Pastor Bill Wylie Kellerman is shown here being removed along with Detroit School Board member Elena Herrada from City Council meeting April 16, 2013, protesting vote for renewed contract with Jones Day.
“Jones Day is not the City of Detroit!”
By Frank and Karen Hammer
January 8, 2014
DETROIT — Detroit activist pastor Rev. William Wylie-Kellerman was removed from the Detroit bankruptcy court trial yesterday by security for speaking truth to power.
The incident occurred at about 11:30 am on Friday, January 3, 2014, the first day of resumed trial proceedings before Judge Steven Rhodes, on the December 24 settlement proposal to pay Bank of America/Merrill Lynch and UBS bank $165 million, borrowed from Barclays bank, to settle claims over dubious interest rate ‘swaps.’
- Judge Steven W. Rhodes “chairs” one-sided forum on EM’s and Chapter 9 bankruptcy Oct. 10, 2012. Participants included two EM trainers, one PA 4 co-author, and Charles Moore of Conway McKenzie, a chief witness for Jones Day at the bankruptcy trial.
Judge Rhodes denied a creditor motion by attorney Caroline English of Ambac Assurance Corp. to compel production of attorney/client privileged documents relied on by Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, regarding the evaluation of Detroit’s legal claims against these ‘counterparties.’
At that point, Rev. Wylie-Kellerman addressed the court directly from his seat at the back of the room: “Judge Rhodes, even without these documents it’s clear that Bank of America should be sued and prosecuted, not compensated. Jones Day is not the City of Detroit!” he added as he was physically removed from the room by court security. Judge Rhodes immediately ran from the bench out of the court, and the proceedings were briefly halted.
Rev. Wylie-Kellerman, of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church on the southeast corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit, left the building with a few others shortly after the incident. He explained his non-violent direct action:
“For the people of Detroit by throwing its authority behind Kevyn Orr, this court has the same legitimacy as the Emergency Manager and Jones Day: None. The filing is illegitimate, unconstitutional, immoral and against the will of the people. The court has become an instrument of direct corporate rule. The Barclays loan is the ‘swap’ of one theft for another. In a legitimate court, Bank of America would be prosecuted for such a predatory scheme, not compensated.”
Rev. Wylie-Kellerman and Detroit School Board in exile member Elena Herrada face misdemeanor charges in 36th District Court on January 27, 2014, for disrupting the Detroit City Council vote on the Jones Day contract with Detroit in April 2013. They have repeatedly demanded a jury trial on those charges, but Detroit – governed by former Jones Day partner and Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr, has repeatedly refused to proceed with the prosecution. Jones Day also represents the counterparties – Bank of America/Merrill Lynch and UBS – to be paid in the deal at issue.
FOR FURTHER COMMENT AND INFORMATION:
Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellerman (313) 433-1967 or bill@scupe.com
