(TriceEdneyWire.com)—Most things in politics are intentional, rarely occurring arbitrarily. What may appear to be a coincidence sometimes is not a coincidence. Political activities can be like a chess match with moves against your opponent and counter moves. Politics is strategic. It involves action plans designed to achieve the overall goal of winning elections and maintaining power. American politics involves individuals willing to share political power and economic empowerment versus those who prefer to keep it exclusively within select groups. The activities associated with running political campaigns and governance are sometimes abused with greed, deception, and dishonesty.
In 2002, Kwame Kilpatrick became the 72nd mayor of Detroit, Michigan. At 32, he was the youngest person ever elected to lead the Motor City. Known as America’s “first hip-hop mayor,” his election represented a fresh beginning for many residents as he promised to revitalize the majority-Black city. The hope and excitement surrounding the new mayor would eventually lead to public corruption, marking Kilpatrick’s time in office as one of the most difficult periods in Detroit’s political history. “Criminal activity was a way of life for him, and he constantly used the power of his office to look for new opportunities to make money illegally,” said FBI Special Agent Robert Beeckman. Kilpatrick was sentenced to a 28-year prison term for his role in a wide-ranging racketeering conspiracy that included extortion, bribery, and fraud. Thirty-two others were also convicted of crimes in connection with the case, including Kilpatrick’s contractor friend, Bobby Ferguson, who received a 21-year jail term.
Kilpatrick and Ferguson established a “pay to play” system in which Kilpatrick extorted city vendors, rigged bids, and took bribes. He used funds from nonprofit civic organizations to line his pockets and those of his family. “His crimes were not the result of a momentary lapse in judgment,” said a document prepared for the court by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan. “He systematically exploited his office to enrich himself, his friends and his family.” Kilpatrick and Ferguson obtained more than $500,000 from the state of Michigan and private donors for nonprofit organizations they controlled. The organizations were supposed to help the community. Instead, the “hip-hop mayor” spent large sums on luxury vacations, spa treatments, and golf clubs. The U.S. Attorney covering Detroit at the time, Barbara McQuade, said at a news conference following the conviction that Kilpatrick ran the city of Detroit like a criminal enterprise. “One juror said she is a Detroiter and voted for Kwame Kilpatrick for mayor twice herself, but the evidence that she saw in this case made her stomach turn,” McQuade shared.
This has a different feeling when public corruption is at the hands of a Black mayor while those who suffered the most were Black residents. We know corruption has no color. It’s carried out by those who are White, Black, or brown. It has no party affiliation. It can come from those who are Democrat or Republican. But should Black mayors, councilpersons, and school board members be held to a higher standard since they serve Black communities?
My answer is yes. A local government intimately touches the lives of individuals and communities more than higher levels of government. The purpose of obtaining racial diversity in local governments is to have a government that proportionally reflects the racial makeup of the overall community. Racial diversity in seats of power allows marginalized and disenfranchised citizens to have a voice at the table of power. As a result, we expect a deeper level of sensitivity and understanding of the plight many economically oppressed residents face. While honoring their oath of office, we expect trusted servants of the people to have a more intimate understanding of the root causes and complexities challenging Black residents living in blighted and impoverished communities.
The expectation is for them to respond appropriately. In the case of former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, we saw how corruption and selectively holding back economic empowerment were not motivated by greed and racism but rather by greed and classism. Fair competition was taken away from Black businesses who played by the rules. Needed resources and help were taken away from communities when nonprofit funding was used for personal use. It shows a lack of human decency mixed with racial betrayal by someone once viewed as a rising star in Democratic politics. Few things in politics happen arbitrarily. When any candidate running for office has dark motives behind their words and actions, it creates a feeling of distrust when the hidden motives are publicly revealed after they assume office. The distrust can turn citizens who are already doubtful and on the fence away from civic engagement and voting.
While President Joe Biden won the state of Michigan by 154,000 votes in 2020, future presidential elections in the battleground state are likely to be close as well. Therefore, in the chess match of presidential politics, it would not be surprising that Donald Trump planned his moves years ahead when he commuted Kilpatrick’s sentence as one of his final acts as president. In June this year, Kilpatrick returned the favor and endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential race. The Michigan Republican Party recently ran radio ads in Detroit using former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. The question remains: how many Black voters with loyalty to the charismatic Kilpatrick will choose a corrupt convicted felon to be the next president of our nation?
(David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of the book God Bless Our Divided America)