Poor Mojo Newswire

Kilpatrick, who is black, said he and his family have been subjected to racial slurs, as well as threats....

"I don't believe that a Nielsen rating is worth the life of my children or your children," he said. "This unethical, illegal, lynch mob mentality has to stop."

Tom Barwin, then city manager for the city of Ferndale, looked forward to that promise being fulfilled. But he never saw it....

... what does attempting to deflect blame by playing the race card do?

"In terms of public policy," Barwin says, "playing that card is a disaster."...

But although Kilpatrick and other black leaders symbolically buried the racial slur in a mock funeral last July, he uttered it in his State of the City address Tuesday, which was carried live on local television and radio stations....

"In the past 30 days, I've been called a nigger more than anytime in my entire life," said Kilpatrick, 37. "In the past three days, I've received more death threats than I have in my entire administration."

"What he said cannot be unsaid, and he is not fit to be mayor anymore," Cox, who is white, said in an interview on WJR-AM. "He's a very talented guy, but he has overstayed his day. He should resign, he should quit, whether he's charged or not."

One of the most surprising reactions to the speech came from longtime WDIV-TV anchor Carmen Harlan, who delivered a rare commentary Tuesday night after the mayor’s speech. Directly addressing him, she scolded the mayor for the language he employed at the end of his speech.

“Using emotionally charged words like ‘the N-word’ and phrases like ‘hate-driven’ and ‘bigoted assault,’ even ‘lynch-mob mentality,’ stirs the core of even my emotions,” said Harlan, who assured the mayor she loves Detroit as much as him.