Piety Hill Musings

The ramblings of the Rector of St. John's Episcopal Church of Detroit. Piety Hill refers to the old name for our neighborhood. The neighborhood has changed a great deal in the over 160 years we have been on this corner (but not our traditional biblical theology) and it is now known for the neighboring theatres, the professional baseball and football stadiums and new hockey/basketball arena.

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Location: Detroit, Michigan, United States

Friday, February 22, 2008

A sad statement about the City of Detroit

Wednesday the Mayor of Detroit met with City Council. Avoiding talking about the legal troubles the Mayor is in, they discussed other topics, one of which is the condition of the Detroit Police Department. The Mayor said that they need 500 more officers (due mostly to retirements and those quitting), and then made this sorrowful statement (as recorded in the Detroit News)

He added that the city is struggling to find new officers -- especially those who are black or are Detroiters -- because they can't pass the drug test for marijuana.
"If you can't stop for 10 days, we don't want you driving a truck or carrying a gun," Kilpatrick said.


I can understand wanted to encourage people in your own city to be employed by your police force, but there is no residence requirement to do so. But really - can't find enough detroiters because they can't pass a marijuana drug test? If this is true (and/or truthfully reported) it is an awful statement about the state of Detroit's young men and women.

And BTW - I would hope they aren't just stopping for 10 days if they apply........