Re-energizing a new Detroit on the land that was known as the Michigan State Fair.

By Hardcore Detroit,

               A coalition of community groups and developers have different visions on what should be put on the land that once occupied the Michigan State Fair.  At the time of this writing, there are two groups that are vying for the rights to redevelop the land. The first group Magic Plus LLC, led by Magic Johnson and Marvin Beatty would include a shopping mall and a new Amtrak station among other things. The second group Michigan Energy Technology Agriculture (META) Group wants to place more homes and office buildings on the same land.

               These are the issues being discussed with the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority and developers to revitalize the land between 7 and 8 Mile road, between Woodward and John R. Currently, this area is a tragic outgrowth of what happened during the foreclosure crisis with streets full of abandoned homes. Some of the homes were absolutely gorgeous and structurally sound, only to be turned into slums by the banks that let them get looted for pipes, water tanks, and other home fixtures.

               Omni-directional transportation is a must in the city.  While focusing on north and south issues in Detroit, there is an east and west issue too.  The mile roads in Detroit deserve the same respect as Woodward Avenue in regards to transportation.  If there is going to be a light rail system, let it run up and down Gratiot and Grand River.  This would also include east and west rail from places like Fairlane all the way east to the Eastland Mall property for instance.  Everyone does not live close to 8 mile and this would be a solution for getting to destinations from the east and west. 

Both plans include a new AMTRAK Train station. The current AMTRAK station on Woodward and Milwaukee is too small and lacks the parking needed to serve customers. People are currently going to Dearborn to get on the train because of the condition of the station, parking, and not having to climb the stairs to get to a train.  By putting an AMTRAK Station at the fairgrounds, this would be a complete transportation hub for busses and, a people mover type of light rail system in the City of Detroit and surrounding areas. AMTRAK connections to  Chicago, Flint, Pontiac and beyond will be greatly enhanced with the new Amtrak station.

META Technology Group has a YouTube video presentation regarding their plan to re-develop the area(click here to view video). As of this writing, Magic Plus LLC does not have a video presentation available to view to show their plan.  Otherwise the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track authority is taking public and written comment on the State Fair property. You can contact them at landbank@michigan.gov or by calling (517) 335-8212. Either way you choose, the future of Detroit is looking very promising.

Elect George Cushingberry Jr. to Detroit City Council in 2013? - A question to my friends..

Dear Friends,

An exploratory committee has been formed by concerned citizens of Northwest Detroit regarding the election of our friend George Cushingberry Jr as a member of the Detroit City Council, representing District #2 in 2013.  Our friend George has been a longtime supporter of the City and it's people.  If elected to City Council he promises to restore the roar of the City by investing in it's assets. 

Air Force 3 parked at Coleman Young International 

The Coleman Young International Airport (formerly known as City Airport) will be enhanced and upgraded  with enhanced runways to handle commercial, private and, corporate aircraft for quick access to downtown locations and events.  A new international passenger terminal with the Red Tail lounge named in honor of the Tuskegee Airmen and Mayor Young, will welcome passengers and guests to the city as they wait for their bags, transportation, or flights.



Mr Cushingberry is totally disgusted with the home situation in the city also.  Revitalizing neighborhoods with lighting and materials to restore or build new property is a must. Consumer friendly bankers who really want to re-invest into the community are essential for the financial protection of  residents.  Programs to train interested youth and adults how to become home construction builders and inspectors will create opportunities for all.

Given the overwhelming support of marijuana decriminalization in the City of Detroit, Mr. Cushingberry is willing to look into urban farming and manufacturing opportunities with the cannabis plant.  This is an old idea that was once created by Mayor Coleman S. Young. Mayor Young used recreation centers as neighborhood hubs of activity. There are over 25,000 products that can be made from the male cannabis plant. Manufacturing jobs are the ticket to economic stability. By creating manufacturing jobs with cannabis products, the City of Detroit unemployment numbers would drop from 2 to 5 full percentage points. As a side note to legalization, the annual firing of guns on New Years Day activity subsided noticeably in 2013.

Belle-Isle will remain an asset of the City of Detroit with Detroit residents given preference points of up to %100 to be hired for any State of Michigan job contracted to island services.   Bell Isle must be upgraded and treated with respect from the people who faithfully use the island's beauty to relax and rewind from the stress of the daily grind. Therefore Mr. Cushingberry believes that funding for maintenance and development can be created from agriculture research and bio product manufacturing..

If you are concerned about the direction and the future of the City of Detroit, we encourage you to let George know by casting your vote in our online poll.



Sincerely,
The Exploratory Committee to Elect George Cushingberry Jr. to Detroit City Council

Help a Lame Duck walk straight in Lansing Michigan in 2012.

Two Bills SB 321 and HB 4834 - designed to dismantle and sabotage the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act of 2008

Engaging the Michigan Senate in 2012

These are two bills that can be modified to the benefit of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program. House Bill 4834 can have language added that will bring the program to the 21st Century regarding customer service. Program participants will be able to use the Department of Licensing and Regulations’ website to enroll, make caregiver changes, and certify patients. No more filling out of paper applications and compatible with your I pad.


Senate Bill 321 - 420 Analysis:
 
This is a request from my patients who want the following changes to the upcoming bills for the common good. First, please remove the following lines from page 3 of Senate Bill 321 as it discriminates against an entire class of Michigan Citizens.

16 (B) AN INSURER SHALL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR

17 THE MEDICAL USE OF MARIHUANA OR FOR EXPENSES RELATED TO THE MEDICAL

18 USE OF MARIHUANA 

Michigan is the only state that gives Drug Companies immunity to manufacture and distribute products that are faulty without fear or prosecution in a court of law. Insurance companies should not be able to dictate to people how to defy and break State and local laws voted on and supported by your constituents who are their customers. States rights and discrimination are two issues supported by the Attorney General with great passion. This is truly a States’ Rights and discrimination issue because medical marijuana patients need protection from employers and insurers from being treated like second class citizens. We need an affirmative action from the Office of Attorney General to end and prevent discrimination against the Civil Rights of law-abiding citizens who choose to use Marijuana as their medicine.

HB 4834 – Amend to add a patient photograph on the Michigan Medical Marijuana Card. 420 Analysis

How is it that the State of Arizona has pictures on their Medical Marijuana cards in less than one year and the State of Michigan is giving excuse after excuse on why we CAN’T do same the job?
Michigan was long before Arizona in Medical Marijuana reform and they have pictures on their cards already. Click Here to See the State of Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Program Information.
An Arizona resident can use their card to cash checks at a bank because it is a valid government ID similar to a Drivers License. Not bad for a State that voted for Mitt Romney.

We can do better in Michigan by adding the entire registration process to Dept. Of L.A.R.A.'s website so that citizens can apply and pay for their registration online. Do we not have the talent to do this? All of these people passed a drug test? Come on man! We spend massive amounts of money in State Government on Information Technology Services and if this is the best we can do, then it is time for an overhaul. Removing drug testing for Marijuana in a person’s body for employment with the State would cut spending and, raise revenue in the form of adding people to the workforce that can pay taxes instead of cutting all of the time.

Therefore it is high time to get the technology in order by amending bill 4834 to allow for a process to place the picture of the participant on the card. This should be done with immediate effect. Given that LARA has improved the turnaround time for processing applications, the reprinting everyone’s card with a picture on it should be less than 60 days. If you are a patient or caregiver this is of importance because you want to streamline government, create revenue to fly over the fiscal cliff.
Contact Senator Geoff Hansen in Room 420 (and his Senator Friends) at the Farnum Building in Lansing Michigan and ask him to get the State's technology needs in order to get the job done. GOP caregivers, patients, and cannabis lovers are encouraged to contact their senators. Share the medicine across party lines.

Let’s help this Lame Duck walk to the end.

Richard C. Clement – Patient Advocate - Lansing Compassionate Care Commission
Past Director of Minority Affairs and Outreach Programs 2008-2011
Michigan Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

 

Demand States Rights support for Medical Marijuana patients and caregivers from the Office of Attorney General staff now!.

Contact your State Senator in Lansing Michigan Today at www.senate.Michigan.gov

Patients deserve protection from the State's top Law Enforcement Official.



Michigan Medical Marijuana participants deserve protection from Federal law regarding the dreaded 100 plant rule. With Marijuana being accepted by the will of the people, this artificial barrier must be removed or raised to accommodate patients. Currently, if you are in possession of 100 or more plants, you will be charged with Manufacturing and distribution of between 100-999 plants or 100-999 kilograms and a penalty between 5 - 40 years in prison. These charges may include forfeiture of property and assets. Patients in Michigan are in need of protection and support from the top law enforcement official in the State to enforce 10^th amendment of the US Constitution regarding State’s Rights.

 

 

 

This artificial rule has been used by law enforcement to arrest people and seize property with reckless abandon. The 100 plant rule is a tax or extortion fee used by county prosecutors to force people to plead guilty to something they were doing legally under State law. In some cases, driving privileges are suspended for up to 1 year and the additional cost of being monitored by a probation officer is costly to the citizen/taxpayers of the State.

 

 

It is legally impossible to be guilty of a Federal crime when the State of Michigan legally allows caregivers to have 5 patients at 12 plants each. This is a disadvantage to two or more caregivers who share utility expenses to drive down the cost of growing and maintaining a plant. The vote in Colorado, Washington State, and 5 cities in Michigan is causing the Mexican Government to rethink their opposition to Marijuana. Officials there are asking their government “why are we stopping something that is legal in the USA”?

In addition to that, recent yes votes in Detroit, Ypsilanti, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo to allow for possession and use of Marijuana has changed the legal landscape so much as to force government officials in United States to rethink their Marijuana policies. In the State of Washington, judges have been dismissed 220 misdemeanor cases of Marijuana possession at a cost savings to their government and taxpayers.

 

We need sound and competent leadership from the Office of Attorney General regarding Marijuana reform. All Marijuana manufacturing cases in the State of Michigan should be dismissed immediately on the basis of Legal Impossibility saving the Michigan Taxpayers at least 2 million dollars on a two billion dollar budget in the Department of Corrections. Purging these people from the department’s oversight is necessary to keep the State of Michigan from going off the fiscal cliff. Resources dedicated to killing jobs and disregarding the intent of your constituents can be re-directed so that no one has to suffer from poor quality cannabis, K2 synthetic Marijuana, or any other imitations to the plant from GOD.

 

If you can take 15 minutes of your time, please make clear to Attorney General Bill Schuette that State Resources must be stopped being used to dismantle and sabotage the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program. This would greatly aid in discontinuing costly recall efforts against the current occupant in the Office of Attorney General. There have been seven attempts to recall Mr. Schuette to make him aware of his conduct regarding Medical Marijuana. The states of Washington and Colorado went to full legalization this November. It is also coincidental that President Barack Obama won these states on November 6^th in a margin so big that he can show Donald Trump his Electoral College transcripts.

 

Therefore we want you to perform the following actions for Medical Marijuana Program participants:

 

Amend House Bill 4834 to allow for photographs to be placed on Michigan Medical Marijuana participant cards including online registration, card verification, renewal, and change. If it is good enough for the Secretary of State’s office then it is good for Department of LARA.

 

 

Vote no on HB 4856 regarding the lock and sealed container requirement for Medical Marijuana transportation within a car. This mean spirited legislation designed to be a cash cow job stimulus for Defense Attorneys and County Prosecutors on the backs of program participants. There is no requirement for mainstream corporate drugs to be treated like a Concealed Weapon therefore; this bill discriminates against the cannabis plant. Cannabis deserves equal treatment under the civil rights law of the land.

 

 

Finally, we want the Office of Attorney General to represent the patients and caregivers against the 100 plant rule from the Federal Government as being legally impossible.

Contact your Senator Today  www.senate.Michigan.gov

 

Richard C. Clement - Michigan Medical Marijuana Patient Advocate
Past Director of Minority Affairs and Outreach Programs
Michigan Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
 

Voting Yes for Detroit’s Proposal M may help solve the bridge loan payment crisis on the Detroit River.

“Pay for the Bridge with Weed”

by  Richard “Weed Warrior” Clement

 

Detroit Election Commission at Work

This November, the voters in Michigan will decide how the people will pay for the new bridge that is supposed to upgrade the transportation between Windsor Canada and Detroit Michigan. In the City of Detroit, the people will decide to allow the possession of one ounce or less of Marijuana on their private property without civil or criminal penalty.  What do these two topics have in common?  The answer is that the loan for the bridge from Canada will be paid off with the revenue from Industrial Hemp. This will save the taxpayers a lot of money in interest costs and help with the maintenance and repairs.

A clause written into the bridge company’s contract will give a %20 property tax reduction for Detroit residents who own a home in the City for at least 30 years and, a %60 reduction for 50 years or more of home ownership. Employees hired by the bridge company will get charged for 6 months of property tax for owning a home in the City of Detroit 14 months. The old Ambassador Bridge will once again allow foot and bike traffic across the bridge. This would include the right for Ambassador Bridge management to sell duty free cannabis products at their stores on both ends of the bridge.



Matthew Abel and Tim Beck

Michigan agriculture forces are ready to design, test, and implement Hemp for the purpose of free and fair trade with world partners in Canada and Mexico. Groups like Michigan Hemp (www.mihemp.org) and faculty members at Michigan State University’s agriculture department are ready to do research into the 25,000 products that can be made from one single plant.  This will lead to the development of urban farming in the City and the use of federal highway real estate property for growing hemp.

 

 

Hemp and Medical Marijuana are two different types of plant.  Medical Marijuana is produced from the female plant.  She can be cloned in more than 100 ways to produce strains like, Blue Cheese, Granny’s Panties, Chernobyl, White Widow, and many others.  Industrial Hemp is the Male plant that can produce more than 25,000 products such as auto body parts, fuel, fiber and clothing.  To help remember the difference you want to say that the female plant makes you feel good and, the male plant works for a living.  Both of them do a good job for you.



Detroit Police at Work

The Friends of Cushingberry support Proposal M because it will ease the strain on the Men and Women of the Detroit Police Department and the Wayne County Sherriff Department. Being a public employee is a stressful job so much so that instead of calling it public service, it is similar to being served up to the public. For instance Police and Fire Department employees have a high probability of getting injured on the job.  Massive bouts of PTSD and other debilitating injuries are a part of the job while health care services are being cut back.  It has been long documented that Cannabis is a proven remedy for ailments associated with this type of work. Therefore, we support the discontinuation of testing for cannabis as a condition of employment with the City of Detroit.

 



Bud for Bing will Pay for Everything!

By doing this as a matter of policy, unemployment in Detroit will go down by %30. On a national level unemployment will go down at least 2 percentage points and 10 points in the communities of people of color.  This is why it is urgent that you send an email, call, and make a personal visit at the State House of Representative’s office in Lansing and their office in their home district.  When your elected official hears from you in person and you live in their district, they tend to listen to you a little more.  Eaton County Michigan cannabis users and supporters need to contact Senator Rick Jones at (Click Here For Senator Jones) and tell him to leave our law alone because you support the law. Otherwise, find your Senator (Find your Senator Link) or Representative (Find your Represenative Link) here and let them have it.

Hemp Fueled education will bring gas prices down. Call President Obama today.

Be a Catalyst for Change!

Allowing Michigan farmers to ship their grown and cultivated hemp products across the border to Canada will stabilize gas prices to $2.00 a gallon.  For longer destinations like Mexico, subsidized hemp flights from Willow Run, Coleman Young International and Capital City Airports will be self funding like Michigan's Medical Marijuana program is doing now.

The following link will explain the benefit of changing federal law to allow educational institutions to research and develop hemp as a stabilizer in fuel cost.  Cutting spending is key to economic recovery. After you do your cutting there is always a surplus that shows up.   Then, you spend more money or invest in what you don't have and what you cut before.   This is one permanent loop of a spending cycle or par for the course.  To end this loop American farmers must be allowed to grow hemp with a little help from extension programs affiliated with the university.

The recent spiking in gas prices calls for action by the President to issue an executive order to direct the FDA to assist farmers and agricultural institutions to grow the male plant of the Cannabis strain for hemp research. 

On the State level encourage your Michigan State Senator to sponsor legislation to support Farmers and their efforts to create a living wage. 

The link below is a page that explains the benefit of growing hemp:

$2.00 a gallon gas tomorrow (click here)

After viewing the link Contact President Obama at Comments: 202-456-1111 or

Switchboard: 202-456-1414. You can also email him at president@whitehouse.gov

Full contact information for the White House (click here)

If you want to holler Free The Weed Mr. President, that is OK because they keep a log of calls. If enough of us call, then he will truly hear from the people.

$4.00+ a gallon gas must go!

Lansing Legislators Sabotaging the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act with HB4856 – Transporting Medicine in a vehicle.

If some legislators in Lansing get their way, the Medical Marijuana program will be a ready-made list for Law Enforcement to do a protective sweep of a patient’s home and property. If you get into your car, your medicine must be stored in the trunk like a concealed weapon. If you don’t have a trunk, the medicine must be inaccessible to the driver. Failure to comply will net you up to 93 days in jail for a misdemeanor and, a $500 fine plus court costs.  

All revenue generated in this manner will go toward a fund to benefit neighborhood public libraries at the expense of Medical Marijuana patients.

House Bill 4856 was supported by three-fourths of the Michigan House of Representatives voting to approve this and three other bills that supposedly “clarifies” the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act of 2008. This bill is being supported by defense lawyers and prosecutors as a cash cow for legal professionals and financially un-stable counties in the State of Michigan. This would encourage cities like Detroit to convert empty Detroit Public School buildings into makeshift prisons for the warehousing of “pot criminals”. The makeup of these prisons will be mostly White citizens of Michigan because there is a complaint that there are too many people of color in the corrections system now.

There is too much room for abuse of citizens in Michigan with this bill and, to infer that driving under the influence of alcohol vs. driving under the influence of Marijuana is different when there is no standard of measurement to compare the two. A suggestion for the test is to select a sample of 6 State Troopers who don’t use Marijuana and 6 patents that use Marijuana legally in Michigan. They would be all given the same obstacle course to drive with a State Car to see how they perform before and after drinking and, before and after smoking a Marijuana cigarette.

Results will be tabulated and compared to set a standard measure for being under the influence. This is the only way to resolve the impairment issue.

This bill was dastardly designed to circumvent the Michigan Medical Marijuana law by increasing the opportunity for Law Enforcement to conduct additional searches and seizures of property, thereby increasing the case load of judges and prosecutors. Along with the additional work for the defense attorneys, this bill is like a jobs stimulus package for the legal community at the expense of Michigan Medical Marijuana patients. However, there is a way to stop this madness and the way to do it is constantly call and email Senators in Lansing MI and urge them to vote NO on HB4856. Additionally, send an email to Governor Rick Snyder and ask him to veto this bill because of your concerns. We participants in the Michigan Medical Marijuana program must rise to the occasion and defeat this bill.

Shame on you elected officials.

State House of Represenatives

Michigan State Senate