The Reasons for Black Plight – Thoughts From The Advocate Ramon Jackson

Ramon Jackson is an advocate for transparency of government from Detroit who is leading a “Souls to the Polls” effort to educate fellow Detroiters and start frank discussions about corruption in the city and how it can be fixed. These thoughts are from an interview conducted with Jackson by journalist K L Hayden.

If local government and an elected leader from a higher-level of government, such as the President, are at odds, often the people will not be able to feel the benefits of those policies instituted at a higher level.

No matter what happens at the national level, the city of Detroit remains in the same situation – besieged by crisis. Crime, poverty, inequality, broken homes, and other major social problems are commonplace.

Democrats have controlled the city of Detroit for generations. One of the key reasons for black plight is the failure to institute federal laws that are passed but not instituted. Even though local cities can approve their own laws (called ordinances), they can often be counterproductive to federal funding and federal policies.

Sometimes, these local officials in Detroit care more about undermining their political opponents than doing what is right by the people.

One example is funding allocated for Opportunity Zones not being properly applied, or massive deportation being blocked by sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants as instituted by Mayor Duggan Duggan has said that he wants Detroit to be the biggest sanctuary city in the nation.

The lack of Opportunity Zones means that black Detroit residents will not be empowered to start businesses, create wealth, and rebuild the city with their own talent and ingenuity. The illegal immigration means that more crime will come to Detroit, and illegals will take social services that Detroit desperately needs.

The city of Detroit is currently governed by all Democrats from City Council, School Board, Mayor, County Commissioners, Legislators (State Representatives and State Senators), and Congressional Leaders (US Representatives and US Senators).

When policies and federal laws that are meant to give funding and support to Detroit do not benefit the voters, it is solely due to the people who are running the city. They will blame everyone except for the people who created the problem – themselves.

The Presidential election is very important not only to ensure appropriate resources are properly allocated, but to ensure justice is served. That's because the President will appoint judges to the federal courts, federal prosecutor to administer justice in federal districts across the nation, and a Justice Department Director.

With the current appointments in place, it is practically impossible to ensure our elections are fair and honest. I can tell you from my own experiences that the Justice System is nonexistent when it comes to investigating election fraud, as my rights have been violated countless times in my struggle to fight corruption in Detroit with no redress.

The best way to think of this situation is as an organizational chart that is often used in business. You have a President who is similar to a CEO, Congressmen who are similar to board of directors who approves the budget set by the President, and the people or the voters who are like shareholders.

The voters hold the real power, they never change which is not true for Congress and the President. Not only are voters the only constant for past, current, and future federal elections, but they are the same group of voters who make decisions at the state and local level. If citizens did not vote, the election process would become a selection process. This is why you must exercise your right to vote, and why we must ensure that voters are well-informed in a transparent, open, fair and secure voting process.