Kwame Kilpatrick, the son of former Michigan Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick and ex-mayor of Detroit, is set to be released from prison on July 24th after the Michigan parole board agreed to release the embattled politician.
Kilpatrick was originally sent to prison for obstruction of justice in 2008 when he served 99 days of a 120 day sentence. He was released on February 3, 2009 but soon after his release from prison he was thrown right back in the clink.
On May 25, 2010 Kilpatrick was sentenced to one and a half to five years in prison for violating the terms of his probation. Kilpatrick failed to make the necessary restitution payments to the state of Michigan and because of that he was put back in jail.
Now he’s scheduled for release again and may soon return to the very place he loathes the most: Prison. Late last year Kilpatrick was indicted on new corruption charges where he faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
From the golden mayoral mansion, Manoogian Mansion, in Detroit to inmate number 44678-039 in Milan, Michigan, Kilpatrick has had a mighty fall from grace.
He was once billed as the “hip-hop” mayor with a vision for a decaying city but those hopes soon turned into nightmares when news of Kwame’s improper behavior surfaced.
Former Birmingham mayor Larry Langford is in Kilpatrick’s wheelhouse of corruption as well. Last year the charismatic politician was sentenced to 15 years in prison for corruption after the FBI issued a 101-count indictment on Langford.
Langford is a big thinker with ambitious ideas that included the construction of Alabama’s only theme park, Alabama Adventure, and the idea that Birmingham would host 2020 summer Olympics.
Both men are examples of Americana, fossils of the political system who will only be remembered for their bones and not much else.
They are also examples of why we shouldn’t follow the person but the works of the individual.
Kwame Kilpatrick is a physical specimen, standing tall at 6’4” and weighing in at 310 pounds. His allure was like store bought red velvet cake. You knew you would get a good product but you would still rather have the homemade version.
Langford is like a fast talking city lawyer who could sell water to a whale and still convince the whale that the water he just purchased wasn’t enough. He used the gravitational pull of personality mostly for good but it soon ended in despair as Langford found himself with the disgraced fate of so many who came before him.
As African-Americans we want to believe that one of “us” will represent the best of “us.” That another black man or woman who comes from our communities and understands the plight of black people will represent our needs.
Sadly we fall for that trick far too many times and we still have yet to learn our lesson. Skin color in politics means about as much as it does in law enforcement, it doesn’t make a difference.
Sure we have great and honest politicians who represent the true will and want of the people but those few political champions are there for all and not just the few. While we want those from our community to show empathy for us it’s a dangerous path we walk when we walk with only one stick down that political alleyway.
Kwame and Larry are only two twigs in the tree of political corruption that dates back as far as the first Kennedy. They weren’t the first and they won’t be the last.
It’s important that we hold all politicians to the same standard and not just those who look and talk like we do. We hold black political figures in high regard because our communities are usually last to be cared for and first to be pushed aside. Our expectations are high for good reason and they should remain that way.
But let’s remember that politics is the practice of people making collective decisions not just one man or woman. We are to be held responsible for their shortcomings as public servants as well because we often times vote blindly without checking the legitimacy of their record of service.
Kwame and Larry will soon turn into lost political images in our memory’s museums but for the sake of our beloved communities, its time that we properly educate ourselves on the people we elect to serve and why we put them there in the first place.
-JH
