The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce has a vision, and it doesn’t include a lot of us

Over the past ten months GRIID has been writing about the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, particularly the role they have played in changing City policy that serves the interests of the business community.

We reported on the Chamber’s decision to inject a great deal of money into electoral politics at the city level, something that has only happened previously on a small scale. The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce contributed $10,500 to Drew Robbins running in the 1st Ward and the same amount to Rev. Hoskins, running in the 3rd Ward. Robbins won and Hoskins lost, but this level of funding sets a dangerous precedent for future elections in Grand Rapids, with the goal of buying policies that are favorable to the interests of the Chamber and their members.

Then in December of 2022, the Chamber submitted a proposed ordinance that would essentially criminalize the unhoused. This proposed ordinance was followed by a letter from 120 members of the business community, with several dozen signatories coming from those we identify as part of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.

The City of Grand Rapids did not adopt the Chamber’s proposed ordinance, but they did bide their time and then crafted two separate ordinances that were presented to the public. An overwhelming number of people showed up to a public hearing, with the majority opposing the two ordinances. Unfortunately, City Commissioners then voted on the ordinance proposals at the very next meeting on July 25th, adopting both by a margin of 5 – 2.

However, it is vitally importantly that we understand that the Chamber’s push to get these ordinances passed, is only part of a much larger vision they want to implement in Grand Rapids, a vision that excludes large sectors of the population. 

In a July 26th Chamber of Commerce “news” posting, those who run the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce made known their vision for Grand Rapids. 

The heading of this post reads, What Will Define our Regional Success? The Chamber claims that Grand Rapids has bucked some of the “worrisome trends” in terms of urban development, but then poses the question – Will we continue this way in the future? The Chamber’s answer is instructive: 

It’s complicated. There is never a single solution to major disruption and complex issues, but we can learn from other cities have done – or not done. And it will take the business community leading the effort to promote a vibrant and prosperous region in the coming decades. Cities that are succeeding are focused on:

• Investing in amenities that improve quality of life – from signature assets to enhancing greenspace.
• Increasing the availability and attainability of housing for all
• Increasing community safety

The good news is that our region is already engaging in public-private partnerships on all these fronts. Here’s how greater Grand Rapids is breaking the mold.

Before we get to the bullet points listed here, it is important to note that when the Chamber (or any other group) uses the term “public-private partnership”, what they really mean is that a government entity will provide substantial amounts of public money to a project that will primarily benefit the private sector. Therefore, we should really see public-private partnerships as welfare for the rich.

Now, let’s deconstruct the three bullet points that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is presenting in their “vision.” 

First, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce idea of an amenity, are things that will primarily benefit the private sector, places that require a cost to get in, and direct people to use things like hotels, fee-based parking lots, restaurants, bars and other downtown businesses. Therefore, the amenities that the GR Chamber lists are the downtown Amphitheater, the Factory Yards, River Development, and the Aquarium. They go on to say, “creating amenity-rich neighborhoods and corridors will drive a better future.” To be clear, it will drive a better future for those who own and/or profit from the items listed above. Again, since these are public-private partnerships, the private sector, which is often the very rich in this community, has already received millions in public dollars, before they make millions more from the “amenities” they have been pushing.

Think about how all of the above “amenities” will exclude a large sector of the population, especially working class people/families, which are struggling to survive from paycheck to paycheck. These individuals and families will not be able to afford a ticket to a concert at the Amphitheater, plus parking, which often would require child care, etc. 

To see all of the “amenities” that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce are pushing, go here.

The second bullet point item is Increasing Housing at all Price Points. What the Chamber means by the second bullet point is that the “market” will provide solutions to our housing needs. This is a false solution, since the market has made most housing option unaffordable for people/families in Grand Rapids. In  February of 2023, we wrote:

The “solution” to the current housing crisis, according to Housing Next, involves local government, developers and non-profits. The fact of the matter is, Housing Next offers no real solution to the housing crisis, only the same old model, the market. This is not a solution or maybe more aptly named a false solution. This is because under a market system, housing is nothing more than a commodity that can be bought and sold to make profits. For the Chamber and those sectors of society who believe in the market, housing is not a fundamental human right.  Housing within a market economy, particularly home ownership, is for those who can afford it, which leaves out millions of people in the US alone. 

In addition, we need to recognize that Housing Next is an entity that was essentially created by the Chamber of Commerce, primarily as a way to insert themselves into the housing discussion and to influence housing policy. Recently, Housing Next was able to bamboozle the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA), to allow them to be the point entity for West Michigan to hold community meetings around housing and to work to re-direct state money to subsidize housing projects for the near future. Also, if you read the Housing at all Price Points section, it states, “Thankfully, we have made significant progress to rise to this challenge, but we still need to accelerate our efforts to create desirable, walkable and amenity-rich housing opportunities.” Notice that the word affordable is nowhere in that statement, plus all of the “resources” they list are market-based or public-private solution.

As a counter to the market-based housing solutions, I have come up with my own list, which is rooted in years of providing radical hospitality to those who were housing insecure and the current work I do with the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union. These Housing Justice solutions include:

• Paying people a livable wage, which right now would be $25 an hour minimum
• Reducing the wealth gap in Kent County, where there are over 600 millionaires, but 25% of the population is subjected to poverty.
• Government regulated rent control
• The creation of Tenant Unions
• Stop the influence peddling of Real Estate and Rental Property Associations, especially during election cycles, as we documented in 2022. 
• Re-direct part of the massive US Military Budget ($858 Billion for 2023) and use it to provide housing for people, particularly the most marginalized communities.
• Practice Radical Hospitality, particularly in the faith communities. Imagine home many people who are currently housing insecure, could benefit from the resources and hospitality of the faith communities. 
• Limit large corporate property management companies or real estate investors from operating in Grand Rapids/Kent County.
• End government subsidies/tax breaks for developers.
• Promote cooperative housing and Community Land Trusts.

The third, and last bullet point that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce lists as their vision for this city is “Community Safety,” which really means more cops. In fact, in the section on Community safety, they list 2 points – increasing the number of cops and Clean, Healthy & Safe Public Space. The later point was written before the July 25th City Commission vote to adopt the ordinances to criminalize the unhoused, which is what the GR Chamber means by clean, healthy and safe public spaces.

So you can see that the vision of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is to create a city that will primarily benefit the wealthy, use public dollars to subsidize projects the private sector will profit from, rely on housing solutions that are market based, and increase the number of police to make sure than any undesirables – the unhoused, working class people, those who do not elevate consumption as a top priority, and dissidents – will not interfere with their plans and their vision. 

Lastly, it is worth noting that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce will be discussing this vision – so-called transformational projects, housing and increasing cops and private security guards – at an afternoon conference being held at Frederick Meijer Gardens this Wednesday, August 9th, from 11:30am – 5:30pm. The conference will include business leaders, community leaders, and local thought leaders. Thought leaders? Why do those who have power over others always use such stupid language? Are they suggesting that they are leaders who think or are thoughtful? Please, they only think about what benefits their interests. Oh, and if you want to attend this “Policy Conference”, it will cost you $250 to attend, assuming you aren’t a Chamber member. GRIID sent a request to attend as media, but have yet to receive a response.