Mayor’s Office Says Texts In Greene Case Are Private

DETROIT — The family of a slain dancer Tamara Greene claims interim Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr.’s administration is blocking their attempts to get new information that could settle the case.

Greene is the dancer who allegedly performed at a rumored-but-never-proven party at the Manoogian Mansion, just months before she died in a drive-by shooting in 2003.

Despite denials by former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and a state investigation, the story has persisted and had been fueled by a $150 million federal lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed by Greene’s 14-year-old son, Jonathon Bond, alleges Kilpatrick and members of the city’s police department tried to block the investigation into Greene’s death.

On Thursday, Cockrel denied responding directly to the claims, but Deputy Mayor Saul Green said,” The administration is very much in favor of full disclosure and accountability. However, there are rules as it relates to releasing documents, particularly through FOIA. And in this regard, these types of text messages is information that we feel fall outside of the FOIA context.”

Green said the police reports and the text messages in the case have been turned over to the court and that a court order restricts them from releasing the information to the public even if they had wanted to.

The text messages are being requested because it is believed they may contain information exchanged between city officials regarding Greene’s death.

“He’s in position now to provide answers to questions that should have been answered five and six years ago. He should do that,” said the attorney for the Greene family, Norman Yatooma.