When a Michigan city or school district has financial problems, the Emergency Financial Manager (EMF) Law is used to remove the rights of citizens to an elected, representative government and replace their elected officials with governor appointees. In practice, this law has been used to disproportionately remove democratic rights to black citizens. Michigan's population is 14% black. Each of the cities impacted by the EMF law are over 40% black. Michigan citizens voted to repeal the EMF on a ballot referendum in 2012. Then state government disregarded the manifest will of the people and remade the EMF law with a budget attached so citizens can no longer overturn it with a ballot initiative. Please act by any means available to restore democracy to our Michigan cities.
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