CASE
CONTINUING TO PROTECT THE CASE
CONTINUING TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY IN HER NEW JOB IS PERSONAL. I’M NOT GIVING LIP
SERVICE TO THIS. I CAN REALLY
TELL THE COMMUNITY THAT I KNOW
WHAT YOU’RE GOING THROUGH
MICHIGAN’S FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO
SERVE AS U. S ATTORNEY, SHE HAS
BIG PLANS TO STOP CORRUPTION
DRUGS AND PROTECT YOUR CIVIL
RIGHTS. I THINK THE NUMBER ONE
PRIORITY IS REBUILDING COMMUNITY
TRUST, QUITE FRANKLY, BECAUSE
UNTIL WE HAVE LEGITIMACY AND
COMMUNITY, WE WILL NOT SUCCEED.
DONNA ISON WAS NOMINATED BY
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN AND THEN
CONFIRMED BY THE U. S SENATE
JUST FIVE MONTHS AGO, SHE HAS
COMMITTED HER LIFE TO PUBLIC
SERVICE. THE LAST 19 YEARS IN
THE U. S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE 12
YEARS AS A DEFENSE ATTORNEY
BEFORE THAT, NOW SHE IS
MICHIGAN’S CHIEF FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER. SHE
RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH OUR
RHONDA WALKER TO SHARE HOW BOTH
HER RESUME AS AN ATTORNEY AND
HER LIFE EXPERIENCE FROM
CHILDHOOD UNTIL NOW HAS PREPARED
HER FOR THIS JOB. DON ISON
BELIEVES SHE’S THE RIGHT PERSON
FOR THE JOB CARRYING OUT THE
DUTIES OF THE U. S ATTORNEY OF
THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN
, AND IT IS VERY PERSONAL FOR
HER. SHE SHARED WITH ME HER
PRIORITIES AND HOW SHE SAYS SHE
CAN RELATE TO THE STRUGGLES THAT
THE COMMUNITY IS GOING THROUGH.
BECAUSE SHE’S BEEN THERE. I’M
NOT GIVING LIP SERVICE TO THIS.
I CAN REALLY TELL THE COMMUNITY
THAT I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING
THROUGH. TALK ABOUT SOME OF
THOSE LIFE EXPERIENCES THAT ARE
SO RELATABLE. MY FATHER WAS
MURDERED ON THE STREETS OF
DETROIT WHEN I WAS NINE YEARS
OLD. I HAD A COUSIN WHO WAS
KILLED BY A DRUNK DRIVER. I WAS
THE VICTIM OF AN ASSAULT OF
CRIME MYSELF. FAMILY MEMBERS
WHO’VE HAD BRUSHES WITH THE LAW.
WHO STRUGGLED WITH ADDICTION,
MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES. I CAN
RELATE TO YOU BECAUSE I AM YOU
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH?
I HOPE TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF
THE CITIZENS THAT THEY CAN LIVE
FREELY AND WORK FREELY AND PLAY
FREELY IN THIS DISTRICT FREE
FROM VIOLENCE. ONE OF MY TOP
PRIORITIES IS, UH PROSECUTING
CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION ALL U. S
ATTORNEY’S OFFICES PROSECUTE
CIVIL RIGHTS CASES BUT DON’T
HAVE A ACTUAL UNIT DEVOTED TO
IT, AND WE DO AND WE’RE ONE OF
FOUR OF THE 93. U. S ATTORNEY’S
OFFICES RELENTLESSLY PURSUING
DISCRIMINATION IN HOUSING,
EMPLOYMENT, HATE CRIMES AND
POLICING. WE’RE GOING TO BE
LOOKING AT A PATTERN AND
PRACTICE INVESTIGATIONS AND
POLICE DEPARTMENTS. TO KEEP
PEOPLE SAFE AND SECURE AND NOT
VIOLATE THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS KNOWS
THERE’S WORK TO DO TO REGAIN THE
COMMUNITY’S TRUST, BECAUSE UNTIL
WE HAVE LEGITIMACY AND COMMUNITY
, WE WILL NOT SUCCEED IN
PURSUING CIVIL RIGHTS MORE
VIGOROUSLY AND REDUCING VIOLENT
CRIME. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT DON’T TRUST ONE FORCE MINT
RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE THE WIFE OF A
RETIRED DETROIT POLICE OFFICER.
I KNOW BETTER THAN MOST THE
SACRIFICE THEY MAKE TO PROTECT
US. I WANT HIM TO RETURN HOME
SAFELY FROM A TRAFFIC STOP. BUT
I WANT MY SON TO SURVIVE IT TOO,
SO I KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO
REBUILD COMMUNITY TRUST BY
GETTING RID OF THE BAD COPS AND
THE GOOD COPS HAVE TO TAKE
OWNERSHIP OF THAT, TOO, SO THAT
WE CAN HAVE THE COMMUNITY HELP
US REDUCE THIS VIOLENCE. AND
THIS IS PERSONAL FOR YOU.
BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR COMMUNITY.
A DAUGHTER OF DETROIT, A PRODUCT
OF DETROIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LET
ME SHOUT OUT TO MY CAST
TECHNICIANS AND I’M ALSO A PROUD
GRADUATE OF WAYNE STATE
UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL IN A
LIFETIME OF PUBLIC SERVICE IN
METRO DETROIT, BIG GIRL WITH A
BIG MOUTH FROM THE NORTH EAST
SIDE OF DETROIT, WHO HAD A
SINGLE MOTHER WHO STRUGGLED TO
CARE FOR HER CHILDREN. I WANTED
TO BE A MOUTH FOR PEOPLE LIKE
HER LIKE MYSELF CAREER OF
GETTING CRIMINALS OFF THE
STREETS INCLUDES A NOTABLE
CASES. AS CHIEF OF THE DRUG
ENFORCEMENT UNIT. I PROSECUTED
ONE OF THE LARGEST DRUG
TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONS AT THE
TIME, AND THAT WAS THE BLACK
MAFIA FAMILY, AND WE’RE GOING TO
DEAL WITH THE DRIVERS OF
VIOLENCE, THE PEOPLE ACTUALLY
USING GUNS TO COMMIT VIOLENCE.
ONLY SMALL CLUSTERS OF PLACES I
HAVE MY PROSECUTORS AND SOME OF
THE DETROIT POLICE DEPARTMENT
PRECINCTS. WHEN I STARTED THIS
JOB, WE WERE ONLY IN TWO. WE’RE
NOW IN THE FOURTH, THE EIGHTH,
THE NINTH, THE 11TH AND THE 12TH
AND WE WERE ABLE RECENTLY TO GET
TWO KILLERS OFF OF THE STREET
USING THIS METHOD ALSO HAS
NOTABLE PUBLIC CORRUPTION CASES
TO HER CREDIT, INDICTED THE CASE
OF MAYOR SOLLERS AND SEVERAL OF
HIS CO CONSPIRATORS AND TAYLOR.
THERE’S NOTHING WORSE THAN OUR
TAXPAYERS ARE CITIZENS, ELECTING
SOMEONE ON TO SERVE THEM AND
THEN THEY BREACHED THAT TRUST.
WE WILL CONTINUE TO HOLD PUBLIC
OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE, TOUGH AND
HUMBLED TO CARRY THE LOAD OF THE
OFFICE. IT SERVES AS THE
PINNACLE OF MY CAREER TECHNICAL
OF YOUR CAREER, AND ALSO THE
PINNACLE OF THIS POSITION FOR A
BLACK WOMAN. YOU’RE THE FIRST I
AM THE FIRST, BUT I STAND ON THE
SHOULDERS OF ALL THOSE WHO COULD
HAVE BEEN AND WANTS TO INSPIRE
THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUNG
GIRLS. JUST LOOK AT ME THROUGH
ALL OF THOSE CHALLENGES AND
OBSTACLES THAT I MENTIONED. THEY
DIDN’T HARDEN ME. THEY MOTIVATED
ME. I’M NEARING THE CULMINATION
OF MY CAREER. I’M ALMOST 60. AND
SO YES, I CAN, YOU KNOW? YES I
AM. SO THIS IS I’M NOT USING
THIS AS A LAUNCHPAD. THIS IS
REALLY ME TRYING TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN A PLACE THAT I
REALLY, REALLY LOVE. I’M TRYING
TO DO THIS JUST RIGHT AND BUILD
A LEGACY FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW.
DURING HER CAREER, ISON HAS BEEN
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED SEVERAL