A poem for Detroit

I’m going to tell to you a story
The details are a little gory
Detroiters are under attack
They’re trying to stab us in the back
Our problems they want to correct
By ignoring those who we elect
And in so doing, I might note
Make meaningless our right to vote
They’re saying that we are bankrupt
Yet their solutions are corrupt
They give the wealthy a sweet deal
And invent new ways to try to steal
From working people and the poor
This travesty we can’t endure
Our seniors now all feel the tension
As Orr & friends attack their pension
While from contractors and the banks
Orr will receive their grateful thanks
Remember when these banks got bailed
Out when they should’ve really been jailed
From so many homes they do evict
Hard working people who are kicked
Out with no help, it’s a damn disgrace
And further erodes our tax base
The wealth flows to them that’s got
Squeezing even more those who do not
The only way to make this right
Is get together, stand and fight
And as for the E.M., Mr. Orr
It’s time that we showed him the door!

Paul Felton is a retiree member of the American Postal Workers Union in the Detroit area. For more about the struggle around Detroit’s bankruptcy, see here.

Photo: Diego Rivera’s famous auto industry mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts is the backdrop for this logo for AFSCME’s petition campaign fighting for fairness for Detroit’s city workers and retirees. AFSCME Facebook page.