This Week in Review, Jack Lessenberry and Rina Miller discuss Mitt Romney’s recent Michigan visit, billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert’s testimony in Detroit’s bankruptcy trial and allegations that Ferndale police are issuing a disproportionate number of tickets to black drivers.
Mitt Romney
Mitt Romney made a trip to his home state of Michigan this week to support Republican U.S. Senate candidate Terri Lynn Land.
The former Republican presidential nominee said Republicans need Land, who is trailing opponent Gary Peters in the polls, to help get legislation on President Obama’s desk.
Lessenberry called the visit “interesting” but doesn’t think it will have much influence on Michigan voters this November.
“When Richard Nixon decided to run for president again after losing, he first campaigned for all sorts of Republican candidates all over the country, and you have to wonder if that’s what Mitt Romney’s doing,” Lessenberry said.
Dan Gilbert’s testimony
Billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert took the stand in Detroit’s bankruptcy trial this week.
The CEO of Detroit-based Quicken Loans spoke in support of the city and praised emergency manager Kevyn Orr’s bankruptcy restructuring plan.
Lessenberry said Gilbert’s financial success and investment of more than $1 billion in Detroit real estate made his testimony a strong one.
Ferndale traffic citations
The Michigan ACLU this week said black drivers in Ferndale are more likely to be ticketed than white drivers.
The organization said records from the Ferndale Police Department show that about 60% of drivers issued traffic tickets across a recent 16-month period were black.
Ferndale police said this isn’t a case of racial profiling, but the ACLU is urging the department to investigate.
Lessenberry said more information is needed, such as where, specifically, the stops are occurring.
“It’s always important to make sure that police don’t send those kinds of messages, but I think we also have to give everybody the benefit of the doubt,” he said.
– Rebecca Kruth, Michigan Radio Newsroom
