The “Great state of Michigan”, birth place of modern industry (via the automobile) and human/ civil rights would appeared to have regressed so much that it is now referred to as “Michissippi”.
Michissippi because of the recent trend in politically repressive actions against its citizenry could only be compared to the well-known and documented history of aggressively unequal and extremely unfair state of political criminality oppressive state of Mississippi during the Medgar Evers era.
Legislation in Michigan being passed in the cover of night much the way lynching and unjust laws of Mississippi were common place. State troops in the state capital of Michigan stop and suppress citizen’s established legal process of dialogue on critical laws. These actions alone would essentially turn back the clock of civil rights.
Citizens who did not like being required to join a union to keep their jobs and having the monies automatically taken from pay disagreed even further with giving up constitutional rights and having citizens locked out of the capital.
Many are concerned about the right to work bill, emergency manager bill, education achievement authority bill, the personal property tax bill, the plans to rewrite the law to limit recalls of politicians who do all of the above aforementioned.
In a state where once the enslaved sought refuge and the Trades Union Leadership Council (TCLU) was born and was an intricate part of the civil rights movement. Where the fight for worker rights date back to the 50’s with sit ins and lock outs dating back to the 30’s. One such sit down on March 23, 1937 drew a crowd of 100,000.
Michigan the home to people like Jimmy Hofa, Walter Reuther, Malcolm X and Rosa Parks, in 1963 a Ladies group formed a Democrat Republican Independent Voter Education (D.R.I.V.E).
Michigan where Henry Ford invented the automobile and essentially created the middle class(a middle class that was the biggest in the country) by vowing to give his workers more than a fare wage. It was important to him. In the words of Mr. Ford, “I want to pay my workers enough to be able to buy my products”.
State Troopers armed and dressed in full riot gear not for out-laws/criminals but working, registered voters. Citizens begging, pleading, singing, hoping that they would have their constitutional right to express their position on proposed legislation like in the 60s citizens hoping that a “sit in” will get them a place on the floor. As Michigan turns from a progressive human rights state and the birth place of modern industry to now a “right to work” for less pay / unsafe and unequal working conditions state it’s new identity, “Michissippi” is born.
Citizens wishing to have the whirlwind actions of the house and senate that suppressed the voice of the people vetoed by the Governor only to find out that according to the Governor he’d already signed the legislation at an undisclosed time and location.
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