Open Letter to Mayor Dave Bing and the Detroit City Council: Stop Voter Suppression in Detroit

The following letter was sent to the Elected leadership in the City of Detroit on the behalf of the citizens right to participate in the direction of the city.

Hon. Mayor Dave Bing
Hon. Charles Pugh – City Council President
1 Woodward Ave
Detroit, MI 48226

Subject: Dropping the City’s lawsuit blocking the people’s vote on Marijuana in the City of Detroit.

We are requesting that the Mayor’s office and the Detroit City Council drop their legal challenge at the Court of Appeals to the Detroit Marijuana Ballot initiative. We want the issue to be voted on and decided by the voters in the August primary election of 2012. The Lawyers and the fees associated with them are costing the city a lot of money that can be used elsewhere. To continue this action is a form of voter suppression that is on par with Voter ID laws, and other tactics to reduce voter participation. In the long haul, the City will lose in the Supreme Court and that would be a complete waste of resources and Detroit taxpayer’s hard earned dollars. The issue will be on the ballot to let the people decide regardless of what the council and the Mayor have to say about it.

The State of Michigan will be taking control of the City in some way, shape or form because of money problems. Medical Marijuana has generated over 12 million dollars for the State in registration fees alone. Empty buildings in Detroit have been revitalized by the cannabis community to have clubs, businesses, and events that bring revenue and visitors to the City of Detroit. Unlike churches in the city, Cannabis businesses pay property taxes and pay on utilities like DTE and Consumers Power unlike the church paying NO property taxes at all.

It is imperative that the elected officials of the City of Detroit to drop all legal challenges to the city-wide ballot proposal and let the people vote in August to decide the issue. Therefore please act on this by directing your legal counsel to withdraw the Motion for Reconsideration filed with the Michigan Court of Appeals at your earliest convenience.


Sincerely,

Richard C. Clement
Director of Outreach & Technology Programs
Michigan Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
www.minorml.org
cc: MINORML Board of Directors,
Detroit City Council Members