Bloggin’ on the Edge

Posted by Scott Spielman at 3:16 PM | Comments

Laurrie Marrs, the co-founder of the Citizens for Northville, had a quick response when I asked her how she felt about being suboenaed by attorneys representing REIS.

“I am so angry!”

Marrs and fellow township resident Carol Poenisch founded the CFN to express concerns about the development at the former Northville Psychiatric Hospital site, increase awareness about the proposal and generally support smart development.

They did what any founder of any grass roots group would do: they contacted their local elected officials, their state representatives—State Sen. Bruce Patterson (R-Canton) and State Rep. Marc Corriveau (D-Northville). They put on a town hall meeting. They set up a website, too.

The developers’ high priced attorneys subpeonaed them both, directing them to come in and give a deposition in the ongoing dispute between developer and township.

Angry? You bet. I’m angry, too. In fact, I’m outraged. This has nothing to do with either lawsuit; it’s a bullying tactic, plain and simple. It’s a move designed to make people fearful of expressing their opinion, or protecting their community.

It is a direct assault on the American way of life.

I don’t care which side of this issue you fall on, whether you think the township is being unreasonable or the developer is trying to force their will on the community. This is the clearest indication yet of the type of company township officials are dealing with here. They’re not interested in bolstering the job market. They’re not interested in anything but getting their own way.

You can’t say you want to work with a community or be a good neighbor and then turn around and harass a couple of residents who are trying to protect it.

People in Northville—and anywhere else an American Flag is flown, for that matter—should be just as upset. They should be contacting their local and state officials, showing up at township board meetings, posting on message boards, too.

If these kinds of tactics can survive the harsh light of public scrutiny and outcry, then God help us all.

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