Robert Davis is an activist who has made his name fighting for the little guy. But now he’s in his own fight after pleading guilty to converting money intended for the Highland Park School District for his own personal use. Local 4’s Kevin Dietz interviewed Davis in a gym, where he was rebuilding trust with the most important person in his life: his son. “I mean, that was the hardest conversation I ever had to have with anyone. And what I told my son is, ‘W when you make a mistake, you have to be man enough to own that mistake. And right now, your dad is admitting he made a mistake and I have to own up to that mistake,’” Davis said. He’s been called a pit bull, a nuisance, a hero and the king of frivolous lawsuits. “Some of the lawsuits were defeated, but they brought about many positive changes,” Davis said. Many have been thrown out of court for lacking merit, but others have made front page news – including a massive payout to Turkia Mullen by the airport authority, a secret deal by then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm to pay Highland Park financial manager Art Blackwell six figures, secret emails between Gov. Rick Snyder’s inside circle and Detroit’s emergency manager. He also forced Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan to run as a write-in candidate last election, which he won. “Robert Davis is a voice of the people, and I am truly committed to that cause. I’m man enough to say I made a mistake,” Davis said. He’ll be back in court for sentencing after pleading guilty to a $100,000 fraud. He said he’s sorry and intends to pay it back. “I don’t want this bad mistake that I made in my life eight years ago to impact the good that I’ve done since that time,” he said. He knows not everyone will give him a second chance, but those who do, will find an older, wiser, fearless fighter for union rights. “If you look at the political landscape now, they’re trying to decimate unions. They’re trying to eliminate unions. They’re trying to get rid of that working class. I cannot stand by on the sidelines and see that happen,” Davis said. His sentencing is in December, and he knows he could go to prison for what he’s done, but he hopes the judge looks at what he has given the community. He says he hopes the judge and community will take a gamble on a man who is owning up to his mistake. “I am going to truly work my butt off to truly show the people that that mistake was truly a mistake and not me,” Davis said.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 04:53:40 +0000
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