Kwame Kilpatrick trial: The word on the streets of Detroit

Gus Burns | By Gus Burns |
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on September 21, 2012 at 4:00 PM, updated September 24, 2012 at 2:02 PM
Kwame Kilpatrick Day 1 trial.JPGKwame Kilpatrick leaves the U.S. District Court in Detroit after the first day of his corruption trial.
DETROIT — Donning a blue-gray suit and a gold bow tie, Kwame Kilpatrick proved elusive to journalists looking for the perfect shot as he left the U.S. District Court in Detroit Friday.

Heading east on Fort, Kilpatrick acted as if he would cross to the south side of the street, but hesitated. He then decided to avoid the sidewalk entirely and walked along the middle of Fort Street before entering a building on the south side of Fort.

"We still love you Kwame," said a man named Tony, as he watched the mass of reporters and Detroit's besmirched mayor pass by.

Read a recap of the first day of trial including openings statements from the prosecution and defense.

After speaking with more than a dozen people walking in the area of the federal courthouse, it became clear that most did not know a lot of the details related to the 38-count federal indictment against Kwame Kilpatrick and his co-defendant's, his father Bernard Kilpatrick, friend and city contractor Bobby Ferguson and former Detroit Water and Sewer Manager Victor Mercado.

The majority didn't wish to share their opinions publicly. Some felt there is a federal vendetta against the former mayor and others felt he was too young to deal with the politics of Detroit, which led to trouble.

"I think that he got a bad break because he told a lie," said Tony, who declined to provide his last name. "There's a lot of other people told lies too," but they weren't charged criminally.

Tony said he was referring to the text message scandal that exposed Kilpatrick's relationship with Kilpatricks' former Chief of Staff Christine Beatty.

He didn't know a lot about the federal charges, he admitted.

Kwame Kilpatrick Day 1 trial 2.JPGKwame Kilpatrick after exiting the U.S. District Court in Detroit after the first day of his corruption trial.
"I'm disappointed that it's even happening, because he had so much promise," said another woman, who also declined to provide her name. "He was bright and things could have been different... I just think he was a little bit young for a city as big as Detroit.

"I don't think this is the first time this has happened; I think it's probably just the first time someone's been caught" but "if you're not doing anything wrong, you wouldn't have to worry about being targeted."

When asked about the possible 30-year prison term Kilpatrick faces, she responded: "I haven't really read the particulars as far as the charges and what the potential penalties could be."

The Detroit resident said her friends and associates are "disappointed" in Kilpatrick but it's not a frequent topic of conversations.

"It's kind of like beating a dead horse now," she  said.
Florence M. Davis, of Novi, walked along Congress with Gerald Reynolds, 45, of Detroit. The pair shared their opinions about the Kilpatrick saga outside the building that houses their offices at 235 Congress.

"Kwame's a good guy," said Reynolds, who operates Elite Entertainment and is an executive recruiter for Job Star. "I don't think when he was mayor he was ready to be mayor... he still had a lot of play in his system.

"Not to say he was a bad mayor, he had some good ideas and he brought a lot of good things to the city."

Reynolds believes Kilpatrick abused his power on behalf of those around him, including his father and friends who took high-level roles in Detroit government.

"If you really look at Kwame, Kwame did no more than anyone else," said Davis, who works in fiscal management for Star Source. "He just didn't know the politics of how to play it.

"Kwame was the fall guy for whatever was going on in  Detroit."

Jones said she doesn't know enough about the case to give an opinion about Kilpatrick's federal case.

She can't figure out what Bobby Ferguson did wrong. Prosecutors claim Ferguson colluded with Kilpatrick to secure city contracts and pressured other city contractors to get a cut of their business, without actually providing any services.

"What he did was use his relationship with Kwame Kilpatrick as we all do," Jones said. "If he's guilty for using that relationship then all of America (is) because we are encouraged to network.

"Someone else had the power... he was not a decision maker... Kwame was a decision-maker to a point... so if you're going to get Kwame, why not the council?"