locus communis

Perfect! A venture capitalist governor, his rich developer friends, and an appointed city “manager” conspire to destroy a democratically elected city government, marginalize its mostly poor, mostly black population and steal their most valuable resources: waterfront property and beaches - all for the crimes of joblessness and impoverished tax base. To add irony to injury, whirlpool, the major manufacturing giant, that shipped most of Benton Harbor’s jobs overseas thereby driving the residents and their city government to penury, plans its new corporate playground in the midst of Benton Harbor’s disenfranchised population. Now they can apply for new jobs …… as caddies, waiters and maids. And the developers and Whirlpool are doing this with Federal and state tax money! A microcosm of America.