Photo courtesy of Regina H. Boone/Detroit Free Press
Detroit, the nation’s -largest African American -electoral base, has reached a state of paralysis. It has come to a point where the mayor’s personal problems are overshadowing anything he has to say regarding the city. We have long resisted calls and other requests to urge Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to resign because of his mountainous legal troubles.

But no more.

We cannot stand by and watch this city fall victim to the mistakes of the mayor. In the interest of saving Detroit from Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s legal and political issues that have hindered this city’s progress, we strongly urge the mayor to step aside and address his problems. His issues are holding the city hostage. Detroit’s future is bigger than the mayor.

When the mayor was elected, the Michigan Chronicle felt that he injected a new sense of hope for the city. Our Jan. 9, 2002 mayoral inauguration edition headline was “High Hopes.” His initiatives and negotiating skills have helped spearhead neighborhood development, attract new businesses and restructure downtown, which Detroit will continue to reap benefits from.

The Michigan Chronicle was one of the first local publications to highlight Kilpatrick’s re-pre sentation of a possible new era of change in politics when he was a state representative. Who else aside from the Michigan Chronicle supported Kilpatrick during his bitter 2005 relection when he was down in the polls? Kilpatrick’s charisma, eloquence and intelligence seemed to inspire many to be more socially and politically engaged.

But today we realize that we are a long way from those youthful ideas that created excitement and were the embodiment of new possibilities.

Yes, earlier we took the position that the system of jurisprudence should take its course instead of hastily backing calls for the mayor’s resignation. We emphasized at the time that Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy should be allowed to do her job and the burden to prove Kilpatrick guilty was in the hands of the prosecuting attorneys.

However, as the legal troubles of the mayor continue to mount week after week, we have been painstakingly examining the impact these issues were having on the city, and whether it was time for the mayor to go. The image of the mayor being jailed on Aug. 7 sent a very powerful, and damaging, message around the world. We saw our mayor escorted into jail like a common criminal. His shame was our shame.

We will not play the blame game and pander to the idea that the mayor’s issues stem from racism. We did not take this decision lightly because of our identity as an African American newspaper operating in a climate where race and racism often command our political discussions. But the troubles of the mayor squarely emanated from decisions he made not to settle the case with the two police officers, Gary Brown and Harold Nelthrope, and instead decided to fight them in court. He came out of those court proceedings charged with perjury, felony and other charges. We cannot allow Detroit’s ability to move forward to be strangled by the escalating legal woes of the mayor.

For an African American newspaper deeply steeped in the traditions of Freedom’s Journal, the first Black newspaper in the country, we have a commitment to not only present an objective view of the Black community, but also, when need be, to be critical and take action when those we elect to office do not represent the best interests of the people.

That notwithstanding, the mayor, like every other citizen, must be allowed the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Evidently, the wheels of justice are quickly turning. But the devastating consequences of his legal troubles and their effect on the city so far only reminds us that it is going to get worse.

When Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Thomas E. Jackson banned the mayor from traveling and ordered him to wear a tether for violating the conditions of his bond, it became clear that Kilpatrick needed to go for the betterment of Detroit and Michigan. There are arguments that the mayor can still carry out his responsibilities, but it is clear that a mayor who cannot travel, cannot work to forge the type of relations needed on a national and international level to move the city forward.

Kilpatrick should spare himself and the city the embarrassment of being forcibly removed from office by either the Detroit City Council, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Attorney General Mike Cox or Prosecutor Kym Worthy. The council forfeiture hearings to commence Aug. 18 and the governor’s Sept. 3 removal hearings only promise a sad and troubling future for this city and the mayor.

Detroit’s image is being made a mockery of globally – from late night talk shows to the Internet. For us, this is no laughing matter. The issues facing the mayor have taken some of the spotlight away from major events such as the PGA Tour, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Detroit’s representation in the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The crisis in the beleagured Motor City is being reported in the international media, China included.

On a national level, Kilpatrick’s issues present a challenge for Detroit and the state in the upcoming presidential election. The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama issued a rare statement on the troubling issues involving the mayor last week, asking for a quick resolution because of the role Detroit plays as a Democratic stronghold.

Whether it is on a local, regional, state, national or international level, it is evident that Kilpatrick can no longer function to full capacity as mayor. If his love for Detroit is as strong as he professes, he will make the right decision which, we believe, is to step down.