Detroit — Opponents of a controversial affirmative action proposal crowded into a Michigan Civil Rights Commission hearing Wednesday to dispute methods used by petition circulators, calling them misleading and "racially targeted fraud."
The Michigan Civil Rights Commission held the hearing due to requests made throughout the past year from individuals and organizations, including, most notably, Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN.
According to a statement released Friday by the commission, the fraud allegations arose after several people complained that canvassers petitioning for the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative claimed that their petition was in support of affirmative action-style programs in the state.
The initiative, which has aroused an ardent debate with emotions running high on both sides of the issue, would make it unconstitutional to discriminate against or give preferential treatment because of skin color, gender, race, ethnicity or national origin in public contracting, employment and education.
"There were even people within the department who felt they have been mislead," said Harold Core, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
In January 2004, the commission submitted a resolution that said it was opposed to the MCRI and in favor of affirmative action in Michigan, Core said.
MCRI supporters are accused of collecting 125,000 signatures by telling Michigan citizens that the legislation is in favor of affirmative action. The MCRI collected 508,000 signatures, which is more than the 317,757 required for the legislation to gain ballot status, said Michigan Department of State spokeswoman Kelly Chesney. Even if the alleged fraudulent endorsements are not included, the MCRI would still have enough signatures to appear on the ballot, Chesney said.
In a statement released Wednesday, MCRI executive director Jennifer Gratz called the hearing "a Kangaroo Court, one where its mind is made up and is designed to give BAMN a stage upon which to conduct its ridiculous theater."
She added that she would not be attending the hearing. No other MCRI supporters were available for comment at the event.
The hearing consisted of a panel that listened to five-minute testimonies about the alleged voting fraud. Civil rights activists, union leaders and petition circulators were among those called to testify.
Sammy Williams, a petition circulator from Benton Harbor, said he was deceived about the initiative's intent.
"I was not informed that the petition's purpose was to limit or end affirmative action measures including programs for admitting underrepresented minority students to our state universities and hiring minority and women applicants to public sector jobs," Williams wrote in a statement to the commission.
Shanta Driver, national spokesperson for BAMN, called the signature collection process "racially targeted fraud."
