Former Grand Rapids 1st Ward Commissioner Drew Robbins once again has the endorsement of the GRPD union, this time as a candidate for the State House

In early March Drew Robbins resigned from his seat as a 1st Ward City Commissioner in Grand Rapids so that he could run for the 84th State House seat as a Republican candidate.

There are numerous consequences to Robbin’s stepping down to run for a higher office, one being the recent City Commission conversation to appoint someone to fill the seat vacated by Robbins, which was a bit of a shit show.

However, the larger issue is the role that major contributors to the 2022 campaign of Drew Robbins, specifically the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce and the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association, as I documented at that time. Equally important is the fact that a likely GR Chamber led effort to discredit then 1st Ward Commissioner Reppart – Robbins was running against him in 2022 – specially through the so-called SafeGR campaign, which used billboards and mailers using pro-cop messages.

The recent Grand Rapids City Commission meeting to appoint someone to fill the seat that Robbins vacated also got the attention of other pro-cop groups, such as the Gerald R. Ford Metro Lodge #97, Fraternal Order of Police. They posted the following message, where they were referring to former City Commission Reppart on their Facebook page.

“We DODGED a huge bullet today. The cop hating former commissioner did not get enough votes to get appointed and continue his “woke” agenda. Leave it vacant until the election, please.”

The continued pro-police support for Drew Robbins is now reflected in the fact that he is being endorsed by the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association. Robbins posted this announcement on his Facebook page on April 11, plus he included the following narrative:

As a 26 year old with zero political experience, I jumped two feet into politics because violent crime was on the rise, and Grand Rapids Police Department was at record low staffing.

For some types of incidents when calling 911, residents couldn’t dependably know if an officer would show up in a reasonable time. Even still, there was a persistent movement among some individuals to further reduce their department’s budget. I couldn’t sit by idly.

Several years later as my time on the Commission came to a close, GRPD is now back to fully authorized staffing levels!

Some loud, niche voices in our community will say police only exist to “protect power structures”, “are a form of tyranny”, etc., etc. However ask the everyday, hard-working resident, and you’ll see. Bar none, they’re the best department in our region — highly-skilled, exceptionally trained, relationship focused, and equipped to respond to the vexing needs of a modern day city.

I’m proud to have been in the police union’s corner these past few years, and I’m honored to have the union in my corner on this new endeavor.

None of what Robbin’s says here is a surprise, but like all police apologists he creates a false narrative. One can’t claim that if you ask everyday, hard working residents that they will whole heartedly support the GRPD. More importantly, Robbin’s use of the condescending term niche voices is reflective of his white privilege.

Consider that some of the largest campaigns and protests in recent years in Grand Rapids has been to challenge the GRPD assault on Black and Brown residents. Thousands of people turned out to protest the police killing of George Floyd in late May of 2020, which was followed by efforts that nearly got the City of Grand Rapids to reduce funding for the GRPD, with thousands of letters being sent to reduce the police budget, along with significant efforts after the GRPD killed Patrick Lyoya, and more recently Da’Quain Johnson. None of this was niche, rather they were and are significant organized campaigns to challenge the violence of the carceral state.