Folks –
The battle over Affirmative Action
continues in a BIG way, especially in
For those who might need a quick refresher,
the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI) has been circulating petitions throughout
the state for over one year asking everyone to sign them as a means to get a
ballot referendum on the November 2006 state ballot in an attempt to amend the
Michigan Constitution. The group hides not only behind the false representation
of its name (it certainly doesn’t represent “civil rights” as
we all know them), it also obscures the language on its petition by giving the
impression that its approval by the voters will result in an amendment to the
constitution that will insure and protect civil rights and be against
discrimination. In actuality, if passed, the amendment would serve to DISMANTLE all Affirmative Action programs and
initiatives throughout the state, from college admissions to employment to
contracts and beyond. I’ve attached a copy of the actual petition they
used so you can read the language of the petition. Please note that the term “Affirmative
Action” is not mentioned or referred to anywhere in the petition. Indeed,
this is deliberate obfuscation and it seeks to and intends to delude and confuse
people. The deceptive practice is not limited to the written language; the MCRI
recruiters also mislead those who they hired (rumored to be at anywhere from $1
to $3.00 per signature) to circulate the petitions. Some petition circulators
have since indicated that they were lied to and told that the petition was intended
to “protect” civil rights and “insure” that
discrimination is illegal in
This is not a new tactic at all. It is
exactly the technique used by Ward Connerly’s California Civil Rights
Initiative in getting Proposition 209 passed in
What to do…???
Right now, we need to generate and collect
written affidavits from anyone who was approached and mislead by the MCRI
petition workers. Please review the posted document below for further details. (It’s
also attached in a pdf format.) If you can help, please write and send your
letter to the address listed below before July 1, 2005. If anyone has any
questions, please feel free to contact me either via email or by telephone
(810-762-3365).
Tendaji W. Ganges
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Live to leave a
mark, not a stain!"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Were you
asked to sign the petition for the
Were you approached by the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative and asked
to sign a petition for a ballot referendum? If the answer is YES, please read on and help us keep their anti-affirmative action
referendum off the
The so-called Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI) used fraud and
deception to collect petition signatures to place their ANTI-affirmative action referendum on the
Many people, particularly in
BAMN (The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and
Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary) has filed a
challenge with the Board of Canvassers demanding that MCRI’s petitions be thrown out because they
were gathered through systematic fraud and deception.
BAMN has already submitted 82 affidavits from voters who were
deliberately deceived by MCRI. BAMN is now
looking for additional
evidence to prove that this fraud was calculated, widespread and organized from
the top. BAMN is seeking written statements from all individuals who
were approached by MCRI circulators who either said or implied that the
petition was pro-affirmative action. We are also trying to demonstrate that the
language of the petition was so vague, even the most educated voter couldn’t tell by reading the
petition language that it would ban affirmative action if enacted.
Whether or not you
signed the petition, if you were lied to, your statement will
aid our case. Please take a few moments and write out a short statement
that includes the following points:
1. Your
name, address, phone number and occupation
2. When
you were approached (approximate date, if not sure of exact date)
3. Where
you were approached
4. What
the person who approached you looked like
5. What
the person said to you, to your best recollection
6. Whether
or not you signed the petition
7. If
you read the language of the petition before signing, and still believed it to
be in defense of affirmative action, state that fact
8. Complete
the statement with the sentence “I
declare the aforesaid is true under pain of perjury” and then sign the statement.
Fax the statement by JULY 1, 2005
to: 313-963-7587 or mail it to BAMN, P.O. Box 24834, Kensington Station,
Detroit, MI 48224. If you have questions, call 313-438-3416 or email
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