Several hundred Detroit residents gathered at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church on the city's west side Monday to protest the impending threat of a state-appointed emergency manager for the city.

U.S. Rep. John Conyers spoke, as did City Council Members JoAnn Watson, Brenda Jones and Kwame Kenyatta, state Reps. Harvey Santana and many pastors, labor leaders and community activists. Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, Moratorium NOW, and Occupy Detroit were all represented.

The possibility of a state takeover has been floated since Mayor Dave Bing announced Nov. 16 that the city was facing a severe budget shortfall and serious longterm debt. Gov. Rick Snyder instigated a preliminary financial review of the city, after which state Treasurer Andy Dillon pushed for a more formal review. Both reviews move Detroit towards a takeover by an emergency manager, who would have special powers over the city's finances.

Emergency managers have power to break contracts, dismiss public officials and sell public utilities under Michigan's Public Act 4.

For a full report on the event, see our liveblog below. For HuffPost Detroit's full coverage of emergency manager news in Detroit and across Michigan, see our big news page.