By Daud Yar

Guest Columnist

April Fool’s Day brings many laughs and this year nobody will laugh harder than Kwame Kilpatrick. The ex-mayor of Detroit was recently released from Wayne County Jail after serving only 99 days of his 120 day sentence. He now pulls down a six figure salary under employment with Compuware. Kilpatrick started his new job in Texas a couple weeks after his release with a $100,000 salary plus commissions.

How does this happen? How is it that Kilpatrick is employed while so many Americans are jobless? The answers are not logical and the reasons cannot be justified. They need not point to reason but rather lunacy.

Kilpatrick’s two terms produced much controversy for the city. The incident in the fall of 2002 set the tone early on. And it did not end well.

 Kilpatrick hurt Detroit financially, as well. His appeal to the whistleblower case cost Detroit millions of dollars. Appeals should be for the wrongly accused; not for men like Kilpatrick who use public funds for a Lincoln Navigator, family trips, obstructing justice, etc. The list goes on, but I have little time. Why does society tolerate these shenanigans? Are we afraid to speak out? Maybe we just don’t care? Either way, Kilpatrick can kick

back, knowing he had the last laugh.      

Now I give the newspapers a lot of credit for going to great lengths to uncover the truth. I am disappointed at the timing, however. Why did it take so long to have any kind of justice? It’s not as if Kilpatrick was subtle about his exploits. He practically shoved it in everyone’s face; but we just stood by, not a care in the world.   

Kilpatrick received the best of care serving out his sentence. He was separated from the general population. He had his own shower in a 15 x 10 foot cell. If ever there was a jail suite, this was it. I wouldn’t be surprised if shuffle board was a daily activity. The man lied under oath. That should be enough to at least guarantee a normal cell.

Kilpatrick was released from jail in no time. But at least he’s Compuware’s problem now, or so that’s what we thought. After securing a well paying job, what’s the first thing that Kilpatrick did? He filed a lawsuit against SkyTel for releasing personal text messages. The man has a chance to start anew but instead decides to open up the same can of worms that cost him his last job. Even if Kilpatrick somehow succeeds in the lawsuit it won’t change the fact that everyone already read his text messages. It’s public knowledge.  

In the end, Kilpatrick is out. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’ll run for mayor again; probably in Austin, Texas. He’ll get elected and make fools of Austin’s finest. This will happen because justice has been kicked to the curb. Who cares about justice when we can be bought? Kilpatrick knew it just as any other politician. We stress building a just society yet no one puts in any effort. That’s why the joke’s on us.