you go, girl!

An inspiring and depressing story about politics, idealism, and civility-- from Katherine Rosman in the WSJ...

When Monica Conyers, president pro tem of Detroit's City Council, called the council president "Shrek" during an angry exchange at a hearing in April, one city resident found the remark immature.

"That's something a second-grader would do," says 13-year-old Keiara Bell.

During a panel discussion Ms. Conyers had with local schoolchildren two weeks after making the remark, Miss Bell admonished the 43-year-old Ms. Conyers for her behavior. The eighth-grader didn't back down when the councilwoman engaged her in debate.

Ms. Conyers was peppered with questions by Miss Bell, who said, "You're an adult. We have to look up to you. We're looking on TV and we're like, 'This is an adult calling another adult a Shrek?'"

Ms. Conyers is the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr., the chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary. She declined to comment for this story, but her chief of staff, Linda Bernard, says Ms. Conyers believes she is "being targeted by the press" because "her husband was recently in New York City and is considering having hearings about police brutality."

In Miss Bell, Motown has found an unlikely folk hero: a child demanding that politicians exercise civility and restraint. Her parents, Marsha and Harry Bell, say they are proud of their daughter's poise and grit. "That's my baby," says Mrs. Bell in an interview. The mother of four sells candy in Detroit neighborhoods from the trunk of an old gray Cadillac.

The Detroit News, which convened the panel, posted video of the discussion online, and it has been viewed more than 107,000 times on YouTube....

Her battle cry comes as some of the city's most powerful officials are entangled in scandal. On March 24, Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick was indicted on charges of perjury, conspiracy and obstruction of justice after text-message interchanges with an aide allegedly suggested he had lied under oath in a lawsuit against him and the city. The Detroit City Council voted last week to begin proceedings to remove the mayor from office. Chris Garrett, a spokesman for Mr. Kilpatrick's legal team, says the mayor "is confident that the full airing of all the facts in this case will result in his full and complete vindication."

Miss Bell, too, believes the mayor should go. "He refuses to stand up and be a man and apologize," she says....

A few weeks later, a Detroit News employee who is the daughter of a Courtis teacher contacted principal Walter Stokely about getting a panel of students to ask Ms. Conyers questions. The principal and a teacher took the students through a mock discussion to prepare. "I played Monica Conyers," says Mr. Stokely.

According to a video of the actual discussion, Ms. Conyers told Miss Bell that she found Mr. Cockrel's behavior disrespectful. Miss Bell said, "But you didn't have to call him a name."

"But now you're telling me what I should have and should not have done," said Ms. Conyers.

"You're an adult. You have that choice," said Miss Bell.

"I'm what?" said Ms. Conyers.

"You're an adult," said Miss Bell. "You had that choice....Sometimes people need to think before they act."...