Pontiac – A House Divided

by Kenny Anderson

It has been almost three years (March 2009) that the City of Pontiac has had an imposed Emergency Financial Manger and Emergency Manager: the first autocrat was Leeb, the second was Stampfler, and now Schimmel. 

What is glaring about the autocratic rule here, is that many Pontiac residents claim to prize democracy, yet there has been no unified – massive protest to tell the County, the State, the Country, and the World that this imposed autocracy is unacceptable and the citizens here are outraged. This united expression of outrage has not manifested. Why Not? Simple Answer – Pontiac is a House Divided!

Autocratic rule here in Pontiac did not have to use a strategy of divide and conquer, all it had to do was impose and conquer because the lack of unity – division was already here. For some time, community and local politics in Pontiac has been divided; generally no unity, at times superficial unity that has been ineffective.

Starting in the Black community, over the years most Black neighborhoods in Pontiac have been beset by many critical socioeconomic problems; ranging from poor education, no jobs, no businesses, neglect, and violence – but no effective unity to address these problems. Black churches are not effectively unified.

There is no real unity between Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and Hmong here in Pontiac. City workers have been divided; police and firemen were glaringly divided; each falsely believing at one point that they were too important to be laid off or eliminated. Indeed, Pontiac has been divided by many self-serving self-interests.

Under autocratic emergency managers, these self-interests mean nothing! These divided self-interests are autocratically conquered now, resulting in apathy, complaining, superficial responses, and appealing for outside intervention. One of the reasons why there has not been an effective unified response to autocratic Emergency Manager rule here in Pontiac, is citizens are in ‘denial’ that Pontiac is a house divided!

Once we stop denying and accept there is no real unity, then if we are serious and committed, we can initiate a genuine call to build a principled coalition - an effective, collective response to autocratic rule. This coalition must have an alternative democratic vision for Pontiac; realistic goals, a plan for capacity building, resource-development, and resoluteness.

Very importantly, this coalition must place emphasis on entrepreneurship, creating neighborhood businesses and jobs. Plant jobs, city jobs, and school district jobs are increasingly being eliminated. Besides getting beyond ‘division denial’, Pontiac residents have to accept change – new realities and responsibilities, embracing change and uncertainty. In order to deal effectively with these new realities and responsibilities, we as citizens must have a new ‘mind-set’ that consists of the following:

*Uniting, getting together for mutual aid!

*Focus on solutions!

*Stop gossiping and complaining. Do something!

*Stop playing the waiting game, autocracy is here and the challenge is now!

*Turn adversity – Emergency Manager rule, into a struggle to build grassroots political power!

*Stop looking for a president, elected officials, and the courts to be our saviors; SOS–Save Our Selves - be Self-determined!

Finally, we must have confidence and faith that we as citizens unified can initiate and create alternative democracy in Pontiac. However, for this unity to occur and progress to proceed we have to have some ‘frank-talks’ to address our divisiveness and a serious commitment to overcome what divides us.

Until we accept ‘together we stand and divided we fall’, Pontiac will continue to be a ‘House Divided’ that is crumbling’ even further under Emergency Manager rule.