A member of the Grand Rapids Public Safety Committee says that the Cop who killed Patrick Lyoya is also a victim

Yesterday, Ed Kettle, a long time Democratic Party operative in Grand Rapids, who currently sits on the Grand Rapids Public Safety Committee posted the following response on his Facebook page, which has since been deleted:

I’m glad I was off line during the horrible event that happened in GR. I’ve had to bite my lip during it all. We’re getting a steady diet of news and events from the victim’s family and associates. I would hope that there are very few among us who don’t mourn for them all.

You who know me won’t be surprised when I mention my concern for the officer involved. I have no idea what will happen if and when he is charged with anything. Then we’ll have the trial. Everything, from that fateful moment, up to today and beyond, has inalterably changed that man’s life, and everyone in it.

Let’s not forget there are three victims affected by this. The deceased, the officer, and our sense of public safeness. This has been a major event, something the police and others have been telling City Hall: “it’s not about if, it’s about when.” 

Some parts of our city are like the wild west. Drive by shootings almost daily. People involved with injuries is an ever expanding group. Unfortunately, so are killings.

I’m going to put my faith in the law. I’m confident that MSP is digging deep and getting it right. I trust that the Prosecutor will take every bit of evidence into consideration to make his decision to charge or not. I trust the Court to provide a fair trial and arrive at the appropriate verdict.

In the meantime, take some time to think about the officer too. 

Thanks

Now, Kettle, has demonstrated his allegiance to the GRPD and the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association (the cop union) for many years. Ed Kettle started a Facebook page called Friends of GR Cops several years ago. In addition, Kettle had created a website, now defunct, where he said in 2019, “I am presently working with the Grand Rapids Police Officers Association to build their community and political profile. I formed Friends of GRCops, essentially a social media effort, to help solidify public support for our police officers and to create opportunities for public dialogue.”

Then in April of 2019, after video was released of the GRPD beating a motorist, Ed Kettle had a long response complaining about all of the scrutiny the GRPD was getting on the Friends of GR Cops page, which you can read here.  Maybe one of the more revealing things he had to say was, “Shut up. Don’t resist and ask for an attorney.”

Last year, after Justice for Black Lives has been pressuring the Grand Rapids City Commission for months, Kettle showed up at one of the commission meetings and referred to Justice for Black Lives as “rude kids” who engage in “vile behavior.” 

Having shared that context, no we can turn to his most recent Facebook comments about the GRPD shooting of Patrick Lyoya.

First, it is important and instructive to point out that he never says that Patrick Lyoya was shot in the back of the head and killed by a GRPD officer. Instead, Kettle choses to refer to what happened as an “event.” 

Second, the only time Kettle uses the word shooting is when he says: 

Some parts of our city are like the wild west. Drive by shootings almost daily. People involved with injuries is an ever expanding group. Unfortunately, so are killings.

Kettle doesn’t come right out and say it, but we all know that when he says “Some parts of the City are like the wild west,” he is referring to the southeast side of town. Such a statement is deeply racist and it reveals much about someone who identifies as a White Liberal/Progressive.

Third, Kettle says that he puts his “faith in the law” and that he “trusts the Court to provide a fair trial.” Again, this is such a White privileged position to take, which makes sense, because people like Ed Kettle do not have to worry about the police stopping them for invalid plates, only to shoot them in the back of the head.

Fourth, and most importantly, Kettle says, “there are three victims affected by this. The deceased, the officer, and our sense of public safeness.” Why the hell can’t this White man say Patrick Lyoya’s name. However, when it comes to the cop being a victim, I call bullshit. Do we say that men who rape women are victims? Do we say the parent who beats their child are victims? No, we don’t. We refer to them as perpetrators of violence and that is what we need to be saying when talking about the cop that shot and killed Patrick Lyoya. 

As a White person, It is my responsibility to call out other White people when they engage in this kind of racist rhetoric. As someone who believes in the abolition of policing, it is my responsibility to call out people for being police apologists. Equally important it is my responsibility to challenge other White people, especially those who identify as liberals/progressives, that this shit us unacceptable. We should demand that Ed Kettle be removed from the City’s Public Safety Committee, effective immediately!