BAMN, The Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, opposes and vows to organize all sectors of the community to defeat any plan which seeks to place the Detroit Public Schools under mayoral control or in any way undermine the democratic control by the people of Detroit over their children's education.

"We defend public education and reject any notion that market—place competition in education does anything other than exacerbate inequalities, reinforce segregation and eviscerate one of the most profound and democratic gains of he 21st Century – the right to a free, universal, public education," said Shanta Driver, BAMN National Chairperson. "No "consumers' report" on public education can substitute for direct control by the people of Detroit over the character and quality of their children's education," she added.

"The people of Detroit have repeatedly rejected all forms of state takeover, including mayoral takeover of the Detroit Public Schools. As recently as 2004, Detroit voters defeated a well financed effort to place DPS under mayoral control by a vote of 2 to 1. Detroiters have also rejected all efforts to impose a voucher system or to replace public schools with charters. Every takeover has cost the people of Detroit hundreds of millions of dollars. The state takeover from 1999 – 2005 took DPS from the black to a deficit of $270 million dollars and Robb Bobb's "financial management" has only increased that deficit. Detroit requires a massive infusion of federal funds allocated not on a dog—eat—dog competition to see which district can "race to the bottom" in dismantling public education, but on the real needs of the students, as determined by students, parents, educators and community members," said Donna Stern, BAMN National Coordinator.