Recently, residents of the Delray neighborhood in Detroit came home to find eviction notices in their doors. The notices informed them that their homes were subject to seizure to make room for the construction of a new commercial crossing from Windsor ON to Detroit MI. The new crossing will ease congestion at the overworked (I know from experience) Ambassador Bridge. Manny Maroun, who owns the Ambassador Bridge, is opposed to the new crossing, about 2 miles/3 km down river. He's gonna lose a lot of money on this and is not happy. Detroit International Bridge, Maroun's company, denied any involvement in the notices.
Shaken residents soon found that the "Eviction Notices" were fakes distributed by the Koch Bros. backed conservative activist group Americans For Prosperity. (Detroit International Bridge, Maroun's company, denied any involvement in the "notices".) According to AFP Michigan, the notices were intended to get residents to contact their state representatives to oppose the bridge.
Classy move.
I could just see the meeting that devised this.
"We have to find a way to drum up opposition to this new bridge. Ity's a joint public/private thing, so that means Big Government involvement, which makes it evil."
"How about fliers explaining all the potential economic pitfalls, and ask people to consider the implications?"
"Nah...how about we put fake eviction notices in the doors?"
"The neighborhood has lots of old folks, and Detroit has the highest foreclosures in the country. We'll scare the shit out of a lot of people."
"Yeah...brilliant isn't it. Let's do lunch."
I have to ask, just exactly how evil does a group have to be to engage in this? I knew the Koch Bros. were nasty, manipulative men with little regard for things like facts, truth or people, but this is a pretty low move.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/06/07/238832/americans-for-prosperity-detroit/?fb_comment_id=fbc_10150204910842291_16966403_10150204974277291&ref=notif¬if_t=open_graph_comment#f1a646804c
http://detnews.com/article/20110607/METRO05/106070336/Mock-eviction-notices-warn-of-proposed-public-bridge-to-Canada#ixzz1OcOPEiPr
http://www.freep.com/article/20110607/BUSINESS06/110607025/Conservative-group-Fake-eviction-notices-were-meant-startle-people-?odyssey=nav|head
Now can I compare the Koch Bros. and their minions to Hitler, Stalin, Goebbels, or some other historical really-not-very-nice people?
