hubbell on July 14th, 2015 is a prime example of this type of asset forfeiture abuse by law enforcement.  On Puritan there are 7 churches that are within 3000 feet of the school.  City wide, there are numerous hair shops and churches that are across the street from each other.

This un-even enforcement of the Marijuana Laws creates an incentive for police agencies to conduct raids as a profit center for the Department instead of the protection of the citizens.

The only way this will stop is if you show up to vote and elect people who want to make this type of change.   You can also direct change through a ballot initiative that will take 2000 signatures from registered voters in the City of Detroit.  Or you can force change by signing the legalization petition hosted by www.milegalize.com to fully decriminalize and stop the War on Weed.  The revenue from legal Marijuana sales will make more money than the Water and Sewage system maintained by the Great Lakes Water Authority.

We have more people in new jails with no pot holes in their walls and, at the same time we have horrible roads, declining education opportunities and, retirees that have dwindling pension benefits. Participation in the MI Legalize www.milegalize.com  effort will address these problems.  We are expecting much better out of our elected leadership because, the War on Weed in the City of Detroit and the State of Michigan is a complete failure and, a waste of law enforcement resources. 

Finally if the Detroit Branch and the Michigan State Conference of the NAACP can honor Kid Rock, then they are morally obligated to support decriminalization of Marijuana use because of the impact on the community especially citizens of color. 

Solutions to Water Operating Expenses and Rates - Public Meeting July 7 & 8 2015 - City Hall

by Richard Clement

DWSD Master Plan for Detroit

Meetings regarding Detroit's water rates will be held on July 8^th and 9^th at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on the 13^th floor.   Time will be 2pm Wednesday and TBA on Thursday. While addressing the budget shortfall regarding the water rates, other alternatives and construction projects needed that will improve the public good will be discussed. Suggestions like turning liquid waste water into drinking water and creating fertilizer from solid waste products are some ideas that will offset the expenses of providing clean water. Cities in Michigan like Lansing Michigan has a sewer/rain water separation project that has cleaned up the environment. (Lansing Michigan CSO sewage separation project)

Examples are Cities like Milwaukee Wisconsin that create a  fertilizer project by the name of Milogranite (Wiki Definition)  that they sell at the local Home Depot,  and other hardware stores.

Cash from Sewer Waste: Milwaukee's Best! www.milogranite.com 

If we can have water filtration systems in the Space Station for Astronauts, we can use this same technology in Detroit.  There is a company in Israel that has a process of converting water from air (click here to see water from air).  Otherwise, they convert their liquid waste into water because they live in a desert that is not near a fresh water source like the Great Lakes. (click here to see water created from waste) The Great Lakes has 40% of the worlds fresh water and people in Texas and California would love to build a pipeline to Michigan to use it.

Water is an issue so much that the old Johnson Recreation Center in Detroit MI has to be rebuilt because of the 1950’s plumbing inside of it that cost the City of Detroit one million dollars a month to operate.

Therefore, If you want your voice to be heard, stay tuned to Council member Pro Tem Cushingberry, and the Detroit City Council for more information or watch City Council live stream on Demand (Click Here to watch City of Detroit TV)

Thursday Night Funk at Paradise Valley Every Thursday in July of 2015.

Kick off Thursday Night Funk at Paradise Valley Every Thursday in July, 2015.

Paradise Valley 1426 Randolph Detroit MI 48226

by Richard Clement

Starting July 2nd with Bass Master Edward T-Money Green, Paradise Valley will be rocking with funk masters from the Parliament Mother-ship.

(Click Here to listen to T-Money Green Bring the Funk in Detroit's Paradise Valley)

Stars like Lonnie Motley, Mikey Adkins, BB Queen will be some of the entertainers that will provide a funk filled Thursday Evening from 6 to 8 pm.

Location for the Funk Event 1426 Randolph Detroit MI, 48226

So program your GPS units in your smartphone with this address to get right to the funk of it. Bring your own lawn chairs, and liquids to enjoy the evening and listen to some music before you go see the Tigers play baseball at Comerica Park.

Michigan Attorney Discipline Board Dismisses Charges against Attorney George Cushingberry Jr.

by The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.

    In a unanimous ruling on June 15, the Michigan Attorney Discipline board has administratively dismissed the charges against Attorney George Cushingberry Jr. for practicing law without a license. The hearing date was arbitrarily cancelled by the board. The panel ruled that the charges brought by M.L. Elrick lacked merit, was frivolous and not worthy of further discipline or discussion. This ruling dismisses the allegations made by Fox 2 Detroit reporter M.L. Elrick and Michigan Chronicle Editor Bankole Thompson.

Quoting University of Detroit Law Professor Larry Durbin and the Michigan Chronicle's Bankole Thompson:

LARRY DUBIN: You can't put yourself in a position where you can meet potential clients, which means have a telephone that lists you as a lawyer where people can call you; be on a website where people can fill out a form and indicate that they want your services as a lawyer; all of that is prohibited completely. Anything on a computer that would hold that suspended lawyer as a lawyer, or as a practicing lawyer or invite potential clients to contact that suspended lawyer would be improper. 'Michigan Chronicle' Editor Bankole Thompson says Cushingberry's apparent disregard for the rules sends the wrong message.

( Watch The full Fox 2 Detroit News Story)

Larry Dubin’s statement of fact was ruled irrelevant and did not fit the case by the Attorney Grievance Commission because Mr. Cushingberry had evidence that he never practiced law during the suspension.  The panel also found that Attorney Cushingberry did not own the domain name and was not responsible for its content. It is a given fact that 98% of legal professionals are not tech savvy and, rely on assistance from Technology experts who are highly skilled in the tools of the trade. C-systems Technology Group www.csystemstechgroup.com is solely responsible for the maintenance, development and content of the site.

The owner of the domain www.cushingberrylaw.com was able to demonstrate that Attorney Cushingberry is not taking any clients during the suspension and, his databases cannot produce any evidence of ANY client or potential client interaction requesting his legal services. As far as the Michigan Chronicle goes, the last thing we need is an African American newspaper supporting and reporting news events that are later proven to be intentionally false and misleading bits of information.

It is also a fact that this is a troubling pattern by media outlets to usurp the will of the voters by attempting to remove elected African American officials from office by promoting false and misleading news stories. The Councilman is demanding that ML Elrick and Bankole Thompson issue an immediate retraction of this “story”. The councilman suggest that these two would be better off investigating the contractors who poured the concrete on the Highways and Roads in Michigan for the past 10 years with shoddy concrete and construction materials.  

Until this happens, the No Elrick-Thompson zone will remain in full effect until further notice.

Money Management with Melody! 2015 Mackinaw Policy Conference

By Richard C. Clement

US Rep Harold Ford and Melody Hobson

One of the Benefits of attending the conference is listening to speakers who have the best interests of the citizens regarding finance. Melody Hobson gave a 30 minute presentation regarding how to instill the benefit of money management to future generations of youth. Through her company Ariel Investments LLC she outlined the progress of .her Company targeting under served communities in Chicago.  Training young students on the value of money and how to manage it is a "No Brain-er" and when given the opportunity to succeed they will. A brief snippet from their website www.arielinvestments.com describes and defines the mission and purpose of Ariel:

Through former Mayor Daley’s New School Initiative Program, Ariel was awarded a corporate sponsorship of a Chicago public school in 1996. Hence, the birth of Ariel Community Academy – a public school located on the south side of Chicago. Currently, Ariel Community Academy (ACA) offers classes from kindergarten through eighth grade serving 518 students and their families. Ninety-eight percent of the student body is African-American and over 85 percent of the students receive subsidized lunches. ACA chose to target the North Kenwood neighborhood precisely because it was one of the most under served communities in Chicago. Today, the neighborhood is more vibrant, and ACA is a center for community and family life. ACA's impact extends well beyond the building itself, creating higher academic standards and achievements through a unique corporate-family-school partnership. In short, the vision remains to create a model community school — where the doors are always open; where teachers, parents and members of the community work in partnership to provide world-class educational opportunities and where financial literacy is not just taught but practiced.

Programs like this can easily be set up in any School with an investment of time, money, and resources. Students as young as 8 years old can be trained to manage small portfolios and investments with the proper support and supervision. With the computing power of these smart phones and tablets, students can manipulate their transactions do well. Councilmember Pro-Tem Cushingberry is actively supporting programs like this in Public and Charter schools. 

Financial literacy is the second most important thing besides learning how to read. When these two are worked properly together, you will have given a child a foundation to keep a roof over their head. When that child grows to be an adult, they will have enough of a base of knowledge that one day, they will be able to manage a pension fund for health care that will be fair to the membership.

Community Resource Job Fair May 2015 declared a huge success

By Richard Clement


"There is nothing better to fix poverty and Detroit than a full time well paying job..."
- Mayor Coleman S. Young _

The Community Resource fair held on May 14th, 2015 was a smashing success. Over 750 people attended the fair meeting employers and leaving resumes with them. By 8:30am a large line had formed from the entrance door to outside the building wanting to work. Olympia Entertainment Company and The District Detroit were two of many companies who were there to look for employees.

 There were numerous Trade Unions showing opportunities to get into apprentice programs for sheet metal, bricklayers, and electricians. 

Financial Institutions like, Best Bank and CTBU Credit Unions were there to help people open up savings accounts for people who did not have one. A big congratulations goes out to Cleo Wiley for organizing and coordinating the event.  Councilmember Pro-Tem Cushingberry is committed to the employment of Detroit residents who want a job, need a job, and are willing to work.

Carnival Barking and Paperwork Issues while in Office #DetroitLivesMatter

By Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.

Since taking office, these old laptops
have been removed from all
DFD Units and replaced with
hand held units

Since being a council member, Mr. Cushingberry does not have the time to put into law while serving the citizens of our great city making things happen. An example is: since taking office, the Detroit Fire Departments technology has been massively upgraded with a WORKING mapping system that helps firefighters get to emergencies much faster and accurately. This move saved the department lots of money by redirecting funds from a non-working CODE RED computer system, to a hand held working Google Mapping App for each firehouse.  This app has a future so that the app can fit on every firefighter’s cell phone if needed.

Councilman Cushingberry and colleagues have awarded over $55,000 in grants to the DFD for equipment and spurring a hiring frenzy of new Firefighters, EMTs, and Detroit Police Officers to protect the people. These young men and women help carry on the legacy of the Motor City by protecting it as a good place to work, live and party. As we speak, City of Detroit computer systems are being upgraded from Win 3.1, Win 2000, Win XP,  to the latest MS Windows software and HP hardware to bring the City's technology into the 21 Century.

Councilman Cushingberry and his colleagues are working to get City of Detroit uniformed employees (Police and Fire) the same 2.5 percent adjustment awarded to all non-uniformed employees including the Council by the Compensation Commission in July 2016.  Detroit retirees are encouraged to investigate the use of the Voluntary Employee Benefit Agreement to their advantage. When manipulated properly by the members, retirees will re-gain the losses by re-negotiating deductibles and co-pays using the Affordable Care Act.

Please be reminded that Mr. Cushingberry has more credibility as a suspended lawyer than some journalists on Fox 2 and, the Michigan Chronicle have as employees.  As a lawyer Mr. Cushingberry has processed over 1000 cases in his career.  To our count Elrick has found four of them.  We know he had to get through all of them to find these four anomalies.  Regarding the widow issue with the car, Mr. Cushingberry, Swanson Funeral Home, and another agency were successful in dismissing the lawsuit filed by the widow for $20 million dollars a piece in damages.   On Elrick’s star witness Debra Goodner, she still has not produced a receipt for a retainer fee and, we are not holding our breath waiting.

Currently there are 87 people on the same list that ML Elrick accessed from the State of Michigan website. (click here to read the list of "sinners") The list includes Peter Hokesra for Governor and the late Rev. Michael Murphy.  Since most of them did not win or died, they just quit filing.  Mr. Cushingberry has since filed his report and this list will be amended to show that he had less than $50.00 owed for the 2010 Senate campaign.

While serving as a State Representative, Mr. Cushingberry was accused of the same thing in 2008 by then Attorney General Mike Cox when he was appointed the appropriations chairman of the House of Representatives. This case went to trial and, the councilman was victorious in proving that the charges were nothing but harassment and a backhanded attempt to remove him from the appropriations chairmanship.  In that position, Mr. Cushingberry was responsible for the budget of 21 State Departments and left it balanced when his term was limited.

We also want to remind the Nolan Finleys and the Bankole Thompsons of the world that our young people are carrying cell phones that have more computing power than all of the NASA spacecraft that went to the moon and back in the 60’s. They are very talented and with training can do ANY job that is offered to them. If these companies don’t want to hire them they will get the training elsewhere, come back and do a better job than the company that did not want to hire them in the first place. All we ask is that they use those smartphones for doing their research and homework in the process of getting their education. 

Finally we want to salute the young men and women of the Detroit Public School system who recently won a prize for building solar heating and electrical panels.  We know that this is our future and ticket to prosperity in the City of Detroit and, if you are in a business that uses a lot of electricity, then you may want to consider hiring one or many of them.  That’s if they don’t become entrepreneurs and open their own business.   Some of them may study journalism and learn how to report facts instead of, creating fiction from fact to sustain a theater act.

Community Leaders meet to regulate Medical Marijuana businesses in the City of Detroit

by Richard C. Clement

"600 Million Dollars a year in taxable revenue from Marijuana" - Harry Smith CNBC

Led by Winfred Blackmon and Marcus Cummings, the Metro Detroit Community Action Coalition is attempting to develop an ordinance to reduce the number of Marijuana related business in the City of Detroit. After further review of their proposal, the group’s attempt is to shut them down and/or severely restrict their growth through the use of the Building Safety, Detroit Fire Department Fire Marshals, and other zoning restrictions that have been deemed illegal by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Developing a Marijuana regulation ordinance based on the theory rooted in the ideology of the late Harry Jacob Anslinger (May 20, 1892 – November 14, 1975) is to re-affirm the failed ideology of prohibition with racism. Anslinger was a United States government official who served as the first commissioner of the U.S. Treasury Department's Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). He was a staunch supporter of prohibition and responsible for declaring Marijuana a Schedule I drug like heroin with no medical value. He was an avowed racist that described Marijuana as a drug that makes Negros attack White Women. He along with FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover sincerely believed this until they died. This mindset was carried on by President Nixon and John Ashcroft who authorized the shooting of two activists by the FBI and Michigan State Police at the Rainbow Farms camp in Vandalia Michigan in 2001. (click here for the story of Rainbow Farms)

In 2015, interviews with high ranking Detroit Police Department officials and neighborhood police officers reveal that DPD has not had a police call for trouble at ANY of the identified places of business by this group.  If places are getting raided, it is because they are doing something more than dealing with Medical Marijuana like gambling and vice. Otherwise these places of business in the district are operating within the law by permission.  This addresses the safety of the neighborhoods issue because if the Detroit Police are not having any incidents of trouble, then where is the danger?

The growth of these business are a reflection of a trend toward decriminalization of Marijuana by Federal, State and Local leaders who see the war on Marijuana as a total failure and agree that something has to change. The war on weed has a disparate impact upon our diverse community and, only serves to keep the economy of the for profit correction system in the black. Mayors like Virg Benero of Lansing and Jan Parisi of Hazel Park have come out of the closet to support decriminalization. This is because they are listening to the people and they are saying loudly and clearly that we want these businesses to patronize.

For this group to use the Detroit Zoning Board, Detroit Police, Detroit Fire, and Building Safety Departments to fight a losing proxy war against Marijuana is a sure loser and a waste of tax dollars. The Detroit Fire Department marshal wants safe entry, exit with no capacity overloads and, fire extinguishers in these facilities, just like any other business. Building Safety wants a code compliant building and, the Detroit Police want to keep the peace.  People who use Marijuana are not violent when they only use Marijuana. They get plenty hungry and that could help sales of food in the community.

The last thing the City of Detroit needs is a 1920 style of the Temperance movement who created alcohol prohibition and you see where this got us as a nation. If we can allow Hookah Bars, Cigar Bars, then what is the problem with a “weed bar”?  Given that Detroit retirees need to have their pensions protected and respected with decent health care coverage, the time may be coming so that retirees can have their Medical Marijuana covered to lower their health costs.

Using the rules of the Voluntary Employee Benefit Agreement (VEBA), the members can vote to make this happen with funds from the sale of legal marijuana to help the pension funds for Police, Fire, and General Employees get financially sound.

We cannot go back to the time where we had people like Marc Emery, a citizen of Canada extradited to the United States to serve 5 years of Federal time in Mississippi for the act of selling marijuana seeds. While Colorado makes $2.5 million dollars a month from legal Marijuana sales for schools, we can do better when we use the Cannabis plant for manufacturing products like cars, homes, fuel, fabric, and 20,000 other uses. Most of the corrections system is full of prisoners for small drug crimes.  We hope that before President Obama leaves office, he will issue a complete pardon to immediately remove these prisoners from incarceration.

Finally we hope that the next President continues the policy on a path of saneness to correct this injustice from the grave of Harry Anslinger in 1939.

Transportation Magic on 8 Mile and Woodward creating a new neighborhood in Detroit

by Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.

The Magic Johnson LLC Plus Group Plan for the Fairgrounds (Click Here First, Then Right Click and Rotate Clockwise)

By clicking on this link, you will have a documented plan for the old Michigan State Fairgrounds from the Land Bank Authority.  This presentation will give you the actual 411 for the 157 acre location in Northwest Detroit. I along with the rest of my council members want you to have the actual plan for your records. The Magic Plus LLC group is strongly committed to hiring, training, and educating Detroit residents and like-minded citizens to improve the quality of life in our city. Councilmember Cushingberry is working with State and Federal agencies to construct a new AMTRAK station as an addition to the Magic Plus effort to redevelop the land.  

Future plans include the extension of the M1 rail line to 8 mile road and, construction of an east and west connection with the development of a M102 rail line going all the way from Lake St. Clair and points west to Livonia, Novi, and Wixom. It is high time for a regional rail system and places like the State Fair property and the old Northland Shopping center will make great hubs for regional transportation. This project will create 3 to 4 times more jobs than the current Meijer/Gateway project and, bring untold revenue to the County and City. Whereas we do not support the META group’s plan for the fairgrounds because it is rife with duplication of the Magic Plus group and does not serve the best interest of the City. 

Mayor Coleman Young always felt that the best thing for the City is working at a well-paying job with the City Services to match. Now that City employees and retirees can purchase property at %50 less than others, we want to encourage the re-investment by carrying it forward. Group purchase of homes on a block and people in them working in our Schools, Firehouses, and Police Precincts will contribute to the renaissance of Detroit.

Rapid Transit on Grand River and Gratiot will enhance the region’s growth and two bridges on the Detroit River will only add to the mix. Suggesting that a passenger light rail track be built on the old or new Ambassador Bridge may be a peace offering to settle the dispute with Mr. Maroun and everyone. Connection with DDOT and, VIA is a strong possibility if the details can be worked out. In the end it is time to stop bickering and start putting shovels in the ground to create jobs and prosperity for everyone to get the job done.

State Fair Property Blight Removal Project in District 2 Magic Plus LLC/REDICO and the Land Bank Authority

By Richard C. Clement

Meet the Developers of the old Michigan State Fairgrounds Land and the Detroit Land Bank Authority to view the plans to turn the area into a retail and transportation hub for rail and bus transportation. The plans also call for a new residential neighborhood and, educational complex that will serve the entire region. Make sure to get there so that you can be a witness to progress.

Magic Plus LLC/Redico group is committed to hiring and training people who live in the community to achieve a better quality of life. Council member Pro Tem Cushingberry supports this project as it will be a major job and revenue creating enhancement for District 2, the City of Detroit and, the Tri-County region of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties. The plans call for an Amtrak station with service to Ann Arbor all the way to Chicago.  The completion of this project will eventually spread development all the way between 8 Mile Road to Mc Nichols, between Woodward Avenue and John R. For more information please attend this meeting:

Wed. March 18th 6-8:30 pm

Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority / Fairgrounds

Cadillac Place (old GM HQ)

3022 West Grand Blvd (room 150)

Detroit, MI  48202

The team of Redico, Beatty, Ferguson and Johnson are fully committed to the future of Detroit’s growth. Between Dan Gilbert and Roger Penske, these gentlemen will work together to make a great city. To stay updated with the progress of this project please click here. Otherwise If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to call  Councilmember Pro Tem at his office (313) 224-4535 or cushingberryg@detroitmi.gov

The Question is: Is George Cushingberry Jr. Practicing Law right now?

By The Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.

“Getting by with a little help from his friends”- John Lennon

Q: Is George Cushingberry Jr. practicing law?

A: NO.

           George Cushingberry Jr. is not practicing law at this time. He does not own the website domains as it is maintained by Friends of George Cushingberry  Jr. who always remembered the struggle that he took to get his law license.  The numerous amount of clients that he has successfully fought for and won, the community work he has performed as a lawyer, teacher, and pastor strongly outweigh the side show of ineptitude that a news network wants to portray. People who contact the websites are referred to an active lawyer/associate who can handle their case.

The U of D law professor, Larry Durbin (Fox 2 News) was right if, Mr. Cushingberry has ownership the domains. Given the fact that 98% of lawyers are not tech savvy, the probability that Mr. Cushingberry maintained the websites is extremely low. All good law firms have excellent technical consultants who bail them out when their computers crash and need help.

The appearance of Debora Goodner in the television report is a false and misleading piece of information by Fox 2 reporter ML Elrick.. 

Elrick statement:  “Cushingberry's license was suspended again this year, after Debora Goodner complained that he took her case, then blew her off.” 
DEBORA GOODNER: He says Ms. Goodner, I promise you I'm going to get that money to you soon. I never heard a word from him. “

Fact Check:

Debora Goodner was never a client of Attorney George Cushignberry Jr.  Ms. Goodner only spoke to Mr. Cushingberry twice over the phone and never retained him as an attorney.

With the current situation, Mr. Cushingberry has more time on his hands now to handle the detailed matters of the City of Detroit as the City emerges from the bankruptcy.  Regarding the pay adjustment for Detroit City Council Members, if there is any group of employees who deserve a raise it is the Detroit City Council under the leadership of President Brenda Jones. The City has elected a group of Council members who are delivering what the people want, despite their differences.

Everything is being managed in a most professional way by the council and, the communication with Mayor Duggan is excellent. City leadership is closely working together to make the City of Detroit right for its citizens, including restoring some of the cuts with claw back provisions in the pension to retirees health care costs an cost of living changes. Forcing senior citizens back to working a 5 day, 8 to 5 job after 30+ years for our city is outrageous and disrespectful. It is time to restore the promises and benefits back to our City retirees with a fair and equitable claw back. Future plans for our city include Re-developing City Airport for commercial use, and restoring neighborhoods through teamwork.

Finally, the license suspension is under appeal at this time and, Mr. Cushingberry is confident that he will have it back by the end of the year. When he gets his license back, he will not be taking cases as much because he will have to spend more time Working for you in District 2 promoting, reading, writing literacy,  math and, technology in our schools to our babies.

Please don’t feed the trolls.

Friends of George Cushingberry Jr.

www.cushforcitycouncil.com

Coming January 2016 Changes in Processing Income Tax Returns will lead to increased revenue for Detroit

by Richard C. Clement

Beginning January 1, 2016, an agreement between the City of Detroit and the Michigan Department of the Treasury will allow city residents to e-file their City of Detroit tax return as a part of their State Tax return. The combined e-filing of the State and City return will benefit City Taxpayers by,

1.       Improving the accuracy of the return
2.       Providing Faster Refunds
3.       Increasing taxpayer options as more software developers support a city return
4.       Allowing access to Treasury’s online services to confirm receipt of the return and the date the refund is issued.

This change will allow you or, your representative to file for a return online and get a refund much faster than you do now.  The City will be able to monitor funds and collect taxes from people who do not file local returns that work in the city. If a paper return is sent to the City, they will be manually entered into the Treasury Computer also.  All paper returns files will be scanned into an image and, the paper copy destroyed. If you owe the State of Michigan and due a refund from the City, by law your City refund cannot be seized.

The Information Technology function of the City Detroit will be re-distributed from data entry to visual monitoring of reports and daily cash flow in real time.  The City of Detroit will have a Tax fund set aside to cover the refunds being issues that will be funded by daily collections of City Taxes throughout the year.  With software upgrades, taxpayers statewide will see a reduction in the number of forms filed to get a local refund as software modules are developed for additional cities.

Interview with Judge Paula Humphries - Candidate for Detroit City Council

By.  Richard Clement

On a stop by the office, I had time for a short interview with Judge Humpries candidate for City Council seat vacated by Saunteel Jenkins.  I asked her what makes you stand out as a candidate for the job, she responded and I summarized it as follows:

She is passionate for the neighborhoods and the need for the same compassion that Downtown/Midtown is getting in their redevelopment. She is also willing to work as a team member with other council members for the good of the community.  Understands the inner workings of City Government with her training and legal background. Can look at situations with an open mind regardless of the status of who is bringing the message. Her word is her bond and that people elected her 5 times as a Wayne County District Court Judge is evidence of her character. With 27 years of military experience in the United States Army her background, passion, and dedication to the residents in the City will make her a true asset to the City Council as a member.

I said thank you for your time, good luck to you, and thanks for stopping by District 2. In order to be selected, a candidate must get 5 votes from an existing council member. Good luck to all of them and the person selected will get the office between Council-members Cushingberry and Spivey.

Lower Your City of Detroit Property Taxes - Assessment Review Dates 2015

by Richard C. Clement

The City of Detroit Property Assessment Division will take request for an appeal of property values ONLY from Feb 1-15, 2015. If you feel that the value of your property is not accurate, please request an appeal, which can help reduce your property taxes. The Board of Assessors will review your request. Please contact the Board of Assessor’s Office directly at (313) 224-3011 for more information.

Board of Assessors Review	Assessment rolls are open for inspection February 1 - 15. An appeal of property values must be made during this time.
Board of Review(requires appeal to Board of Assessors Review)	Begins on the Tuesday following the first Monday in March.

Board of Review (requires appeal to Board of Assessors Review)

·       Begins the Tuesday following the first Monday in March and ends the first Monday in April.

      Homestead Exemption Affidavits must be filed by May 1 each year.

·        Property Transfer Affidavits must be filed by the new homeowner with the City where the property is located within 45 days of the transfer. If it is not filed timely, a penalty of $5 per day (maximum $200) applies. 

Personal Property Statements must be filed not later than February 20.

Neighborhood Enterprise Zone Homestead Applications can be filed from April 1 till October 1st.

      Renaissance Zone Applications deadline is October 1. 

Michigan Tax Tribunal	Appeals must be filed by July 31 for Residential Property (requires appeal to Board of Review) May 31 for Industrial and Commercial Real and Personal Property (Does not require appeal to Board of Review)
July Board of Review	Tuesday following the third Monday in July
December Board of Review	Tuesday following the second Monday in December

Protecting the Retired after Bankruptcy with the Membership

By Richard C. Clement


Question:

What should Members do to protect their pensions from being exploited?

Answer:

Be sure to monitor board proceedings and monthly statements regarding money management, and health care regarding the clawback feature of your benefits. As a part of the bankruptcy settlement, all that was taken from the retirees will be restored once the balance sheet shows a profit. All Americans must have health care as required by law. Therefore with the clawback feature of the Voluntary Employee Benefits Agreement (VEBA), retirees can ask for things like lower monthly premiums on their Affordable Care Act health insurance, $5.00 flat rate co-pay or, other incentives decided upon by the membership. 

To make this work, you must also go to meetings and participate. If you are not able to attend, you may want to consider having an advocate group or someone who has the time to monitor the accounting on the behalf of the groups. This would fully protect the Police and Fire Fighters who do not pay into Social Security and, General Retirees who do pay into Social Security and got screwed also. Therefore we must think outside the box and, in some cases just totally forget a box and think like a ball.

What is clawback?

One proposal is to use the clawback feature of the VEBA to look at alternative funding for City retirees health care and cost of living changes beyond their control.  With the language of Michigan Senate Bills 4271, 5104, 5439, and 5440, revenue from Provisioning Centers, Safe Testing Facilities and Industrial Hemp development (click here to see a hempcrete home) can be approved to fund retiree health care costs.  States like Colorado and Washington have generated over $300+ million dollars in revenue from Marijuana sales and agricultural Industrial Hemp development.

Products like concrete for bricks and drywall will help build homes and business from Industrial Hemp or the Male Cannabis plant. An investment into new construction projects like redesigning and reopening City Airport for Commercial air traffic is a proposal that will help generate revenue in the form of new business and blight elimination.  Trade schools encouraging public service jobs for youth and people in general who want a trade, job, or career is a sound investment in the future with pension funds. Why? because you need new business and skilled people to pay into the fund and, that requires knowledge and a well-paying job.  The late Mayor Coleman Young once said that solution to progress in Detroit is a well-paying job with a living wage.  This business plan worked for Henry Ford and, now we have to work a new plan for the City of Detroit.

With the recent federal convictions of prior pension board managers, we feel that the eyes of pension participants is of the utmost importance. Councilmember Pro-Tem Cushingberry Jr. welcomes the FBI, GAO, M.L. Elrick, Sharon Epperson, and anyone else who want to inspect the books of the City of Detroit regarding investments and money management. The retirees will never ever have to put up with this again without their knowledge. In other words the City of Detroit is welcoming you to look at the books and, one day it will be online in real time. With liberty and financial justice for all.

Stay tuned.