There's never a dull moment for former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. A judge ordered Kilpatrick's wife and father to answer questions in a civil lawsuit related to the shooting death of a stripper.
The family of the woman, whose name is Tamara Greene, claim that Kilpatrick stifled a probe into the woman's death in 2003. Her nickname was Strawberry, and she was believed to have performed at a party at the mayoral mansion in 2002.
U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said that lawyers for the Greene family can speak with Carlita Kilpatrick (Kwame Kilpatrick's wife), Bernard Kilpatrick (his father) and a former Detroit police chief. The reasons for their depositions are not yet known.
A former police records clerk claims that she saw a report stating that Carlita Kilpatrick beat Greene. The Kilpatricks are denying the allegation. Kwame Kilpatrick resigned as mayor after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice.
The legendary death of Strawberry the stripper, which appeared to be a calculated hit, is a tale that has intrigued Detroit residents for years. A rapper made a song about her, and people have whispered for years about how she was "coincidentally" found dead shortly after being wrapped in the drama of an embattled and powerful politician.
The story was made even more shocking when the attorney for Greene's family was allegedly told by the city attorney that "(He'll) end up face down in an alley with a knife in his back" if he chooses to depose individuals who draw too much media attention to the case. Yes, Detroit politics is apparently off the chain. I won't be running for office there anytime soon.
I feel sorry for Kwame Kilpatrick, who was no doubt being congratulated incessantly for having so much success at an early age. Now his life of luxury and power has been replaced with the humiliation of his family, stressful court dates, massive fines, jail time and perpetual disgrace. It is a reminder that all which glitters isn't gold and that access to power requires an increased dose of caution and responsibility.
To read more on the scandal, check out 'Attorney's Life Allegedly Threatened in Case Involving Kwame Kilpatrick.'
Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and author of the new book, 'Black American Money
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