What Do Elmo and Saddam Hussein Have in Common? Both Have Keys to the City of Detroit
When you award someone the Key to your city, it's usually a big deal. For Detroit, that's... mostly true. Artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and the Jackson 5 make the list, as well as some incredible athletes like Berry Gordy, Jerome Bettis, and "Captain" Steve Yzerman have also been gifted the Key to the City.
But there's two names on the list of recipients who just seem WAY out of place - Saddam Hussein, and Sesame Street's Elmo have both received the Key to the City of Detroit. And as they'd say on Sesame Street... "One of these things is not like the other... one of these things just isn't the same."
How did Saddam Hussein Get the Key to the City?
Of course, we know now that Saddam Hussein was NOT a good person. He's responsible for thousands of deaths, and an act of genocide in the 1982 Dujail massacre. He ruled as a dictator, surrounding himself with yes-men, and was brutal to those who would oppose him.
HOWEVER, in the 1970s, as he was a growing political figure in Iraq, he had a somewhat likeable persona, and was even a very giving man. Even in the U.S., he gave to many organizations, but none bigger than the Sacred Heart Chaldean Church.
They were a Chaldean Catholic Church, in "Chaldean Town," which was a neighborhood in Detroit off of 7 Mile Road. In 1979, Saddam hussein, who had just been elected chancellor of Iraq, made a $250,000 donation to the church. Sacred Heart's pastor, Jacob Yasso, called Saddam, "A very generous, warm man who just let too much power go to his head."
In addition to his donation, and his welcome to the city in 1980, Saddam Hussein was ALSO presented with a Key to the City of Detroit... And then shortly after that, he went home, purged the entire Ba'ath Party that he was a part of, and ordered the invasion of Iran.
So... maybe not such a "generous, warm man" after all.
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How Did Elmo Get the Key to the City?
In what might be the STRONGEST overcorrection in the history of giving out Keys to Cities, in 2010, the tipped the scales back to the "sane" side of things by giving a Muppet from Sesame Street the key - Elmo.
Former Mayor Dave Bing was visiting the Children's Hospital of Michigan, and Elmo was there at the same time, both to visit the children, AND for Sesame Street Live's performance in the city. Bing met with Elmo, and subsequently Grover as well, and presented them the Key to the City for their contributions to young children across Detroit.
So that's a fact you know now. In addition to Stevie Wonder, and Berry Gordy, both Saddam Hussein and Elmo ALSO have keys to the city of Detroit. Talk about the strangest version of the Avengers, ever.