Alex Graham

Checkmate: How Power and Greed Destroyed the Detroit Public Schools Alex Graham

Imagine being confined to a fortress for sixteen long years, bound not by shackles of steel but by Machiavellian assurances from the most cunning rulers of a troubled kingdom. And at long last, when the cloak of doublespeak begins to fray, threats of swift punishment replace hollow promises. Power and Greed Destroyed the Detroit Public School System tells the tale of the collapse of the Detroit Public School system at the hands of the most powerful people in Michigan government. The method of destruction was like a chess game where kings, pawns, and a queen strategically maneuvered through the school district until the total dismantlement of the school system was achieved. Under the guise of school reform and promises of providing the children of Detroit with an opportunity of a lifetime, these skilled players persuaded unsuspecting employees and students to be willing participants in their own eventual demise. Like the Flint water crisis, government officials chose money over lives, with Detroit children paying the ultimate price. Checkmate.