MARCH 2004

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a time for a change in detroit BY CHALDEAN NEWS STAFF It is a time for new beginnings and a time finding volunteers to reduce distasteful signage in to build better relationships. That was front of the stores. An example of unacceptable the theme at the Chaldean American signage is having three signs on a store to convey Chamber of Commerce networking meeting held at the Southfield Manor last month. Following Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s recent Party Store Initiative to crack down on liquor stores, the Chamber, along with the that liquor, wine and beer are sold there. Last month, a new ordinance took effect limiting the number and size of signs posted on stores in the City of Detroit. The City plans to enforce that signage ordinance fully. Members of the Chaldean community communicated Associated Food Dealers more than once to the (AFD), invited the Mayor to speak at the first quarterly networking meeting of 2004. It was standing-room only in the main banquet hall, where hundreds of storeowners listened to a presentation by Mike Sarafa, president of the AFD, along with a rebuttal from the Mayor Kilpatrick Mayor that they felt targeted and signaled out. To storeowners, it seemed more than a coincidence that the City was going after independent stores that happened to be owned by Chaldeans. In fact, Chaldeans own 90 percent of the independent liquor and beer stores in Detroit. Mayor. Storeowners also participated in a question-and-answer “Our feelings are hurt, Mr. Mayor,” said session. emcee Martin Manna representing the Mayor Kilpatrick sat calmly at the head table next to members of his staff while Sarafa cited a litany of complaints from storeowners regarding harassment by police officers, including receiving citations for trivial matters, such as opened bottles of ketchup and water being consumed by the storeowners and not being sold in the stores. Before backing up the complaints with a formal presentation, Sarafa stated publicly to the Mayor that the Chaldean community is predisposed to being his friend, and that for 50 years, the City of Detroit has been dominated by independent stores. Chaldeans alone, he continued, are contributing more than $10 million of new store construction in Detroit. “We believe that having a clean store and a properly signed store is just good business,” said Sarafa. He went a step further and told the Mayor that the AFD will collaborate with his staff in Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce. “Chaldeans are providing a service and have been for more than 40 years in the city, yet we don’t receive tax abatements like the large chains, we don’t get free property like the large stores and we are harassed and bullied. However, this is a new beginning, Mr. Mayor. I am a solider for you as long as members of our community are respected and made a part of the team.” The Mayor talked about his own experiences as a child who grew up in Detroit, and said it looks like the same dilapidated City as it did when he was a kid. That is why he is focused on changing it from the inside out. “This is personal,” he said. “This is a spiritual movement. We want to get the illegal activity out of the City.” He said he does not believe that bringing in big business and entertainment will change the City, but changing the climate within the neighborhoods will alter the environment. Cracking down on illegal activity in the stores is part of his mission to clean up Detroit. The Mayor acknowledged that the majority of storeowners are hardworking, law-abiding citizens trying to make an honest living. He apologized for anything the Chaldean community believes he did to offend them. In addition, he agreed the campaign should have been discussed with the Chaldean American Chamber, the AFD and storeowners before he went public during a press conference. However, he wanted to know who will apologize for the illegal activity going on at stores where alcohol and tobacco are being sold to minors and drug paraphernalia is on the shelves. Sarafa said storeowners agree that illegal activity needs to be dealt with by law enforcement, but issues go beyond selling liquor and tobacco to minors. Among other issues brought to the table, Chaldeans were concerned about visits from police officers who spent 20 minutes to an hour in their stores inspecting every shelf for outdated food. They brought up the issue of carts being stolen and how storeowners are being cited for gated barriers where carts are being held to prevent theft. They are also concerned about store signage - not just signs that display their store names, but also signs that entice customers with sales of items. Storeowners have also been cited for drug activity and open containers outside of their stores. Although these incidences are out of their control, they are being ticketed because the activities are occurring on their property. And, while some storeowners have been visited by groups of officers looking to see if they are abiding by the law, response time by officers when a crime has taken place in the stores remains to be a problem. The meeting at the Southfield Manor was just the beginning of what will be an ongoing dialogue between the Chaldean community and the City of Detroit. Problems may not have been solved in one night, but the issues were placed on the table and now there is work to be done. Fortunately, both sides were geared to change the climate in Detroit and seemed committed to building a better relationship with each other. 28 CHALDEAN NEWS MARCH 2004
Why Michigan’s electric deregulation law is bad for us and bad for you. We’ve been responsible to the people of Michigan for over a hundred years. And in all that time we’ve never cried wolf. But now the wolf is at the door. Because of flaws in the electric deregulation law, Public Act 141, out-of-state companies are coming in, snatching up the biggest electricity customers and leaving the rest of us to pay the price to keep the entire system running. These outside companies don’t care about homeowners or small businesses. There’s not enough profit there. In fact, the law says out-of-state suppliers don’t have to serve low-income customers or senior citizens or first-time homebuyers or people out in rural areas. We do serve them, of course, we always have. PA 141 says we must cover the entire cost of the electric system—all the power plants, a million utility poles, 42,000 miles of power lines—and all the people who make it work. The out-of-town suppliers don’t contribute fairly to the maintenance and upgrading of the system. That remains our responsibility. The reliability of that system is at serious risk. The only way we can properly support and sustain the electric system is to make up for the loss of revenue by increasing rates to homeowners and small businesses. We’re talking about rate hikes of up to 30%. Is that fair to you? No. But our hands are tied. It could come to a rate increase or a very real energy crisis. Michigan’s electric deregulation law was meant to stimulate competition, give everyone a choice and keep electricity affordable. It’s done none of those things. As the law stands, it just isn’t fair, not to you and not to us. It needs to be fixed. Help us change a law that simply doesn’t work. Log on to dteenergy.com and find out how you can help keep energy reliable and affordable for everyone. Anthony F. Earley, Jr. Chairman and CEO DTE Energy and Detroit Edison MARCH 2004 CHALDEAN NEWS 29
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MARCH 2004

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