Politics in the nation have drastically changed over the last few years and Detroit is just one of the spots in the country that has a political fabric a bit different than the traditional offerings of yesteryear. A new analysis shows that out of the eight candidates running for mayor of Detroit, four of these candidates have criminal records that render them convicted felons.
Deadline Detroit calls this “a pretty embarrassing tidbit” for their city . Out of the eight men and women vying for the office of the mayor, four of them have been convicted of crimes involving drugs, assault or weapons, which are felony offenses. These are serious convictions as three were charged with crimes involving a gun and two were charged with assault with intent to murder.
The most recent of all the mayoral candidates’ felony offenses occurred in 2008, with some dating back decades. The oldest of all these offenses happened in 1977. There are two trains of thoughts on the background of these candidates, with a glass half-full, half-empty type of theory offered.
The candidates deserve a second chance, but they also deserve the extra scrutinizing that will come from the public when stepping into the political arena with this type of baggage. NAACP activist and former press secretary to Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer said,
“They (candidates) deserve the opportunity to be heard, but they also deserve to have the kind of scrutiny that comes along with trying to get an important elected position.”
Half of the mayoral candidates in Detroit are convicted felons https://t.co/YMOl4FOOdP via @MailOnline
— Mary Springowski (@maryspring) August 4, 2017
Next Tuesday’s primary is expected to leave two candidates standing, both who come to the campaign trail without felony records. According to the New York Post , these are the two candidates who are polling ahead of the rest.
That would be incumbent Mayor Mike Duggan and state Senator Coleman A. Young II. Young is the son of the city’s first black mayor. The two others who are running in this race without criminal records in tow are Edward Dean and Angelo Brown.
News post: “Half of the candidates for Detroit mayor are convicted felons” https://t.co/7oOm2xC4aI
— Major Victor Bravo? (@Conservatexian) August 3, 2017
The candidates who get the top two votes will be the two running in the general election in November. According to Deadline Detroit , the criminal records of the four candidates are as follows:
- Donna Marie Pitts comes to the race with more than one felony conviction. Her felony record dates back to 1977. According to Deadline Detroit , Pitts was convicted of “receiving a stolen vehicle; two counts of assault with intent to murder and two firearm offenses in connection with two separate incidents; and in another incident, she was convicted of having an operator’s license and disobeying a police signal.”
- Danetta L. Simpson came into the campaign with only one felony conviction which occurred in 1996. She was convicted in Oakland County for assault with intent to murder.
- Articia Bomer despite being convicted of carrying a concealed weapon, Antica claims that the gun was not hers.
- Curtis Christopher Greene was charged in 2004 with “fourth-degree fleeing and eluding police during an attempted traffic stop in Harrison Township as well as delivering and manufacturing marijuana.” He was sentenced to 18 months probation. He was later charged with passing a bad check, which violated his parole and because of that, he spent six months in jail.
[Featured Image by BCFC/Shutterstock]
