By Joel Thurtell
Wonder what this might mean:
An electronic flyer from Detroit Bridge Watch calls for “Community Action to Take Back Riverside Park.”
Wow!
Is somebody going to take direct action to return a stolen park to the city of Detroit?
Whatever happens, according to the flyer, will happen today, June 3, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. at the extension of Riverside Park, which is at 23rd Street and Jefferson just west of the Ambassador Bridge.
Hey! That’s where I met Doug, the shotgun-totin’ goon, back on September 22, 2008. I was taking photos alongside a chain-link fence in the park when this hireling of Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun first ordered me out of the public park, then tried to arrest me.
I soon learned that the fence, festooned with phony “Homeland Security” warning signs put up by Matty’s henchmen, was on city property and that Matty hijacked that end of the park, because he needs that property to build a new bridge.
In Matty’s book of ethical substandards, if you’re a billionaire and you need something that belongs to someone else, you just take it and stall the owners in court.
At Riverside Park, using 9/11 as his pretext, Matty tore down trees, basketball hoops and fenced off the park land he wanted, decorating it with various pieces of construction junk.
The city of Detroit has been trying in court to re-take its park for nearly two and a half years.
Guess Detroit Bridge Watch decided Matty’s been squatting on city property long enough.
According to the flyer, there will be a rally at the extension: “Now is the time to come together to mobilize a few hundred people to take back our park!
“Invite all your friends and family of all ages as we want a critical mass of people for this event!”
For more information, e-mail detroitbridgewatch@gmail.com
I helped tear down that fence!!!