MAYOR KILPATRICK'S INAUGURATION SPEECH
The full text of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's inauguration speech,
January 4, 2002, Fox Theatre, Detroit
When I started this campaign, it was a grueling campaign. I went out
and knocked door-to-door and met people from all over the community.
People like Loretta Burch, who lives just 2 blocks from Cody High School,
as a matter of fact, when I walked up to that house, the news captured a
photo. They were following me around that day.
I talked to Mrs. Burch on her front porch that day and she began to cry
about the conditions in her neighborhood for her children. She told me to
make her one promise - that if I did win this race, that I wouldn't stop
no matter what obstacles, what barrier - trying to make this the community
that God wants it to be. Mrs. Burch, I say to you today, you're watching
on television at your home we just found out, I'll never forget that
promise. I'll keep that promise to you and we will never stop.
I met people like Mr. Hosea Sabbath, who is 90 years old but came to
the east side office every single day. In the middle of the campaign, his
wife passed. We came to the funeral and prayed for Mr. Sabbath and the
next day he was back in the office on the campaign trail because he said I
can't stop. Mr. Sabbath, you didn't stop, so I won't stop.
I thank all the people that volunteered in the campaign. I thank you
for your confidence in me, I thank you for stuffing envelopes, for walking
door-to-door, for sweating, some of you for bleeding, for crying - for all
the different things that you did for this campaign - I thank you.
Finally, on behalf of the people of the city of Detroit, I want to say
thank you once again to Mayor Dennis Archer and his wife, Judge Trudy
Archer, who have led our city for the past eight years. Mr. Mayor, we
thank you for your leadership. You have provided the city new bridges of
cooperation that you helped to build. I appreciate the fact that I respect
you more today than I did on November 5. Thank you for all your services.
I also want to congratulate the members of the City Council. Being a
person who comes out of the Legislature, I understand the important part
that you play. There has to be a relationship - a partnering - so that we
can move this city forward. President Mahaffey said it best. Personalities
have to be removed from the situation we're in now. I pledge today to
constantly be in communication with you to involve you as a partner in the
total revitalization and restoration of this great city of Detroit. Thank
you.
I stand before you today as the 60th person ever to take the oath of
office for mayor of the city of Detroit. And I stand before you as a son
of the city of Detroit and all that represents. I was born here in the
city of Detroit, I was raised here in the city of Detroit, I went to these
Detroit Public Schools. I understand this city, my family is in this city,
and as many of you understand, my entire family dwells within the walls of
the city of Detroit. This position is personal to me. It's much more than
just politics. I want you to understand that.
Many Detroiters that I went away to college with didn't return to the
city of Detroit. I came back. I came back because I have a sense of
mission and a sense of pride in this city and we're not finished yet. I've
worked with some very talented people around this city - like those at the
Marcus Garvey Academy. Like principal Harvey Hembrick, a dedicated
educator who cares deeply about the children in our community. Mr.
Hembrick I see you're here. Please stand up.
I had an opportunity to teach some very bright children - some of them
who did reach their potential. Not all of them reached their potential
because of the false horizons that were put in front of them. I thought
that my challenge was not only to teach them how to read and write, but
also to help them understand how great and how smart they already were.
Once we did that at Marcus Garvey Academy, we saw some diamonds. When I
was teaching, I understood that I couldn't work from 8:30 to 3:30 if I
wanted to do a good job. Many of our teachers in this community understand
that as well. They give their service, their dedication and commitment to
our children. It's time for our community to wrap our arms around them and
our schools to move our children's education forward.
I see public service as being very similar. Public service is also a
place where you work to provide tools for people. In our Declaration of
Independence, we spelled it out. Our forefathers spelled it out that
everyone has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I
see Detroit the way I saw many of my students. This is a great city. Part
of my challenge and our challenge is getting Detroiters to remove some of
the negative thoughts we have about our own city and see how good we
already are.
We already have the largest foreign trade zone and designated area for
international trade and a port. It's time to maximize that resource. We
already have the worlds' largest corporation downtown - General Motors -
that invested a half-billion dollars in a building and is now standing
ready to do more. We already have a nationally traded technology company
that just invested over $400 million right in downtown Detroit. We already
have community organizations and development organizations and community
outreach centers that are providing after-school programs and housing for
our citizens in this city. We all saw our all-city high school band which
marched in a prominent position in the Rose Bowl parade. These 226 young
people showed people all over this country what Detroit's potential is all
about. The Kilpatrick administration will be dedicated to taking that
potential even further.
Since the November election, I've had the chance to seek advice from
some pretty prominent executives here and around the country. I even went
to Mayor's school out at Harvard and I had the chance to learn from the
country's best mayors. One of the things I learned at Mayor's school was
to focus on two things - to focus on two priorities. Today I'm here to
tell you what the two priorities of the Kilpatrick administration will be.
Number one, the police department. Before we can begin to work on
economic development, we have to have public safety in order. We're going
to undertake a major restructuring of the police department. We're going
to change the image and the culture and the quality of service provided.
We're going to break up major bureaus and get officers back in our
community where they belong.
To prepare for that restructuring, I have visited, along with my
transition team, several cities around the country - some with police
departments larger and some with smaller police departments.
I look forward to showing you and actually talking to you about some of
the things that we learned around the country when it comes to police
tactics and technology. What departments are doing that's innovative and
creative. Recognizing that you've got to have a model that's just right
for Detroit - you can't take Chicago's model and put here. You can't take
L.A.'s model and put here. We need a just right chief as well.
To develop and implement restructuring, I've gone outside the city to
find a nationally respected chief of police. You might have read it in the
papers. He is the chief in Richmond, Va. We're going to formally introduce
him to the community on next week.
I have a little surprise for you today. He is here with us today at the
Fox Theatre. I want to introduce you to our new chief of police Jerry
Oliver, his wife, Felicia, and their twin sons Joshua and Jacob, that are
right here. Let's show them how we welcome people to Detroit.
Ya'll see I'm into the twin theme.
I spent quite a bit of time with Chief Oliver before I offered him the
job and I liked what I saw. He is a strong proponent of community
policing. It's not just a buzz term - it's a value, it's an ethic, it's
how you conduct a police department - understanding that the police
department can't really police without community support. He has led
several highly effective anti-crime initiatives, For example, while he was
chief, the number of murders in the city of Richmond was cut in half. As a
matter of fact, the city of Richmond will have under 70 murders. Detroit,
it's time for us to move forward.
Also the Richmond police department just won the Motorola award for the
most innovative police department in the country. I went out to Richmond
and I rode in a scout car with officers that had MDCs, laptops and
touchscreens in their cars. I went to the call center, which had the
latest in modern technology - none of which was paid for out of the city's
general fund because Chief Oliver understands that you have to partner
with national organizations like the Police Foundation, like PERTH, like
NOBLE to bring dollars in here so we're not constantly taxing that general
fund. The innovation, the creativity, Detroit, is here. Chief Jerry
Oliver.
But Chief Oliver can't do it alone. He's going to need the active
involvement of the department, of the community, to be a good police chief
and to have a good police department. We can't have a quality police force
without community involvement. We need to find a way to pay our police
officers more money. People who go out and do the job that they do are
giving their blood, sweat and tears for our community deserve more. But we
can't tax the general fund. We have to find alternative resources to make
that happen. We need the innovation and creativity here. We also need
up-to-date technology so we have the latest advancements in crime
fighting.
I'll be working with our foundations, our corporate community, and
other segments of our community so we can put our police foundation
together to begin to raise the dollars that we need to support our guys on
the street. Detroit's finest.
I'll also will be setting up a working relationship with Wayne State
University and WCCC. This is something that should have been done years
ago, to offer our officers reduced rates for going to school. A more
educated police force means better decision making skills. It will improve
morale in the police department. The police department - when you work for
the police department, it's not just a job, it's a career and we should be
working to enhance the quality of that career. We want to set up similar
situations of educational programs and opportunities for all of our city
workers so we can create an environment where the city's work force,
including the police department, is more educated and ready to engage the
new economy, the global marketplace and the global issues.
During this campaign and the transition process, I met with hundreds of
city employees. Both administrators and the people who do the basic work
for the city. I found many talented and dedicated employees who took the
job with the city because they wanted to serve. That situation is
reflected in the fact that when we are done assembling most of my
administration, thirty to forty percent of the department directors and
deputies will be retained. However, I also talked to city employees who
said frankly some of their colleagues had what they call the ``quit and
stay'' mentality. They quit a long time ago but they come to work every
single day.
As I talk with the leadership in the labor community, I'm going to ask
if we can work together to create an environment where we allow the cream
rise to the top in some of those departments - but also to help me get rid
some of those bad employees out of city government. Mediocrity will not be
tolerated. The status quo is not good enough for my grandfather so it's
not good enough for you. The Kilpatrick administration is not a status quo
administration. So I ask all labor leadership, all city workers to step up
to the responsibility of leadership and help make this the city that God
intended that it be.
My responsibility as mayor is to get this city in fiscal shape. It
needs to be able to give an honest day's pay to all our city workers It's
up to all those city workers to give us an honest day's work.
My second priority is Mayor's Time. We talked about this all through
the campaign. Mayor's time is from 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. after school, when
eighty-two percent of juvenile delinquency takes place here in the city of
Detroit. It's time for us to get this program moving. So I'm issuing a
challenge not just to myself but to all those people who will work with me
on the 11th floor and throughout the Kilpatrick administration, by saying
this program will be kicked off in September of 2002 - the next school
year.
This program will be coordinated through the Mayor's office, using the
recreation department, community centers, churches, and people all over
our city of Detroit. The program will work with young people in developing
cognitive skills, employability skills - and not just throwing a baseball
or basketball around to keep them occupied. I will be meeting soon with
members of the foundation community for our second meeting to more
thoroughly discuss the program and see how they can step up to the plate.
I will work tirelessly to see that this program becomes a reality. But in
saying that, I don't mean that it's solely my responsibility. We have a
responsibility to work with our young people with all of us pitching in.
It begins with parents.
Parents help your kids - your children - understand that the value of
reading, math and learning. As a father, I know I'm going to spend a
couple of hours every day with my children because my job as a father is
the most important job that I have. There is no way I can lead the city of
Detroit if I don't lead in my own house.
Parents, spend time with your children. Take them to some of the
wonderful jewels that are available here in the city of Detroit - the
Detroit Zoo, take them to Belle Isle, the new Science Center, the DIA, the
Museum of African American History. Don't send them - take them. Help them
to develop pride in their family and pride in their city.
Senior citizens - ones who paved the way for all of us. You have a much
needed and important role in our city. We want you involved in Mayor's
Time program. Parents, training is desperately needed with our young
people throughout our community. Many of you don't want to sit around -
you want to help. And those senior citizens that I've talked to throughout
this campaign, I will work with to make sure that they are at the table
and involved in the daily workmanship of this administration.
Members of the business community, I want you to get involved. Many
times people come to the business community and ask you for your financial
resources. Yes, we want those too. But we also want your human resources.
We're going to ask you to get involved with our young people in the city
of Detroit. Offering to engage our young people in new technology,
innovations and creativity in business. Also offering the opportunity to
learn from you having to grow their employability skills. Communities that
are not involved with business and business that is not involved with
communities don't work anymore. The term good corporate citizen will
continue to exist here in the city of Detroit. Everyone is allowed to
participate in the progress and prosperity of this city. Everyone has a
responsibility to participate.
Finally, despite the advice that I was given by those senior executive
to hold to two priorities - in order for us to jumpstart our progress and
prosperity here in the city of Detroit - we have a third priority. It's
our emergency citywide cleanup of this city.
Our transition team worked very diligently, led by Bobby Ferguson and
Frank Torre in this area, to develop a comprehensive cleanup for the city
of Detroit that will begin knocking down dangerous buildings focused
around Detroit Public Schools on February 1.
I'm asking the Council to partner with to make sure that this program
gets the steam it deserves so our citizens feel more pride in our
community.
Finally, after the snow melts in April or May, we begin a citywide
cleanup and also a program so the city stays clean after it's cleaned up.
A city that has pride has to be clean.
But I can't do it alone. The City Council can't do it alone. If Detroit
is going to have or achieve the potential, we all have to take
responsibility for its recovery. I accept the responsibility of leadership
in this effort. I ask each of you to step up to your responsibility to be
part of this effort.
What can people do? Each of us can play a part. The 19th century
American clergyman Phillip Brooks said ``Do not pray for easy lives, pray
to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, pray for
powers equal to your tasks. That is my future. That is all of our futures.
All I have to saying in closing, as I do in every speech, it's time for
all of us to participate in the progress and prosperity of the city of
Detroit. It's time for all of us to understand that we can't waste four
more years or eight more years or twelve more years in this city. It's
time for all of us to rise up and step up to the mantle of leadership.
It's time for all of us to rise up in this city. It's time for all of us,
state legislature, governor, city council, members of the county
commission, attorney general, lieutenant governor - it's time for all of
us to rise up, to rise up, to rise up - and not start our future four
years from now. It's time for all of us to rise up and being our future
right here and right now.