Barack Obama wants to get new voters registered in Detroit, so he’s enlisted Jay-Z to perform in Detroit on Saturday to encourage them to do just that. Jay-Z will be performing Saturday, 8:30pm at Cobo Hall.

Concert-goers must be 18 to attend, and fans can pick up one ticket per person beginning at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the following Obama campaign locations:

• Detroit state headquarters: 2875 W. Grand Blvd.

• Detroit field office: 16031 Mack Ave.

• Dearborn: 10415 W. Warren Ave.

• Canton: 42011 Ford Road

• Southfield: 18284 W. Ten Mile

Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm talks MI economy, and politics of change on the “Today Show ” -broadcast live from Campus Martius Park in Downtown Detroit, yesterday. Detroit’s own Aretha Franklin also appeared on a cooking segment.

UPDATE from News 4: Sources told Local 4, just past 9:00pm on Wednesday, the mayor and his legal team agreed to a deal, which includes the following: Immediate resignation; plead guilty to 2 felonies; pay restitution of $1 million; spend 4 months in jail; and cannot run for public office for 5 years. The mayir will enter a guilty plea this morning at 9:00.

Sources told Local 4 the mayor is expected in court at 9 a.m. Thursday in front of Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David Groner, where he will reportedly go on record and accept this deal.

Local media outlets are reporting that Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick will enter a guilty plea tomorrow morning at 9:00. and once convicted of a felony, the mayor can be removed from office. The plea agreement reportedly includes 4 months jail time.

I predicted Kwame would be out of office by Friday - looks like I was right. But things could change…

Turns out the latest YouTube ghetto anthem “It’s So Cold In The D” is actually a tribute to a fallen friend. 30-year-old Detroit Rapper T-Baby (real name LaTonya Myles) wrote the song, and recorded the video to commemorate the life of her friend Mason Graham, who was killed at a Coney Island two years ago. The little boy in the video is T-Baby’s 10-yr-old son.

The video was shot by a local videographer, with a $300.00 budget - which explains the ‘homemade’ production. T-Baby says she doesn’t mind all the negative criticism the video has received. And according to the Detroit News -

“the song will be included on her album, “The Ride or Die Chick,” which she plans to release by the end of the year. Since the video started gaining attention, she says she’s been fielding phone calls from folks who say they’d like to manage her career.”

I ain’t mad at you - T-Baby. I wish you much success, and sometimes it IS cold in the D. But I swear - if I read “it’s so cold in the D” in the comments section of one more blog…

 UPDATE: The MI Appeals Court has ruled that the removal hearing for Kwame Kilpatrick can begin tomorrow morning, as scheduled.

With Governor Jennifer Granholm scheduled to hold a hearing tomorrow to dismiss Mayor Kilpatrick from office, the clocking is ticking on Kwame’s attempts to get a plea deal. His latest offer - to make a six-figure restitution to the city, serve 200 hours of community service, lose his law license, and not seek election for two years - was rejected by Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy, who countered today saying she would NOT agree to a plea deal that didn’t include AT LEAST six months jail time for Kwame. I’m sure Kwame is now wishing he’d taken the initial offer of 30 - 90 days in jail.

The lawyers just left the Michigan Appeals Court hearing, which was called by the defense in an attempt to stop Gov. Granholm’s hearing. It didn’t go well for Team Kwame. His lawyer was late, his arguments were weak, and he just generally appeared to piss of the judges.

No decision was made by the Appeals Court - they told Kwame’s lawyer they would make an announcement once their decision was made. So we wait.

My prediction: jail time or no - The Honorable Mayor Kwame Malik Kilpatrick will be the dishonored former mayor and accused felon Kwame Malik Kilpatrick by end-of-day Friday - all bought and paid for on the city’s dime - literally. Good work, Kwame!

But what about Christine?

…but was it really necessary to beat him up, and snatch his Transformers medallion?  I hear Yung Berg was in town this weekend, and got jumped at a club by some rappers for having made derogatory remarks about Detroit rappers in the past.

I’m guessing this isn’t big news to local media because it hasn’t been mentioned, as far as I know. And for those thinking it’s because random beatdowns are a common occurrence in the D - I beg to differ. Most violent crime in Detroit (and other cities, I’m sure) is drug-related, not random. It actually IS safe to go out in public here.

I think Yung Berg is an ass, but I get no real pleasure out of this - although I am surprised the sisters didn’t whip his little butt behind the dark-butt comments.  I’ll be honest - I wouldn’t wear a $70,000 medallion to a club in the D (or anywhere else) - especially if I were a well-known idiot like YB.  Should be able to without getting beat up, though. Just my opinion.

The Heidelberg Project - a collection of abandoned homes and crackhouses in Detroit that look like they were decorated by a bunch of drunken crackheads - has been been chosen to represent the United States in the architecture component of this year’s Venice Biennale, which - according to the Detroit News, “the New York Times calls “arguably the most prestigious contemporary arts festival in the world.” 

I, like many other Detroiters, consider the Heidelberg Project an eyesore that should have been demolished decades ago. Fortunately for Tyree Guyton - the ‘artist’ responsible for the Heidelberg Project - the good folks of suburbia deemed it ‘art’, formed committees to preserve it, and tour groups to come to Detroit and see it. Completely ignoring the fact that they didn’t have to live next door to it. Now the city is stuck with it.

But I digress. I would like to congratulate Tyree Guyton, and all involved. Art is subjective. And since this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,  I wish them nothing but the best!

…now I know a lot of y’all aren’t Detroiters - so you can’t sign the petitions. But a sista can read, so I know a lot of non-Detroiters agree with me - Kwame Kilpatrick has lost his damned mind! He’s no longer fit to run the city, and he needs to GO.

So far only 25,000 valid signatures have been obtained - but 58,000 valid signatures are needed by the end of August. The recall campaign has no phones because they have no money - so, can we help them out?

If you’re a registered voter in the D - go to the Recall Kilpatrick website, find a petition location, then go sign, ok?

If you’re not a Detroit resident - but still want to help - give ‘em some money!  Visit the Recall Kilpatrick website,  and make a donation. They accept credit cards, checks, and PayPal. I haven’t donated yet - but check me out on Thurdsay (payday). I’ll be sending a little somethin’ their way. Hope you join me!

…an event that changed the face of a city, and one that’s considered one of the country’s most violent civil disturbances.
On July 23, 1967 - the Detroit police raided an after-hours joint, AKA “a blind pig”, and then all hell broke loose on Detroit’s westside. The riot claimed 43 lives, left 2,000 injured, and 5,000 homeless. Burned 1,700 stores, and casued $50 million in damages - leaving an indelible mark on the face of the city.

I was just a very little girl in 1967, riot - but I remember you! Not the actual violence, though. I remember the National Guard stationed on the playground of Sanders Elementary School. The guardsmen would pay the older kids .25 cents to get them cigarettes, or a newspaper from the Basement Store. You could buy cigarettes for .35 cents/pack back then.

We lived just off the corner of West Philadelphia, and Euclid. Not too far from 12th Street - so there was always plenty of activity. And by activity - I mean looting. There was a 4-family flat directly across the street from our house, and I clearly remember it’s occupants - 3 transvestites - pushing home shopping carts full of Kotex sanitary pads they had looted from one of the corner stores. My sisters thought it was really funny, but I was too young to understand it then.  What was so funny about sanitary pads? Riot - I’m LMAO about it now!

Thanks for the memories. SMH

Sagging has just been deemed a misdemeanor in Flint MI. And the good law enforcement folks of Flint have been kind enough to provide a graphic - just in case you don’t know how low is TOO low:

According to the Detroit Free Press:

On June 27, Flint, MI Police Chief Dicks issued a departmental memorandum telling officers: “This immoral self expression goes beyond freedom of expression.”

The crime, he says, is disorderly conduct or indecent exposure, both misdemeanors punishable by 93 days to a year in jail and/or fines up to $500.

Pants pulled completely below the buttocks with underwear showing is disorderly conduct; saggy pants with skin of the buttocks showing is indecent exposure, and saggy pants, not completely below the buttocks, with underwear exposed results in a warning.

Can you say “racial profiling”? As a Detroiter - I can. I’m sure the ACLU can, too!