Link to the October 2020 Michigan Libertarian
Detroit, MI – Libertarian Presidential candidate Dr. Jo Jorgensen appeared in Detroit on Monday, September 28th. She spoke to Supporters on that rainy night at Riverside Park, near the Ambassador Bridge. The event started around 5:45 PM and ended around 7:00 PM as part of her ‘Real Change For Real People’ campaign tour.
Editor Ingrid Jacques mentioned the visit in her favorable Detroit News editorial , and Lee DeVito wrote about her in the Metro Times.
The event started with an opening membership pitch by Jess Mears who mentioned some critical milestones: Jorgensen will be on the ballot in all 50 states, Washington DC, and Guam. She is the first woman in the United states to appear on the ballot in all states plus DC twice.
Endorsed Candidates
Three endorsed Michigan Libertarians took the stage ahead of Dr. Jorgensen: Connor Nepomuceno, Tim Yow, and Jami VanAlstine.
Tim Yow
State Representative candidate Tim Yow briefly introduced himself and expressed support for other local and regional candidates. He served as MC of the event. He then introduced Oakland County Executive candidate Connor Nepomuceno.
Connor Nepomuceno
Nepomuceno opened by recognizing the legacy of L. Brooks Patterson then talked about going in another direction. This included presenting his plan to create a more business friendly constitutional sanctuary. In this sanctuary licensing and many regulations would be lifted, including an end to the “War on drugs.”
Jami VanAlstine
Yow then introduced County Commission candidate Jami VanAlstine. She spoke about reducing barriers to housing and economic opportunity.
VanAlstine focused heavily on problems in criminal justice and law enforcement. She cited recent tragedy’s from police related shootings, including the killing of Breonna Taylor. She called for an end to qualified immunity, the militarization of police and “the racist war on drugs.” She also acknowledged local Detroit activists. The county commission candidate concluded with reaffirming key planks of the Libertarian Party platform, like returning troops from abroad.
Dr. Jo Presents the Cure
The crowd cheered as Dr. Jo Jorgensen stepped up to the lectern. Dr. Jorgensen shared some memories of her grandmother who was from socialist Denmark and how people couldn’t keep what they gained with hard work. So, she wanted to make her grandmother’s vvision of the American Dream a reality. She said,
“We need decision making power back in your hands, because you know how to spend your money better than any special interest, lobbyist or bureaucrat in Washington can.”
Urban Concerns
Condemning mass incarceration, she reported that we have about 5% of the world’s population, but house 20% of it’s prisoners. She called for an end to prohibition and mandatory minimum sentences. “What we have now is not a drug problem. What we have now is a prohibition problem.” So she argued for a harm-reduction approach and pledged to pardon Federal prisoners who were sentenced for consensual adult activity.
Jo Jorgensen would end no-knock raids, qualified immunity, and the transfer of military equipment (like tanks) to the police.
Jorgensen’s attention to some of these topics caught the attention of Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton who commented:
I’m honored to stand with Dr. Jo Jorgensen; a fellow fighter for transparency and police accountability. Regardless of party, we can agree that police should not be using facial recognition to spy on us. We can agree that no-knock raids, and the shooting of innocent black people by police, must end. We can share a common desire to end the militarization of police and mass incarceration. It is our time to come together and solve these problems, regardless of partisan differences.
Also, she took on COVID-19, citing South Korea as a country that was able manage the problem without lock-downs. She also pointed out several examples of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) impairing efforts to combat the virus.
Other topics she addressed were insurance reform to bring price competition into the process. She also argued that a free market would make catastrophic insurance available for unexpected problems while routine medical services could be paid for out-of-pocket at competitive rates.
If elected President, Jorgensen pledged to bring troops home. It would be “… one giant Switzerland: Armed and neutral.”
Jo Jorgensen concluded the program with a question and answer session. A video of the entire program was recorded by Arthur T. Cossairt on Facebook and can be viewed here.
