The Truth Please...

Keyon Payton

I can recall on Facebook, a post Pastor Payton made about his sermon of the day. He said something that was wrong. Like most preachers I know, he had went to The Bible, found a verse and wrote an entire sermon around a couple of passages, and had fed his flock a piece of the pie. He had left out the entire meaning, behind God's story. For me, it just didn't sound right. I must admit, I don't remember the verses or the book it is in. Some of you who are familiar may know the story and enlighten me. I am a minister of sorts. I've been called and God leads me where I should go. I don't and probably will never put a title to my name, because God is not about titles, he's not about buildings and he's not about money. God is about souls, and if Jesus is our example, God is about saving souls from hell. Hell on earth and the living hell after death. Those who worship God, "must worship him in spirit and in truth". Pastor Payton is lacking in both spirit and truth. He's a liar and has lied to our State and the people of Pontiac. Having the President of the Ministerial Fellowship did not help his cause...Not at all!

The Bible is not meant to be read in two or three verses, but as a whole. You have to first understand what God is telling his people as a whole. Pastor Keyton had missed the true message that was being taught to the people of that time. The people, and I believe it was in the time of Noah were marrying a breed and not race of people that were no suitable to the people of God and they had been told specifically not to marry these people. They were marrying this breed and making covenants with them and had made children with them and God said that wasn't good. His punishment came to the people not for nothing, but from disobedience, and that caused God to act. There was no arbitrary striking down of anyone, due to some need God has to punish. This is the trouble with preachers, today, especially in Pontiac. They don't want to tell their congregations that God punishes no arbitrarily. No, God punishes based on acts you've committed. Acts your father, mother and ancestors have committed and only your obedience can help sever you from that curse. Teaching your flock that they are "good" and bad is happening to you just because is irresponsible. It is also a reson for you to be curse, your children and your children's children.

Keyon then went to my cousin Kayre Stanley to ask questions. Kayre knows nothing about me, because I haven't had solid interaction with him since he was three. He is a preacher, as I am, and many members of our family are, but we are not friends. His life is his and mine is mine. I also do not subscribe to his type of religion either. I have had to tell many preachers over the years that I am their equal and not their subordinate, and when they refuse to treat me like that I digress. I'm not your "toy" to play with. Then your mind set is all wrong, I am not a woman, but a preacher with you in Christ. If God has not spoken to you and said that I am your wife. I expect you to treat me as a member of the clergy, like you do the other men who have accepted their call, and nothing more or nothing less. I won't be demeaned as a child of God, nor as his faithful servant... So, Keyon had to go back to the Book and read the entire story and understand what he didn't read, did not elaborate on or did not teach his flock. I haven't thought about it, until now.

Last night, Keyon came to the podium at the City Council Meeting and lied. He said that he was in fact eligible to run for State Representative in the 29th District. He failed me and he failed the people of Pontiac. He claimed to have a residence here in Pontiac. A family home that belongs to him that he is using as his address to run. That is not the address that is on his application to run, and when he filed that paper work he had promised to be honest. All the information that was given was true, to the best of his knowledge. His knowledge about himself must be slipping, because he has no idea where he lives. But I did find this:

This is a tax deed for an address on Maurer Street in Pontiac. I believe that this is the house that he is referring to. He has not paid taxes on this property in Pontiac in four years. This is not his place of residency. THIS IS NOT WHERE HE LIVES. He resides on Noble Street in West Bloomfield. That's why, I made it clear what Rite Aid I saw his wife. It was the one right down the street from his house! The reason she the man cut in front of her in line, was because she stood so far away from the rest of us, he didn't know what she was doing. If she was in line, or doing something else. This woman is so arrogant that she actually removed herself from the rest of us, like she was too good to stand in line among the "common folk". That included a White man from West Bloomfield. He had no problems doing what he did, because she was standing at such a far proximity that he took her place. I saw she was there first, but she took no action on her own behalf and neither would I for her. She's so conceited and I'm kinda confused where all the arrogance is truly coming from.

I see pictures on the internet of him on his knees praising her. Putting rings on her finger and worshiping her. How can a man, whose job it is to serve people, worship a woman that thinks she's better than everybody? His woman who can't even stand too close to people in line at the drug store. Her arrogance is profound and his fondness for her publicly only fuels her inability to see the need to change. How can a man, who want to serve his people, serve a person like that? If one person says, "She's really nice, you just got to get to now her..." Please, people like that expect people to want to be around them, make all the consolations and be involved in a one-sided relationship. That is not serving the people, but serving yourself. Then Keyon will reply, "I chose this life, and she didn't. I can't want her to be different to please me," That's where the problem lies, his choices.

He chose a woman that reflects who he is. Better than everybody else. Better than Grady, Morehouse graduate and Pastor of New Bethel. He can't make money and truly win with her attitude, but he admires her personality, because it's a reflection of who he really is as a person, Supercilious...Stuck up in other words. She's that, even if she has no other reason why she should be that. Those are the lies you tell. Those are the fallacies you have erected to create a life that is better than the people you wish to serve. You're an elitist, a scholar, the Pharisees were men just like you. Only they would never worship a woman like you, and they hated women. Which is the one good thing about you. The purpose of the State stipulating that the person running in the district should live in the district, goes towards empathy. You should be able to know, understand and empathize with the needs of the people you serve. You do not serve me, living in a 300K home in West Bloomfield, with a wife who is unable to "walk with the people", whom you worship...I'm sorry.

Keyon Payton: Driving the Point Home

Pastor Keyon Payton and Governor Rick Snyder
"Putin and Trump"

I was just at the City Council Meeting in Pontiac. Keyon Payton, an acquaintance of mine for a few years spoke. He said that there was an opportunity for people with low-level drug offences to have their sentences commuted. They need to have their paperwork in by Friday July 19, 2018, in order to qualify. That is a very small window to have such a life changing experience with the State of Michigan. He has spoken to Governor Snyder about pressing issues in the African-American community. I was not impressed by his meeting, because Flint doesn't have clean water. I asked him about it and he did say he brought it up. This whole meeting thing was futile, because Snyder is leaving office soon. What he is doing now is just public relations work to help solidify his efforts of helping his party. Namely, he wants to help Brian Calley, his lieutenant governor who is going for his position in the fall.

As you can see his home in West Bloomfield is stunning. He was endorsed by Douglas Jones of Welcome Missionary Baptist Church, who wasn't present. Instead a preacher from New Springfield gave Keyon their blessing from Oakland County Ministerial Fellowship that is headed by Jones. You know the preacher that hangs with Mike Bouchard to get his parishioners jobs, so they can pay their tithes. Pastor Payton does own a home on Maurer Street in the Herrington Hills section of Pontiac but has been avoiding taxes for the last four years. That really doesn't matter, because he is living at his church. The same woman from last week, stood up and told us tonight that his address is 171 Branch on his application to run. That picture below, does not signify New Bethel at all. With the attached garage, I think it's bigger than New Bethel!

 

Payton's real residence on Noble in West Bloomfield
(click to enlarge)

Zillows description of the property

Keyon lied when he said he wanted to be transparent with the people of Pontiac. He never addressed the issue of his residency in his three minutes, and only spoke of the meeting with Snyder and I guess he feels that is one of his accomplishments. Really? You can't accomplish anything, unless you are truthful with the people you plan to represent. All the issues involved with Pastor Payton are real, and transparency means that he must first answer the questions about his home on Noble Street, his home on Maurer and the home he has on top of the hill on Branch Street that appears to be a church. Pastor Jones doesn't live in Pontiac either. They do, however, live in Oakland County. We should always hold our politicians accountable for their choices and their truth and I'm asking Payton to address this issue as soon as possible and if he can't, remove himself from the race. That would only be fair.

But when he became the pastor of New Bethel it wasn't fair. Grady Garrison, whom I worked with 20 years ago, worked with the late Pastor Amos Johnson for years. My church used to feed the homeless shelter New Bethel had in their old sanctuary. Payton had left Pontiac for a while, getting an education and working. He built quite the resume over the years and accomplished a lot over time. I talked about the Reverend Payton taking over before Pastor Johnson "went home to glory" with Grady at work one day. Grady laughed it off and said that Keyon deserved it. Said he had done a lot in the world and deserved the title over him, which was disheartening to me. Like the Prodigal Son, who left his father, Keyon came back to claim his fortune. Grady, the good son, due to circumstances stayed home and served his father well. In my time of cooking for the women of New Bethel's Shelter, Grady was there faithfully to chaperone the women. While Keyon was at Morehouse, receiving a lavish and extravagant education. To just come back and steal what Grady had dedicated his life to. I'm not sure if Grady has a place in Keyon's administration. 

Churching is hard, and I couldn't do it. All of the ways of the choir, Christian Education, Bible School, Vacation Bible School, Women's Meeting, Men's Meetings, Young Peoples Meeting and Meetings that the Pastor make up to seem more important are lost on me. Dressing good, nice cars and fancy cars are lost on me. I saw Pastor Payton's wife at Rite Aid at Woodward and Square Lake. She is very spoiled and entitled. I guess there is nothing wrong with that when your husband sees over a large congregation and can afford to buy you a 300K home in one of the riches cities in Oakland County. A man had went before her in line. She began to pout, and get angry, whining that the man had went before her. I started to tell the man, who was oblivious about the issue, what he had done. Her entitlement and childish behavior just seemed to rub me the wrong way. So, I just let it go. As a feminist, it's not enough to just get mad, but to get mad and do something about it. It seems to me that he won't be getting any sound ethical advice from his wife, in this conundrum.

I see a politician’s wife as Michelle Obama, smart, but smart enough to know her role. I can vision their conversation of the lies Payton is telling, only being exposed due to jealousy among his opponent. No, fair is fair, and we must strive in our city to raise the standards, and not change the standards to fit our needs and purposes of the elitist in the group, but that is Churching 101. Payton is shallow and was perturbed by his opponent for taking a seat near the podium to be seen. He never attends City Council Meetings unless he has something "important" to say, which usually includes his very own accolades. You can find this opponent is there nearly every week, sitting exactly where Payton says he sits. Like his childish wife, he feels entitled to this job, even if he is wrong in how he is getting it, and that is churching at its best. His opponent has a plan and he is working it, and it appears that Keyon is jealous, and Pastor Payton is, too. I was so happy that the young man he spoke of never addressed the dig and gave his comments his attention and not a jealous opponent that's about to be thrown off the ballot.

Keyon was my friend on Facebook, and I couldn't take it. He just constantly displayed a lifestyle of excess. Trips and dinners and over-spending. Never giving back to the community, but to the life of himself and the people of his congregation. Jesus wanted to save the lives of many, and not make life better for himself, but for those less fortunate. I spoke to Keyon last year and he told me that he ran his church like a business, people didn't like it, but he did it without regret or apologies. Le'Andria came out last week blasting the church for that very thing. Saying that the preacher is doing better than you, because he is doing better business than you. He is very good at business, but slow at winning souls. If he was such a great preacher and pastor, he would have grown out of his church years ago. He's been nursing the same souls for years on the premise of "The Lord will make a way somehow", but then he makes it happen. Having faith in his ability to know all things, do all things and protect the flock. That's not Jesus' mission, his mission was to bring as many into the Kingdom as he could and running for public office on a lie is not a way to do God's will. If it is a lie, it is of the devil and there is no God in it. But he churching and not doing God's will. He is making his own will out of what he knows, and that's churching and "keeping up with the Joneses" and over-achieving by default. Not good, pastor, not good at all. "EVERTHING must be done decently and in order".

Payton actually moved to West Bloomfield in 2007
This is his Homeowner's Residency Affidavit

Keyon has created a very good life for his wife and children in West Bloomfield. The church is obviously paying for this home, because it is tax-exempt. I respect that and hate that he faces the issues so many African-Americans face in predominately White cities. There are exclusionary efforts and people of diverse racial backgrounds are left out of government. He doesn't have a place in West Bloomfield, and is loved and respected, the most, here in Pontiac. Yet, he still has the desire to make a difference where he is from. In that case, he should have stayed where here. Among his people and their problems, and not moved to a better place. Because to be better, you got to do better, and not be subject to confusion. You can't lead Pontiac from West Bloomfield, you have to lead West Bloomfield from West Bloomfield. If you are sub-par, you have to set particular goals that allow you to reach the status of those you live among, because you no longer live with us, you just work here. This is where your job is and nothing more and nothing less. You left us to seek higher ground, and like Grady had to relent New Bethel to you, you have to relent Pontiac to the people who live here. You work here, and your life is not among us, anymore. You have to fall back and allow our Native Sons, who stayed, to bring it home. Pontiac is not your home, anymore...

John Balint: Working our Public Works

John Bilant:  He stole all that money.

I met John Balint, for the first time, at a Budget Meeting for the city of Pontiac. He is not an ugly man, but he's not a handsome man either. He's just a man. He wore khaki's and a button down shirt, and looked like your average man. I wasn't impressed and I wasn't discouraged with what he said, and I just listened. Everyone was talking, and I had no idea who anyone was. I was told at the meeting that I couldn't ask questions, and was only there to observe. So, I lowered my head and began to listen with intent. There was something going on and I needed to hear what was being said. The idea that our city had been pillaged for years, made me question everyone in the room. I was suspicious of everyone, and that included our Mayor. I listened to Kermit Williams, as he used the back of his hand to shoo the Deputy Mayor and tell her to find the money "somewhere", to increase someone's budget. Then I cringed when she would reply to his unreasonable request with a "Your Honor". It was sickening.

When Balint began to speak, I was impressed. He knew exactly what he was doing, confidant, knowledgeable and sincere. All the workings of a good man or a great liar. There was talk from two council-people about a worker to clean the city. These people would just ride around in a truck and clean-up. Everyone knew it was a bad idea, and would cost money in gas, insurance and where would the city get the truck? When you add a city service, you don't just add wages, but other factors that have nothing to do with their salary. Kermit Williams, Council President, thought that $10 an hour at 8 hours a day, was all the city would be out. Everyone in the room familiar with Accounting and Finance, knew that there is so much more involve than an $80 a day "Wages Payable" expense. John Balint joined in and explained and Williams backed down, with a "I don't see why it can't happen". That was seconded by Gloria Miller, which was disappointing. 

That meeting ended and all the vultures moved to the parking lot and I went home. Two days later there was another meeting to clarify and solidify the corrections and changes to the budget. I came in sat and watched the show that only lasted about 30 minutes. A funny thing happened at that meeting, Kermit Williams got his city cleaner. He got his truck and his workers and I was confused. Then I remembered that John Balint is the head of that department, he along with the Deputy Mayor had found all the components to give him what he wanted, and I understood the silence from Williams when Balint spoke. They are "partners in crime", and what a game they are playing. I'm impressed, but not impressed. I was certainly not unaware of these types of schemes. While working at Sears back in the 2000's the workers had a similar rouse. The Black cashiers would give-a-way merchandise to the White cashiers family and vice-versa. Since people are so racist, security never caught on. Why would a Black kid be giving away merchandise to a White middle-aged woman?  Likewise, who would ever guess that Williams and Balint were robbing the city blind.

Not only that, but Balint is cheating our city out of water. When I was at Oakland Community College (OCC) back in 2001, my Biology professor gave us a lesson. He was talking about the Clinton River. He told our entire class that the river is running out. He said that sometimes that just happens. Some rivers just run out. He also told us that Cass Lake and Elizabeth Lake are getting below levels to be a lake. What they have done is dammed up the lake near Sylvan Lake and are pumping water from one lake to another to keep up the water levels. Guess what that means? Right, Pontiac water levels are much lower than they should be. Pontiac being mostly Black, we don't care. We don't care about the water like White people do, and we can care less that those cities are taking all the water. I just wished that they could somehow compensate us for our water, or give it back.

I spoke to Balint after that Budget Meeting, and he lied to me. He said that wasn't true and that there is plenty of water to go around. He told me if all those water sheds were eliminated Pontiac would flood. I asked him to tell me why the Beaudette Park's dam doesn't flow with water like it did when I was a child. Even at Lakeside Homes we had water going over our little watershed. There is nothing anymore, no water. I lived on Myra, off of Voorheis in 2003, and my landlord could tread the water over half-way to the middle of the river. How is it that Sylvan Lake, Elizabeth Lake and Cass Lake can support high powered boats and jet skis. After a few go arounds, he told me that Crystal Lake, our lake, isn't big enough to support those things. If that's true, how come they built that boat dock on Howard McNeil in 1980? He argued with me so diligently, about something I knew, and I was exhausted. And then he slipped up and told me that there is no "conspiracy theory" to steal our water.  I'm a known theorist in these parts. But how did he know that? We know that's a lie, they want our water and our sewers, and John Balint, after stealing our money is going to finish the job and give them the sewers. They'll just move back in and live here, after they push us out!

I think they brought him here to steal our water and secure that Oakland County Water Program, where they took control of our water. They need someone they can trust, a White man, to seal the deal. He claims that the White people of Waterford, Rochester Hills, Clarkston and other White communities don't want our sewers. I then asked him, "So, they want those septic tanks that are buried in their backyards and ruining their bar-b-ques?" He had to digress and say, "No". So, I had to ask him, "What is it then?" Because I remember L. Brooks Patterson on the news years ago making a racist and corrupt statement. He said and I'm going to barely quote, but in general, this what he said, "They got the water and the sewer, what else do 'they' want?" When he says "they", he's talking about the Black folk. Balint went blank and couldn't speak. And when the Sheriff's Department took over, he pushed to turn the City of Pontiac into a township that he would run. He was so frustrated with my questions, knowledge and the way I asserted himself, it was time for him to go. We continued to talk later on the phone and he told me a "boat load" of lies. He kept telling me, "This is what I do!" I thought to myself, "Yeah, you get over on Black folk". Remember, he came here on Leon Jukowski's administration, at the time they stole our water.

He saw how easy it as to steal from our people, and the White folks in the neighboring areas had an advocate to steal or river water. Waterford is technically a mud whole right now. I call it "Mudderford". If they allowed the Clinton River to flow back into Pontiac, there would be none of these bordering so-called lake cities. Dodge Park would close down and the river would cease to flow. Due to John Balint's neglect, these cities and townships are keeping their property levels, tax rates and schools and won't give us NOTHING! He pays them everything WE owe and they take advantage of our river water. I was getting angry, because he was insulting my intelligence. He told me that Crystal Lake is "Mud" lake and pretty much useless. I was so upset at that, because it will take Randy Carter to tell you about that. A woman gave the "Blacks" that property to give us a love for the water or something like that. It's low-income, forever, and because of that White folks don't want it, but when I think about what is happening at Hayes Jones, I question that story, too.

How can all the surrounding cities have water and we sit in the middle?

Here's what is going to have to happen, John Balint has to go. First, he has a superiority complex and insulted my intelligence quite a few times in our conversation. For me, that's enough for him to have left a month ago. But then there is our roads, snow removal and such that isn't going well. He has such a good relationship with Oakland County when it comes to them using our water and our city paying for sewer up keep, but they can't seem to help us plow our streets in the winter. No, he doesn't work for us, he works for "them" and I can't take it. In the last City Council Meeting, he just told us he was stealing our money. He did that when he looked at Kermit Williams and stated, "All the money will be spent". Right, because your going to half-way do the job, your going to steal our money and leave the work half done. Then cut corners to pad you and the contractors pockets, because you're working with the contractors to steal our money. It won't be done, because from now on, you won't be able to do whatever you want to do. You've been allowed to mess over our city for too long.

I asked him where he lives, because I know it's not Pontiac. Boy, he really got perturbed. He asked me, "Why?" I told him that he was taking up for these cities and townships so hard that it seemed that he had a "dog in the fight". Maybe John Balint lives on or near one of these lakes. He said that he lived in some small city away from a Oakland County lake. People in Pontiac pay dues to Sylvan Lake, even if they don't use it. I recall, my neighbor took me to this little club, on the lake. I told Balint about it. I was not welcome. She lived next door on Myra, and one day she took me to the beach. She and her husband would ride their little boat beneath the street at Orchard Lake and Telegraph. They are White and allowed to join the club and bring along a friend with their member- ship. It was 2002, and right across the street from Pontiac, there is an all-White club. In fact, Blacks live to the right off Orchard Lake, but aren't welcome. A club that even if our residents pay dues, on Draper, Tilerson and Starr, CAN'T use, and aren't welcome. My cousin's wife just told me she pays taxes. That is a problem. When I went with my neighbor, they locked her out. We had went upstairs, and the looks we got could "kill a goat". It's all about John Balint, too, at this point. 

Balint has creeped around for too long. I didn't even know he was there, and I started doing a little research. I'm not sure if we can afford to keep him around much longer, because he's slick, and he thinks we are dumb. Everything with City Works always seems to fall on the Deputy Mayor, but who is really running the show is Balint. Because he's a White man, people seem to trust that he knows what he is doing. I don't believe that at all, and believe he is bleeding our city dry. His remarks and  accommodating Kermit Williams let me know that for sure. There are studies and research that has been done on the Clinton River that he doesn't even get involved with. He lets the lawyers and cronies of our rich neighbors squash any plans to allow the river to run freely without watersheds and dams. Pontiac built a cement river in 1963 to end all the flooding in the city. Removing all the obstructions in the flow of the Clinton River would not flood Pontiac. If Rochester to our North and East has water, Waterford and West Bloomfield to the South and West, has water, too. How can everyone surrounding us have water and we are bone dry. I don't believe it, and I don't believe John Balint, either. He's a crook!