Grand Rapids Police Officers Association endorses the most far right candidate running for the 3rd Congressional District

Late last night, the Grand Rapids Police Officers Association, the union that represents those who work for the GRPD, posted an endorsement for the far-right Congressional candidate Tom Norton.

The brief post on the GRPOA Facebook page states:

The GRPOA proudly endorses Tom Norton and his bid to represent the people of Michigan in Washington. Tom is one of the most down to earth guys you will ever meet. He will be a true representative for the people and will never forget the real reason he is in Washington. Join us in casting a vote for Tom.

This should come as no surprise to people who follow the GRPOA, since Norton has been a staunch defender and apologist for cops across the US, especially since the police lynching of George Floyd. Norton also co-hosted a rally in support of the GRPD in late June, which we also reported on.

There is no evidence, based on the current data at the Michigan Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance page, that the GRPOA contributed to Norton’s campaign, but those filings only include what has been contributed up until mid-July of 2020.

However, the more important point is that the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association has endorsed a candidate that is the most pro-Trump of all the GOP candidates running for the 3rd Congressional District. Norton’s website doesn’t present a great deal of information on his political stances, but his Facebook page makes it clear where Norton stands on many issues. Norton is pro-police and he supports ICE and their terror tactics against immigrants. Norton is anti-Choice, homophobic and anti-Trans. Many of Norton’s videos demonize antifa, while supporting the “patriots” who have protested against Gov. Whitmer during the COVID-19 crisis.

We know that the GRPOA has been against the immigrant justice movement in Grand Rapids and has openly called for the arrest of members of Movimiento Cosecha GR, plus they have publicly defended the actions of Captain VanderKooi, who contact ICE in the Jilmar Ramos-Gomez case. The GRPOA has demonstrated their commitment to reactionary politics and their support for defending the status quo. Therefore, the police union’s endorsement of Tom Norton for Congress makes complete sense, since the GRPOA and Norton support the same police state politics of the Trump administration.