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| Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management | |
|---|---|
| Name | Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management |
| Formation | 2012 |
| Type | Grassroots coalition |
| Purpose | Opposition to state-appointed emergency management |
| Headquarters | Detroit, Michigan |
| Region served | Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan |
| Leader title | Coordinators |
Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management is a grassroots coalition formed in 2012 in Detroit to oppose the imposition of a state-appointed emergency financial manager under Michigan law. The coalition coordinated protests, ballot initiatives, and legal challenges in response to interventions by the State of Michigan and actors such as Governor Rick Snyder and the appointed managers. Members included community organizations, labor unions, and neighborhood activists who linked municipal autonomy to broader struggles involving housing, public services, and civil rights.
The coalition emerged amid the city bankruptcy of 2013 municipal bankruptcy and the appointment of Kevyn Orr as emergency manager under Public Act 4 and later Public Act 436 of 2012. Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management operated against interventions by the Michigan Legislature and the Governor of Michigan which critics likened to state takeovers seen in other cities such as Flint, Michigan during the Flint water crisis. The movement connected with national debates involving American Civil Liberties Union, National Lawyers Guild, and labor disputes involving American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the United Auto Workers.
The coalition brought together neighborhood groups like Focus: HOPE, faith leaders from congregations such as Greater Love Tabernacle, and activists associated with Moratorium NOW! and Occupy Detroit. Organizers used tactics drawn from community organizing traditions exemplified by ACORN and labor mobilizations tied to the Congress of Industrial Organizations and Service Employees International Union. The movement coordinated with housing justice campaigns opposing foreclosures facilitated by entities like Wells Fargo and Bank of America and allied with tenant groups influenced by strategies from Tenants' rights movements in the United States.
Members supported litigation challenging the constitutionality of Public Act 436 of 2012 and the emergency management appointments, citing civil rights precedents from cases such as Brown v. Board of Education and procedural doctrines shaped by decisions from the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Legal partners included attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union and public interest litigators who filed suits in Wayne County Circuit Court and appealed to federal venues. Challenges referenced statutory frameworks involving Michigan Constitution provisions and contested interpretations of municipal powers under precedents like Dillon's Rule as applied in Michigan jurisprudence.
The coalition spearheaded campaigns for ballot measures and supported candidates opposing emergency management policies, coordinating with political actors such as members of the Detroit City Council and state legislators from the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate. Activists engaged with organizations like Progress Michigan and allied with electoral campaigns from figures such as Kwame Kilpatrick critics and reformers influenced by the legacy of Coleman A. Young. The movement mobilized turnout in municipal elections and participated in signature drives similar to tactics used in initiatives involving Ballot measure campaigns across United States jurisdictions.
Detroiters Resisting Emergency Management organized demonstrations at locations including Detroit City Hall, the Wayne County offices, and sites associated with emergency management decisions like Detroit Public Schools administrative buildings. Protest methods echoed tactics from the 1963 Detroit Walk to Freedom and more recent actions by groups such as Black Lives Matter and Mothers of the Movement — including marches, sit-ins, and public forums. High-profile events drew solidarity from unions including the American Federation of Teachers and from national activists who had participated in protests in Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles.
The coalition argued that emergency management policies led to cuts affecting Detroit Public Schools Community District, public safety services coordinated with the Detroit Police Department, and water and sewer operations overseen by the Great Lakes Water Authority. Opponents cited effects on pensions involving the Detroit Retirement Systems and on public housing overseen by the Detroit Housing Commission. Supporters of oversight cited fiscal reports from bodies like the Municipal Advisory Council and the U.S. Department of Justice when discussing governance outcomes, while residents and community groups documented impacts through collaborations with researchers at institutions such as Wayne State University.
The coalition contributed to debates that influenced subsequent state policy and municipal practice, including amendments to emergency manager statutes and heightened scrutiny of state interventions after the 2013 bankruptcy. Its activism informed organizing strategies used in other municipal contests and influenced scholarship produced by centers like the University of Michigan's urban policy researchers and civil rights analyses by the NAACP. Elements of the coalition remained active in broader campaigns addressing municipal finance, housing justice, and democratic governance in Detroit and statewide politics in Michigan.
Category:Politics of Detroit Category:Grassroots organizations in the United States