Duran Bennett

Mai Milton

Messiah Amerson

Denise Johnson

Steve Bell
After weeks of waiting, Detroiters now know that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and former chief of staff Christine Beatty face 12 felony charges collectively.

And once again, the city is divided.

The steps of the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice were crowded with people discussing the issue, some avoiding the issue, others indifferent to it. But most had an opinion about the mayor, whether they went on record or not.
All agreed that this was a critical time in the mayor’s political career, with possible ramifications for the city of Detroit.

Denise Johnson
“I’m glad that he’s going to be held accountable. I’ve watched the news day and night waiting on this day. Right is right and wrong is wrong. He’s not above the law; he thought he was. And he should be ashamed of himself. You know, he’s got those little boys that are looking up to him. What’s he showing them, it’s all right to lie?”

Messiah Amerson
“He’s a good man. I feel he’s doing something that nobody’s done in the city in a while. The Christine Beatty part, they’re doing too much in that man’s personal life. From the earring situation to this, (and) being a Black man, that’s all it is. He did a lot of justice in this city. Don’t resign, Mayor. Losers give up.”

Duran Bennett
“He’s a young Black man doing something positive, so how can I not support him? I know he might have lied and committed perjury but it’s different things going on out here. There’s a lot of people that lie. You can’t judge anyone. When Dennis Archer was in office, I didn’t see any improvement. I couldn’t tell you one good thing about Dennis Archer, but when I saw Kwame, it made me feel I could possibly run for mayor one day. To see someone that resembles me…I just hope Kwame gets the situation together, so he can continue to run this city. Like we needed Coleman Young, we need Kwame Kilpatrick.”

Steve Bell
“I thought he was a little too young for the job. I believe he should stay in office until election time. He shouldn’t resign. I don’t know how effective he’ll be, though. That’s another question. The people in the city elected him, and the people in the city should have an opportunity to elect or not elect him in the next election. He did a lot of good things for the city, but he embarrassed the city, and he cost taxpayers a whole lot of money. What he did hurts. The whole world knows about it. They already think we’re the pits.”

Mai Milton
“I just think the justice system needs to work its way through. I think that any decision to make the mayor resign should be done after weighing all the evidence. I haven’t made a decision as to support or not support. I do believe that a person’s private life is their private life, and if there is some kind of misconduct then the justice system can handle it accordingly.”

Antonio Luckett (not pictured)

“Man cheated on his wife, so what? I think they’re blowing it out of proportion.”