A recent post on the Grand Rapids Businessman FB page that named me has resulted in people sending me threatening messages, but I won’t be silenced

It is not unusual that people will make threats against me, since I have received letters in the mail threatening me with death, E-mails doing the same, but with social media it has definitely ramped up in recent years.

The Grand Rapids Businessman Facebook page used some of the images I shared and then wrote the following:

POLICE: A local activist is circulating the names and photos of more than a dozen Grand Rapids police officers, alleging they assist federal immigration enforcement. The post, shared by a self-described activist-journalist and “ICE resister” Jeff Smith, encourages supporters to further distribute the information and identify officers involved in immigration-related activity. Activists continue to pressure the city over ICE, sanctuary policies, and Flock cameras in Grand Rapids.

These comments aren’t threatening, but as I mentioned in an article I wrote last month, the Grand Rapids Businessman page essentially is a platform for the far right, MAGA supporters, white supremacists and other hateful individuals that are generally misinformed or just like to attack people for not believing in the dominant narratives about the US, about cops or other systems of power and oppression.

Many of the comments from the GR Businessman post naming me are awful, shitty and hateful, but what is worse is that people are sending me threatening messages directly. I don’t like it, but I, nor my family, are not being abducted by ICE.

Speaking of ICE, the post I shared with pictures of GRPD cops and listing their names was because these individual GRPD cops have been assisting ICE in various capacities, including harassing, intimidating and arresting anti-ICE activists who are trying to prevent ICE from abducting people or trying to prevent the GEO Group from transporting abducted immigrants to their privately run ICE detention center in Baldwin, Michigan.

In addition, none of the information, nor photos of the GRPD cops are private. These cops are paid with public dollars and their information as cops in part of the public record. Also, the Grand Rapids Businessman FB page says “alleging they assist federal immigration enforcement.” It is not an allegation, but a fact. Hell, I was arrested on Saturday, along with two others, for trying to stop ICE abducted immigrants from being sent to a detention center in Baldwin, MI.

The City of Grand Rapids, Mayor LaGrand and the Chief of Police have been telling us for the past 20n months that the GRPD does not cooperate with ICE. This is an outright lie and we have plenty of video and photo evidence to back it up.

The Grand Rapids Businessman Facebook page owner – who refuses to tell us who they are – always leaves out the most important information about whatever issue they have an opinion about. Again, they thrive off of using content taken from somewhere else on hot button issues, primarily to get a response from their base of followers that embraces far right values, such as white supremacy. Please don’t share their content or give them any oxygen. It is a waste of time trying to argue with these people.