Robert Davis
Plain and simple, it's hard to believe a claim by Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett that the prosecution of activist Robert Davis was racially motivated.
But, according to a report in the Detroit News by Robert Snell, that's just what she's saying even though Davis, who was a school board member, admitted stealing $92,000 from the cash-strapped Highland Park schools and spending the money at car dealerships, hotels, bars and a custom-clothing store. He's set to be sentenced Dec. 18 in federal court in Detroit.
Garrett was among a group of people who have written letters of support to help get back Davis' union job at Detroit's biggest municipal union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Snell reports. Davis was fired after he pleaded guilty in his federal case.
The federal government is fighting his reinstatement, and in a court filing Thursday, wrote that Garrett told an investigator for the U.S. Department of Labor that the prosecution was racially motivated, according to the News.
Prosecutors wrote:
"Ms. Garrett described Davis's legal problems as an example of 'what a black man in Detroit' is up against."
"Ms. Garrett does not believe that Davis personally profited from the Highland Park Schools. Ms. Garrett added that Davis has matured and is committed as a parent and to being a strong voice in the community."
