joelontheroad & Conyers

By Joel ThurtellIt began as a simple blog post based on an old file from my John Conyers Jr. collection of papers.But there’s been enough interest in my story about what former aides to U.S. Rep. John Conyers call the “Little John police report” that I’m encouraged to keep digging into my files on the congressman and his wife. And I plan to do fresh reporting.Why not? Monica Conyers is becoming a subject of interest now that she’s turned defender of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in the text message scandal.So far, I’ve written about the police report in which her son John Conyers II accused Monica of threatening him with a pistol, and I wrote about her four failed attempts at passing the Michigan bar exam to become a lawyer. To give context to those articles and future ones I have planned, I’ve obtained permission from the Free Press to post the Conyers stories I reported with help from staff writers Chris Christoff and Ruby Bailey back in the days when I was a Free Press reporter myself.For future reference, you’ll find the original Free Press Conyers stories under the category “Conyers series.”Recent reports appear in the category “JC & Me.”Anyone with tips or thoughts on this ongoing coverage may contact me at joelthurtell@gmail.com