GRPD creates counter narrative about incident from last weekend, while Chief Winstrom claims the cops have regained community trust

Last weekend there was an incident in downtown Grand Rapids, where 20 GRPD cops used pepper ball guns on a primarily Black group of people. In addition, the GRPD plus the GRPD made several arrests.

I first found out about it on Sunday, when someone who was at the scene of the incident filmed what was happening, which you can watch at this link.

In a direct response to the resident video, GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom took it upon himself to reach out to local news to provide a counter-narrative about what happened. Both MLive and WXMI 17 reported on the incident, which I want to de-construct here.

MLive’s coverage was very problematic for numerous reasons. First, the only source cited in their article was the GRPD, specifically Chief Winstrom. Second, nothing of what Winstrom was saying was questioned by the reporter, nor were his claims verified. For example, MLive states:

Winstrom said he believed the officers had shown “great restraint” in a violent situation that could’ve ended much more violently. There were about 20 officers who responded to the incident.

There is no follow up to this comment or verification as to whether or not the GRPD used “great restrain.” The MLive goes on to quote Winstrom: 

“I looked into the incident and saw the officers really facing a very difficult situation where they are overwhelmingly outnumbered,” he told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press on Monday, March 17. “It’s chaotic, it’s very violent, and the officers showed great restraint, and in a matter of probably about eight minutes, brought everything to a peaceful conclusion.”

Again, the mLive reporter demonstrates no questioning or verification of the claims made by Winstrom, particularly his comment, “in a matter of probably about eight minutes, brought everything to a peaceful conclusion.” What Winstrom means by bringing things to a peaceful resolution is to arrest people and to use weaponry that causes discomfort and significant pain, especially for those with respiratory issues. 

Third, the only visuals that MLive used were still shots from GRPD bodycam footage. We know that GRPD cops have a history of turning bodycams off, plus the still images were probably provided to local media for use, images that were selected, since there is no concrete evidence of wrong doing on the part of the GRPD.

Fourth, the ending of the article underscores Winstrom’s real reason for crafting a message about the incident that took place last weekend. MLive cites Winstrom at length: 

“I’m glad we’re in a place of trust, where I think the default now is that everyone knows that the police officers who respond to 911 calls in the city all have body-worn cameras on,” he said. “Everyone knows that the officers are aware of the ubiquity of surveillance video, including cell phone videos. Everyone knows that I am not afraid to hold police officers accountable when they do things wrong. And so I think the trust issue has really improved.”

Such a claim is once again unchallenged and unverified by the reporter. What I know about community attitudes about the GRPD, particularly in the circles I am in, is that people, especially BIPOC people, do not trust the GRPD. 

The WXMI 17 story was a little better than the MLive story, in that they actually talked to one of the people who was there when the GRPD showed up. Unfortunately, neither news outlet links to the actual footage take by a witness to the incident.

Despite providing some space for the witness to offer their version of what went down, the bulk of the WXMI 17 story provides more space for Chief Winstrom to dictate the narrative. The witness said he felt the whole incident was racially motivated, and this is where Winstrom comes in by saying: “I’ve spoken to African American leaders in the community, and the response I’ve gotten is completely different.” What African American leaders is Winstrom referring to? Does he mean the pastors who do ride-alongs with the GRPD or other leaders who consistently want to have their picture taken with the Police Chief.

WXMI 17 also include a 4 minute and 43 second video from the GRPD which does show some fighting, but mostly it shows the GRPD using pepper spray. The last minute of the video shows GRPD cops wielding pepper ball guns. The video footage is muted for “foul language”, which is unfortunate, since we can’t hear what the cops are saying either during this incident. 

In the end, the GRPD used this incident as an opportunity to both control and re-direct the narrative about what happened, taking no responsibility for their use of force, all the while claiming that they have regained the community’s trust. This is yet another example of how Police Chief Eric Winstrom deliberately lies about how the GRPD functions, especially in Black and Brown communities.