By Joel Thurtell
How many lies to you count in this historicbridges.org description of Matty Moroun’s Ambassador Bridge?
This bridge may span between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, but this bridge is truly Windsor’s bridge. A well-maintained and extensive park and river-walk exists east of the bridge and from this location absolutely spectacular and unobstructed views of the bridge can be had. A city street also runs parallel to the approach spans of the bridge offering excellent views of the approach system.
In contrast, photographing the bridge is nearly impossible in Detroit, since the bridge is surrounded by private property and razor wire cyclone fence. The only riverside park near the bridge is extremely small and was shrunk even more when Detroit International Bridge Company bought up some of the land. In addition, HistoricBridges.org has read reports of photographers in this park being harassed by Detroit International Bridge Company security guards (who patrol the lands bought up by the Detroit International Bridge Company around the bridge) even if the photographer is on public property, such as in the riverside park, and thus not in violation of any law.
Anyone wishing to visit the Ambassador Bridge is strongly recommended to do so from the Windsor side. The Detroit side is not even remotely worth the trouble.
Well, let’s get started.
(Lie 1) This bridge is truly Windsor’s bridge.
Really? Its owner lives in Grosse Pointe, which last I knew was situated in the United States, near Detroit. The Ambassador Bridge is owned by a company calling itself the “Detroit International Bridge Company.”
Ain’t Detroit in the U.S.?
(Lie 2) Photographing the bridge is nearly impossible in Detroit, since the bridge (Lie 3) is surrounded by private property and (Lie 4) razor wire cyclone fence.
Actually, taking pictures of the Ambassador Bridge from the U.S. side is a piece of cake, given that Matty’s property is NOT surrounded by “private property”, nor is there “razor wire cyclone fence” to stop a photographer.
Fact is, Detroit’s public Riverside Park abuts the bridge property. After 9/11, Matty fenced off a section of the public park illegally and hung up phony “Homeland Security” warning signs. Even so, it was easy to take close photos from public park property, as I did on September 22, 2008 before one of Mattys’ security guards ran me out of the public park with lies about “homeland security” and restrictions on photography that were equally lies.
(Lie 5) The only riverside park near the bridge is extremely small and (Lie 6) was shrunk even more when Detroit International Bridge Company bought up some of the land.
Riverside Park is a decent-sized park with picnic tables and a walk alongside the Detroit River, with everywhere a nice view of Windsor as well as the Ambassador Bridge. The park also has a boat launch, illegally closed by Matty are 9/11 and due to re-open sometime this summer. Matty and his DIBC did not buy part of the park. Matty STOLE a piece of the park, wrecking basketball courts and knocking down shade trees so he could store construction material rent-free. The city of Detroit is in court trying to evict Matty from public property he seized illegally. Anybody who says he bought this property is a liar.
In addition, HistoricBridges.org has read reports of photographers in this park being harassed by Detroit International Bridge Company security guards (who patrol the lands (Repeat Lie 6) bought up by the Detroit International Bridge Company around the bridge) even if the photographer is on public property, such as in the riverside park, and thus not in violation of any law.
Within most broadside lies, there will be a kernel of truth. The tip of the hat to verity in this pack of crap is the statement that photographers have been harassed by Matty’s guards. But it is only a half-truth. I wrote about my September 22, 2008 experience with one of Matty’s shotgun-totin’ goons. Others reported similar experiences. All happened in Riverside Park on public property. Matty did not, repeat, DID NOT, purchase any portion of Riverside Park.
The issue of who possesses this land is more important than clicking some images. That piece of public park that Matty does not own is smack dab where he needs to put his proposed new bridge. Without that city land, his so-called twin bridge is dead long before it nears the water.
Matty wishes he owned the park. But he doesn’t. Last week, a band of citizens dismantled his illegal fence and took possession of the section of park Matty pilfered.
How long will it take for historicbridges.org to replace their lies with facts?
Anyone wishing to visit the Ambassador Bridge is strongly recommended to do so from the Windsor side. (Lie 7) The Detroit side is not even remotely worth the trouble.
Au contraire, the Detroit side is very much worth the trouble. It is where the real action is. The Canadians have Matty under control. It is the U.S. system that he’s corrupted by paying huge retainers to Michigan legislators to buy opposition to a new public bridge that would compete with his monopoly on truck traffic between the U.S. and Canada. If you want to take pictures, by all means, aim your lens at Matty’s bridge from the U.S. side. These days, the risk of being hassled by Matty’s goons is minimal. He learned the hard way back in 2008 that messing with photographers can be bad for PR.
But back to my original question: Did I catch all the lies in that note? If you see a lie that I missed, please post a comment or drop me a line a joelthurtell@gmail.com
It’s kind of scary how much the print/online media get wrong, isn’t it? I guess that’s why it’s said that the devil makes writers, but only God can make a copy editor . . .
Problem is that too many readers are willing to swallow whole anything they see in print. We need more truth squads. Of course where Moroun is concerned, one would need an army of truth squads to refute his lies and those of his hirelings.
“The wheels of God/Justice grind slow but they grind exceedingly fine.” Those who tend to believe the Morounistas, please note that in June, 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cleland denied Moroun’s claim that his bridge is a federal instrumentality and thus not subject to the rules and regulations that govern the rest of us mere tollpayers. Not only did the judge deny Moroun’s claim, he issued an injunction banning Moroun from ever making such a claim again.
Anybody interested enough to read the injunction can find it at
http://www.tollroadsnews.com/sites/default/files/JudgmentPermanentInjunction.pdf
Oh, and BTW, anyone interested in some more of Moroun’s many properties, can go to http://www.mattymoroun.com/ to see photos of some of his dilapidated slum housing in the city of Detroit. I can’t help wondering how long Mayor Bing is going to play along with Matty and let Matty’s hovels stand as an invitation to drug dealers, and a haven for prospective sexual attackers.
Up with The People’s Bridge!
Just a note: I live in Windsor Ontario and spend every lunch (weather permitting) down along the river walking or sitting under a shady tree. I work with a fellow who enjoys taking pictures and has been warned by the bridge security guy that it’s against the law to take pictures of the bridge and that he would call the Windsor city police if my friend continued to shoot pictures. I have seen this same security guard hassle other people as well, so I asked yet another co-worker who has 3 relatives on the force about this statement. The answer returned was “there is no law against it but they may discourage you since 9/11”.
Hell, there are so many pictures of that structure around that if anybody had bad intent they need not take their own pictures but merely search the internet.