>> Karen: WHY WON’T HE ANSWER? WARREN MAYOR JIM FOUTS HAD HIS
CHANCE TO CLEAR IT UP ONCE AND
FOR ALL.
FOR ALL. HE SAID THE TAPES WERE DOCTORED.
UNDER OATH, IT’S A DIFFERENT
STORY.
STORY. THE RECORDINGS OF THE MAYOR SIT
AT THE CENTER OF A LAWSUIT FILED
BY A WOMAN WHO SPENT 10 YEARS AS
WARREN’S ONLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN
POLICE OFFICER.
POLICE OFFICER. >> Jason: SHE FACED RACISM
CONSTANTLY AT WORK, AND HER
ATTORNEY BELIEVES IT WAS
FOSTER MAYOR AND THE
TAPES PROVE IT.
KEVIN DIETZ IS LIVE AT WARREN
CITY HALL AND YOU TRIED TO TALK
TO THE MAYOR.
IS HE SAYING ANYTHING AT THIS
POINT?
POINT? >> Kevin: HE ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT
WANNA TALK ABOUT THE
TAPE-RECORDINGS, ESPECIALLY
TAPE-RECORDINGS, ESPECIALLY UNDER OATH AND REFUSED TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS ABOUT THEM.
NOW A JUDGE MAY MAKE HIM TALK
ABOUT IT IN COURT.
IT’S THE SECRET TAPE-RECORDING
CONTROVERSY THAT WILL NOT GO
AWAY.
AWAY. IS THIS WARREN MAYOR JIM FOUTS’S
UNEDITED VOICE ON THE TAPE.
>> Kevin: HE TOLD JERMONT TERRY
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
ABSOLUTELY NOT. >> NUMBER ONE, I HAVE THE
PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE, NUMBER
ONE.
ONE. NUMBER TWO, I’VE ALREADY SAID
THAT IS NOT MY VOICE AND IT’S A
MANIPULATED MANUFACTURED TAPE.
>> Kevin: UNDER OATH, HE REFUSED
TO ANSWER THE QUESTION ON ADVICE
OF COUNSEL.
OF COUNSEL. >> HE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO
ANSWER THE QUESTION BUT DID NOT
ANSWER IT AS TO WHETHER THAT WAS
HIS VOICE.
HIS VOICE. >> Kevin: NEIL ROCKIND SAID IT
COULD HURT THE CITY’S CHANCES IN
A RACIAL DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT
FILED BY A POLICE OFFICER IN
WARREN.
WARREN. >> IT’S A TOUGH POSITION FOR THE
MAYOR TO BE IN AND FOR HIS
LAWYERS.
LAWYERS. >> Kevin: AND LIKELY IS BUYING
MORE TIME UNTIL HE HAS TO ANSWER
THE QUESTION.
THE QUESTION. >> ASSUMING THAT THE JUDGE
PERMITS THIS EVIDENCE IN DURING
THE TRIAL, AT SOME POINT, THE
MAYOR WILL HAVE TO ANSWER.
>> Kevin: DESHEILA HOWLETT SAID
SHE HAD TO PUT UP WITH RACIST
REMARKS AT WORK.
>> I WAS COMPARED TO THE
GORILLA, AND PEOPLE DON’T
UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF A BACK
PERSON AND WHY THAT’S SO
DEMEANING.
DEMEANING. >> Kevin: AND SAID WHITE
OFFICERS WERE SLOW TO BACK HER
UP BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF HER
SKIN.
SKIN. >> THE CAVALRY IS COMING FOR
EVERYONE ELSE AS FAST AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. IT’S BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT I
WAS OUT THERE AND HAVEN’T BEEN
HURT.
HURT. >> Kevin: THE MAYOR SAID HE HAS
KNOWING TO DO WITH HER CASE
FINDS HIMSELF IN THE THICK OF IT
BECAUSE IT CLAIMS THE MAYOR
ALLOWED A CULTURE OF RACIAL
DISCRIMINATION.
DISCRIMINATION. >> THE MAYOR WILL HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY AGAIN TO ANSWER THAT
QUESTION OR NOT ANSWER IT.
>> Kevin: THIS AFTERNOON, WE DID
HEAR FROM MAYOR FOUTS’ ATTORNEY
WHO SAID HE IS NOT A PARTY AND
HAD NO INVOLVEMENT IN HER
SEPARATION FROM THE...
>> Kevin: YOU CAN SEE THE ENTIRE FULL STATEMENT ON OUR WEBSITE,
CLICKONDETROIT.COM.
CLICKONDETROIT.COM. KEVIN DIETZ, "DEFENDERS."
>> Jason: IT’S SO HIT-AND-MISS
WITH THE MAYOR ON WHAT HE WANTS
TO SAY ABOUT THIS.
CLEARLY HE WANTS IT TO GO AWAY
AND HAS SAID HE WANTED TO ANSWER
THE QUESTIONS, AND WOULD HAVE
DENIED THAT, BUT WE’LL SEE IF HE
ANSWERS IT IN COURT.
BY THE WAY, WHAT ARE YOU
EXPECTING TO SEE ON WEDNESDAY
WHEN THE CASE GOES BACK TO
COURT?
COURT? >> Kevin: IT WILL BE IN FEDERAL
COURT --
COURT -- >> Jason: WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS
ON WEDNESDAY.
ON WEDNESDAY. WE LOST KEVIN AND APOLOGIZE.
WE’LL BE WATCHING THE CASE AS IT