Missed opportunity by the Grand Rapids City Commission to reject the GR Chamber’s ordinance proposal to criminalize the unhoused
Ever since the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce went public with their proposal for the City of Grand Rapids, a proposal that would criminalize the unhoused, it has become the main local news topic.
GRIID wrote a response to the GR Chamber’s unjust and insensitive ordinance proposal on December 6th. That same night, during last week’s City Commission meeting, numerous downtown business owners and members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure showed up to show support for the Chamber’s ordinance proposal.
We then followed up with a post that critiqued the local news coverage of the Chamber’s proposal, making it clear that the coverage primarily centered the voices of the business community.
On Monday, we posted an article that took a critical look at another letter send to the Grand Rapids City Commission, this time from 120 business people, which included several members of the most powerful families in the city. In that post we made the point that many of those who signed the letter have financed politicians and pushed economic policies that have in many ways created the housing crisis we are currently facing in Grand Rapids. This dynamic is also true of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, which has a long track record of lobbying on behalf of the richest people in the community, while pushing policies that impacted thousands of individuals and families that are one paycheck away from being unhoused.
Several local organizers and autonomous groups have resounded to the outlandish GR Chamber proposal. On Monday, about 25 people showed up at the GR Chamber office, demanding that they rescind the letter and make a public apology for putting forth said ordinance proposal. In addition to the protest, people have been calling the Chamber CEO, along with several members of the business community that signed on to the Chamber’s proposal to let them know that if the Chamber doesn’t meet the demands presented to them on Monday, that there would be a call for a boycott of all downtown businesses. Lastly, those involved in resisting the Chamber’s ordinance proposal, created an online letter that is being sent to Grand Rapids City officials, which has been signed by over 10,000 people. I know that most of the 10,000 are not self-designated “community leaders”, but 120 compared to 10,000 should tell you something.
Just a few days ago, Grand Rapids City officials held their usual meetings, but there were two that were of particular interest as it relates to the GR Chamber’s proposed ordinance.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Public Safety Committee met, with the Chief of Police and other GRPD staff presenting all of the things that they are doing to address “safety issues” in downtown Grand Rapids. You can watch this meeting, but what seemed clear was that the GRPD was using both the Chamber’s call that the City do more around public safety and their own list of responses, as an opportunity to push for an increase in cops and an increase in funding for the GRPD.
Writer and activist Naomi Murakaw identifies this tactic as one of the three traps of police reform. In this case, the GRPD wants to make themselves relevant through programs like the HOT Team, in order to justify ongoing or increased funding. The ongoing push by police to justify their existence almost always happens when there is significant push back from the community.( See Elizabeth Hinton’s book, America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s) Ever since the May 2020 uprising, the GRPD has been working hard to control the narrative and to push city officials to increase their budget and add more cops to the department. During Tuesday’s Public Safety Committee meeting, Chief Winstrom continued that narrative.
Towards the end of the Public Safety Committee meeting, one of the committee members, Ed Kettle, who has been a longtime support and apologist for the GRPD, offered to run another millage campaign to increase funding tor the GRPD. It should be noted that Kettle was involved in the campaign in 1995 to change the City Charter to institutionalize the no less than 32% of the budget going to the GRPD and to add more cops to the force.
On Tuesday evening, during the Grand Rapids City Commission meeting, there were more than a dozen people who spoke on the GR Chamber of Commerce proposed ordinance and all of them were in opposition to it. In addition to the public comment opposition, there were already over 10,000 letters from the public condemning the Chamber ordinance proposal that Commissioners would have seen, but despite all of this opposition, the City Commissioners failed to address or reject what the Chamber of Commerce had submitted. In my mind, this was a missed opportunity to demonstrate to the public that City officials don’t give in to the Grand Rapids business class.
Not only did the City Commissioners miss an opportunity to say no to the criminalization of the unhoused, they spent the last hour of their meeting congratulating each other, since three Commissioners were leaving due to being term limited or voted out. While I can appreciate the comments that many of them made, they could have done that in a more private setting with each other, instead of using the public’s time. This was the last City Commission meeting of 2022 and who knows how long it will be before the GR Chamber’s proposed ordinance will get voted on by the commission. We do know that one of the new Commissioners, Drew Robbins, was endorsed by the police union and bankrolled by the Chamber of Commerce, which means he will likely support their ordinance proposal. The other two commissioners come from the non-profit world and are often seen as progressives, but without either of them holding political office it would be naive to assume that they would reject the Chamber’s proposal.
ArtPrize 2.0: More public money to be used means more profits for downtown Grand Rapids businesses
More information has come out regarding the future of ArtPrize in Grand Rapids.
As we noted in a November 20th post, where Mayor Bliss was interviewed by WOODTV8, the future of ArtPrize will be a partnership between the City of Grand Rapids, Kendall College of Art & Design, and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.
In the Agenda Packet (pages 2 – 4) for the Grand Rapids Committee of the Whole for December 6th, we now have a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the future of ArtPrize. Grand Rapids City officials adopted the proposed resolution regarding the future of ArtPrize, stating:
ArtPrize has had an immense impact on our community. It has created a unique conversation about arts, culture, and self-expression. This distinctively Grand Rapids approach to innovation captured the imagination of the arts world. The past work of the founders, sponsors, artists, and donors has built a strong foundation that provides a tremendous opportunity for the future of this next phase of ArtPrize.
Such commentary seems a little self-congratulatory, which is consistent with how those who run this city often responds. Besides adopting the resolution, we now have a partial list of the nine-member Leadership Board of Directors for ArtPrize:
- Tara McCrackin – President of Kendall College
- Richard Winn – AHC Hospitality (DeVos owned)
- Natalie Stewart – Switch (https://www.switch.com/about/)
- Mark Washington – City Manager Grand Rapids
- Mayor Bliss – Mayor Grand Rapids
According to the December 6th document, the Leadership Board will be responsible for selecting the remaining members of the board. Can’t wait to see who else gets selected to manage/control the future of the art spectacle.
Yesterday, included in the Grand Rapids City Commission Fiscal Committee Agenda Packet (pages 11 – 13), we now know that City officials want to use public funds to continue to subsidize ArtPrize. I say continue to subsidize, since Grand Rapids has been using public money to support ArtPrize, such as the $50,000 they approve in August for the the 2022 integration of the monied spectacle. However, the amount that the City of Grand Rapids approved yesterday is definitely an increase from previous years. The Fiscal Committee document states:
Your Committee of the Whole recommends adoption of a $50,000 Mobile GR sponsorship and $100,000 Special Events sponsorship and $50,000 of in-kind services from Mobile GR for the ArtPrize 2023 event.
This means that a $200,000 value of public money will be used to subsidize ArtPrize for 2023. Do you think that the City will finally decide to pay artists for their time/labor for participating in ArtPrize? I’m not holding my breathe.
In the end, the only real difference that I can see with Rick DeVos no longer running ArtPrize, is that he got the City of Grand Rapids to take it over. Ultimately, this means City funds, City resources and City staff time will be spent on an event that will primarily benefit the private sector. It’s sort of like a reverse austerity measure, where instead of privatizing a public service, the private sector gets the public sector to underwrite and promote ArtPrize, yet the private sector is the primary beneficiary of the monied art spectacle. Another example of the economic shell game that Capitalism plays on the public.
We say NO to the criminalization of the unhoused protest confronts GR Chamber of Commerce staff with demands
Last night, roughly 25 activists gathered in front of 250 Monroe NW, the building that is home to the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. The gathering was from a call by the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union, working with a coalition of autonomous groups, to protest the GR Chamber’s proposed ordinance that would criminalize those who are unhoused, those who are subjected to poverty, and those who are struggling with mental health issues.
After a brief gathering outside, the group decided to go inside the building and directly confront members of the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce. This is the first time this writer had been in the new office space, which is way more upscale than their office was when it was housed on Pearl St. in downtown Grand Rapids.
Upon entering the glass doors of the GR Chamber office, one staff member pleaded with the group to leave, since the office was “private property.” While we understand that the GR Chamber and other members of the Capitalist Class view private property as sacrosanct, those who came to communicate their anger over the proposed ordinance were in no way intimidated by the hollow plea to vacate the Chamber’s office.
A clear demand was presented by someone, which included that the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce rescind their letter proposing the criminalization of the unhoused and make a public apology for doing so. From that point on, several other activists verbalized their rage over the proposed ordinance, with some asking the Chamber staff directly if they “hated” those who were unhoused. By this time a second GR Chamber staff member had appeared and was clearly on the phone to the GRPD. The other GR Chamber staff member tried to speak softly to the person who made the demands, asking them if they would get people to leave. Clearly, the GR Chamber staff isn’t familiar with the fact that groups like this organize horizontally, therefore individuals are not “in charge” and everyone participating is allowed to make up their own damn minds.
Eventually, the group left GR Chamber office, only to gather just outside the door, where they continued to chant and direct comments towards the staff still inside. The confrontation seemed to energize people, and their chants echoed throughout the building, so much so that people from other offices poked their heads out to see what all the ruckus was.
By this time, there were four separate GRPD cruisers that had arrived, so most members of the group exited out the Ottawa-side of the building, with a few people going out to see what the GRPD were up to. The cops saw that some people were exiting out the Monroe-side of the building, so they waited until people came out. The cops said nothing to the activists who came out, and immediately went inside the building to assure the GR Chamber staff that their “private property” was safe.
It is rather instructive that the GR Chamber of Commerce staff called the GRPD on those who were there to make demands that the organization rescind the letter and make a public apology. The irony is that if the GR Chamber proposed ordinance is adopted by the City of Grand Rapids, it will result in the Chamber, or any of their business members, casually calling the GRPD to remove or arrest those who are unhoused, those who are subjected to poverty, and those who are struggling with mental health issues. The fact that the GRPD were called, fully demonstrates that members of the Business Class will always resort to using state-sponsored intimidation and violence, especially when their financial interests are being threatened.
The group eventually went back outside and marched around downtown Grand Rapids for about 30 minutes, letting other businesses and residents know that some people will not tolerate the actions of organizations like the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, especially when they prioritize profits over people.
Below are other actions that people can take if they object to the criminalization of the unhoused.
Members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure and their associates sign on to letter endorsing the ordinance proposal that would criminalize the unhoused
Another letter from “community leaders” is asking Grand Rapids City officials to adopt the proposed ordinance put forth by the GR Chamber of Commerce, which was presented to the GR City Commission last Tuesday, which GRIID wrote about.
This week there is a new letter included in the City Commission Agenda Packet (pages 44 – 50), a letter that is signed by 120 people. Half way through the letter, the only bolded text reads:
We request that you adopt an ordinance to regulate appropriate access and use of the public right of way and solicitation.
This new letter clearly endorses and demonstrates that those with considerable political and economic power are behind the GR Chamber’s ordinance proposal.
However, the letter does include language similar to the Chamber’s communication to the city, suggesting they do not want to criminalize the unhoused. As we wrote previously about the language of the GR Chamber’s letter, the proposed ordinance would limit the mobility of people, where they will NOT be allowed to go, plus it will result in fines and/or likely jail times, as most people this ordinance will impact will not be able to afford the cost of the fines.
List of those who signed
As mentioned earlier, there were 120 people who signed on to the most recent letter, which is part of the City Commission’s Agenda Packet for Tuesday, December 13. However, a closer look reveals that the majority of the people who signed are either members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure, are associates of the GR Power Structure, or they have an organization affiliation with the most powerful people in this city.
For instance, there are only 3 DeVos family members who have signed on to the letter, but 13 other people who run one of the entities that the DeVos directly controls. Then there are at least 18 other people who have a direct connection to the DeVos family, primarily through groups like the GR Chamber of Commerce, the West Michigan Policy Forum and the Right Place Inc, which are all part of the GR Power Structure.
The bulk of the rest of the signatories are people who either own businesses or property in downtown Grand Rapids, along with a handful of people who actually live downtown.
As we wrote last week, “This new letter from the GR Chamber of Commerce demonstrates once again that their primary goal is to protect the interests of members of the Capitalist Class – making downtown safe for commerce and tourists, which always results in punishing those who threaten those interests.” In addition, it should be noted that many of the people who are signatories to the newest letter are people who make significant contributions to the Republican Party, which zealously supports the interests of the Capitalist Class. In addition, many of these same signatories are also connected to the GR Chamber of Commerce and the West Michigan Policy Forum, which have actively opposed raising the minimum wage, have worked to get business taxes and taxation of the rich reduced, actively work to undermine worker associations and labor unions, plus many of them supported Michigan becoming a Right to Work state in 2012. In short, this class of people has aggressively worked to create a wealth gap, to perpetuate poverty and to create market dynamics in Grand Rapids that has made the cost of living impossible for thousands.
10 years of Michigan being a Right to Work state: Why we could have prevented it if we used our collective power
This week marks the 10th anniversary of when a Right to Work policy was adopted by the GOP controlled Michigan legislature and then signed into law by former Governor Rick Snyder.
West Michigan’s role in pushing Right to Work for Michigan
Members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure played a significant role in helping to make Michigan a Right to Work state, something we should never forget. The West Michigan Policy Forum made Right to Work a priority since 2008, when the group grew out of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.
At their bi-annual Conference in 2012, the West Michigan Policy Forum ramped up their commitment to making Michigan a Right to Work state, with presenters from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy addressing the issue on September 11 of 2012, which GRIID wrote about. A few days later, at that same conference, the West Michigan Policy Forum had Rick Berman do a session on how to undermine labor unions. Berman is notorious for settling up anti-labor front groups as a strategy to not only undermine labor organizing efforts, but also function as a mechanism to win over public support for Right to Work policies.
When Michigan became a Right to Work state in early December of 2012, GRIID also wrote about the role that the DeVos family played in making Right to Work a reality in Michigan. We pointed out that the DeVos family not only has had members sitting on the Board of Directors of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (they were the main organization that had crafted the language Michigan used), they contributed millions to Mackinac, along with helping to found the West Michigan Policy Forum and making Right to Work a policy priority in the early years. MLive eventually acknowledged the role that the DeVos family played in an editorial they published 10 days after the GRIID article, but they gave the DeVos family spokesperson a great deal of space to defend the reasons why West Michigan’s most powerful family made Right to Work a priority.
A Missed opportunity to stop Right to Work in Michigan
As expected, organized labor and other civil society groups became mobilized against Right to Work being imposed on workers in Michigan. On December 10th, about 100 people protested in the streets of Grand Rapids, making a stop in front of the Amway Grand Plaza, since workers were well aware of the role that the DeVos family played in forcing a Right to Work policy in Michigan. This march, however, was just a prelude to the march that would take place the very next day in Lansing.
It was estimated that some 10,000 people, mostly workers, converged on the State Capitol in Lansing to protest the Right to Work policy that had been adopted. People began arriving as early as 6am, but by 9am there were thousands. Here is an excerpt of what GRIID wrote at that time:
By 9:00am there was an estimated 10,000 people in and around the state capitol demanding that Governor Snyder veto legislation that was voted on today, making anti-union Right to Work the official policy of the state.
Most of those attended the protest were union members, as was expected, with representation from the UAW, SEIU, electrical workers, steel workers, the MEA, the nurses union, public sector unions and the IWW.
Many roads were blocked off by the police, who were trying to make it difficult for folks to navigate downtown Lansing, but many unions bused in their members and took over the capitol lawn and the road out front with members holdings signs and inflated rats with Governor Snyder’s name on one and Dick DeVos’ name on another.
There were also over a thousand people inside the capitol, which had a large police presence, some in full riot gear, carry pepper spray and concussion grenades.
Unfortunately, most of the 10,000 people who came to demand that Snyder veto the Right to Work legislation, stayed outside listening to a selection of hand-picked speakers who emphasized the need to get a Democratic Party candidate elected in 2014. Michigan workers could have followed what Wisconsin workers did earlier that year, by occupying the Capitol to press their demands, even if it meant risking arrested. There were a few hundred people inside who had come to do just that and I was there with a contingent from Grand Rapids who were prepared to stay inside until the cops arrested us. Here again is what I wrote on GRIID about those of us who were inside the State Capitol:
Those of us who sat down, then began to invite others who were inside the capitol as part of the protest. Our numbers grew and we moved out from the center to take over more space. At about 11:30am, we were all greeted by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and Rep. Gretchen Whitmer.
Jackson made some very moving comments about the importance of this action and how so many working families have already gone over the “fiscal cliff.” After speaking Jackson sat down with the rest of us, along with Bernero and Whitmar, which brought even more excitement to the action.
However, in less than a minute, Jackson and the local politicians got up and wished us well. Many people took this as an insult and felt that if they really supported this action they would have stayed, considering we live in a society where having people like Jackson and elected officials will generally guarantee more media attention.
The occupation lasted for another hour or so, but it became apparent that not everyone was going to stay, even if it meant risking arrest. We also could not get more people to join us and the police presence continued to grow inside.
Some people who were wearing reflective vests and directing people inside all day, were members of unions, but more often than not acted as an extension of the cops, by constantly telling people to cooperate and getting into arguments with people who were doing civil disobedience.
Sadly, the State Capitol occupation numbers dwindled and eventually ended. People went back outside to listed to more speakers and embrace the electoral strategy, which might finally be able to reverse the Right to Work policy, but more than a decade later.
The failure to get enough people to engage in Direct Action that day was clearly a missed opportunity to actually prevent Right to Work becoming a policy in Michigan. It was also a missed opportunity to demonstrate the power of Direct Action and collective organizing that likely would have shown people the real power that workers have if they engaged in Direct Action.
A few days later, GRIID posted the first of a two part article entitled, Fighting Back in Michigan Part I: A Statewide Strategy. Part of that article read:
For decades the labor movement has been pumping millions of dollars into electoral politics instead of organizing in the workplace and building capacity amongst workers to have the skills to do radical politics.
Think about the $21.9 million dollars that was raised this year to push for Proposal 2. What if that amount of money was spent on paying people to become organizers, to provide resources to those doing organizing campaigns wherever workers wanted to organize? Workplace democracy is one of the strongest forms of democracy and can trump Right to Work laws. If businesses do not have compliant workers, they can’t make money.
Beyond spending the money on organizing, that kind of money could be used for mutual aid, providing resources like food, health care and housing to fellow workers and their families who are struggling to make it in this capitalist economy. Engaging in mutual aid will build solidarity, by demonstrating to people that we care about our working class brothers and sisters.
Now, detractors might suggest that the electoral strategy won this year, but such strategies on really win if they result is massive structural changes to policies that prioritize people above profits.
It should be easy for the Democrats to get rid of the Right to Work policy in Michigan, but they is very low hanging fruit. Getting rid of Right to Work should be followed by making the minimum wage in Michigan $25 an hour, which would be more of a livable wage, along with taxing the hell out of the rich to fund housing, education, health care and climate justice work that we can’t wait another decade for. We need to demand these things now, as I wrote in a 3 part series right after it was announced that the Democrats would control the State Legislature beginning in 2023. Another World is Possible!!!
Local news coverage of the GR Chamber of Commerce proposed ordinance completely excludes the perspective of those who would be most impacted
There has been a fair amount of local news coverage after the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce sent another letter to City officials, this time with a proposal around adopting an ordinance(s) that would significantly impact those who are unhoused, experiencing poverty and struggling with mental health issues.
GRIID wrote about the GR Chamber letter/proposal on Tuesday, since it was part of the Grand Rapids Agenda Packet for governments meetings that day. Today, we take a look at which sources the commercial news media relied on for this story and how they framed the issue.
The primary sources are what you would expect from the local commercial news media, which were spokespersons for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Grand Rapids City officials, a business person a few perspectives from the non-profit world. The only news source that had a somewhat critical perspective, was MLive, which included a response from director of the Kent County Essential Needs Task Force and Commissioner Reppart, both of which had a more reasoned view of the larger issue.
However, the primary sources were GR Chamber spokespersons, a business voice on WOOD TV8 and the CEO of Mel Trotter Ministries, which were included in the MLive, WOOD TV8 and WXMI 17 stories. The CEO of Mel Trotter Ministries also was a signatory to the GR Chamber’s proposed ordinance, which is not surprising since Mel Trotter Ministries is part of the Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids, which doesn’t address root causes, but provides people an outlet to feel better about themselves in the process.
Then there is the issue of how this story was framed by the local commercial news media. Only MLive provided substantive coverage of what the GR Chamber’s proposed ordinance would do, while the rest of the coverage limited their framing around the problem as being how the unhoused are being disruptive to the businesses and customers in the downtown area. None of the reporting asked a much larger or more fundamental question about why so many people are unhoused, experiencing poverty and struggling with mental health issues, plus there was no acknowledgement of how the GR Chamber ethos of Capitalism has created the poverty and housing crisis, which are major contributing factors to people struggling with mental health. In one of the news stories (WZZM 13) the newsreaders echos a Chamber perspective, saying that the behavior of the unhoused is “unacceptable.” My question is, why don’t we talk about how the concentrated wealth in this city is the most grotesquely unacceptable thing about Grand Rapids?
The GR Chamber, City Officials and most non-profits think about this “problem” as a problem of access to resources and services, but such thinking fails to address the more fundamental problem of why there is a housing crisis and why so many people are experiencing poverty. This should comes as no surprise that the commercial news media doesn’t see these connections and won’t likely entertain them since the commercial media is embedded in the system of Capitalism and those who work in news media have internalized the values of that system.
Lastly, it is instructive that those who are framed as the problem and those who would be most impacted by the GR Chamber’s proposed ordinance(s) are not included in the commercial media’s news coverage. Are their opinions irrelevant and do they not have a say in this matter? Are the lived experiences of those who are unhoused, subjected to poverty and struggling with mental health issues not important for this larger community conversation? Why is it that the news media fails to follow the journalistic premise of afflicting the comfortable and comforting the afflicted?
One month after Proposal 3 passed in Michigan, what are the Anti-Abortion groups saying?
It has been one month since voters in Michigan passed Proposal 3, which amends the Michigan Constitution to add the right to choose to have an abortion and use contraceptives as law of the land.
The passing of Proposal 3 was an important victory for bodily autonomy and reproductive justice. However, most of the US is still confronted with the reality of having Roe v Wade overturned, which criminalizes abortion and will have the largest impact for those living in poverty, particularly those who are Black, Indigenous and other communities of color.
Equally important is the fact that there are still powerful, well organized groups in Michigan that have taken a hard anti-abortion stance and are likely to continue to organize and take action to prevent people from having abortions in Michigan and around the country.
We will collectively need to remain vigilant when it comes to what the anti-abortion forces are thinking and planning for in the near future, especially since we know that they will not let up in the quest to make abortion illegal everywhere. What follows are some comments and excerpts from various anti-abortion groups in Michigan.
Right to Life Michigan
Here is what the President of Right o Life Michigan wrote the day after Proposal 3 was passed:
We are deeply saddened by the tragic passage of one of the most dangerous ballot proposals to face voters in Michigan history, Proposal 3. In the days ahead, Right to Life Michigan will redouble our efforts to work across Michigan communities to protect the dignity of all human life.
On November 14th, Right to Life Michigan posted an article with the belief that the public was lied to by those promoting Proposal 3. In addition, Right to Life Michigan notes that those that support reproductive freedom want to reverse other legislation that put some limitations on bodily autonomy, stating: They already have highlighted two laws they want to repeal: our state’s 24-hour waiting period, and our law protecting people from paying for abortions through health insurance.
Michigan Catholic Conference
The day after Proposal 3 passed in Michigan, the Michigan Catholic Conference wrote:
“This is a tragic day for Michigan and for the cause of protecting and upholding the inherent dignity of all human life. Despite the tremendous hurdle this constitutional amendment presents, we will continue to support policies that uphold parental rights and the sanctity of human life as well as those that offer assistance to women in need. Regardless of what abortion laws and policies are in place, we continue to pray for and work toward a day where human life is welcomed as a gift and where abortion is considered an unthinkable option.”
Then on November 18, the MCC wrote:
“The entire abortion landscape just changed, literally overnight. We must respond. As legal protections for the unborn are not realistic in the near-term in our state, vision, courage, and leadership are thus necessary to anticipate and build the framework for a pro-life culture that supports women and families through sound public policies. That would be our task regardless of the outcome of the election, but it becomes more crucial with the approval of Proposal 3.”
The Ridge Covent Church is not an anti-Abortion centered group, but their church does spent a great deal of time condemning abortion. A good example is this post-Election commentary by their pastor, who likes to refer to Michigan as a state that sanctions baby murdering.
In addition, here are a couple of graphics/posters that The Ridge Covenant Church like to use, which emphasize the “evils of abortion.”
March for Life
It is important to note that most of the anti-abortion groups in Michigan have been promoting and planning to attend the March for Life rally in Washington, DC beginning on January 20th next year. The Grand Rapids Chapter of Right to Life is promoting the national march, which they see as a way to motivate people to come back to their respective communities to fight against abortion. I include this, even though it has been happening for decades, but it is worth noting as people will also be networking with other anti-abortion activists from around the country, so we should be prepared for a renewed commitment from people in Michigan.
It is vitally important that even though Proposal 3 passed, we should not become complacent in our fight to defend reproductive justice and bodily autonomy. The anti-abortion forces will not be taking time off. In fact, it could be argued that there will likely be an increase in anti-abortion activity in Michigan, with the possibility of actions that will not be non-violent, like the Operation Rescue type of actions we saw in the late 1980s and early 90s.
During Tuesday’s Grand Rapids City Commission meeting, it was acknowledged that the Commission had received a communication from Josh Lunger, the Vice President of Governmental Affairs, for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce.
The communication from Lunger can be found in the City Commission Agenda Packet for December 6th, on pages 41 – 47. The Chamber of Commerce letter crafted by Lunger, was dated November 29, with the subject being, Request for Action to Improve Health & Safety in Public Spaces.
You will recall that this is not the first letter that Lunger has written to the Grand Rapids City Commission under the theme of “public safety.” The GR Chamber representative wrote a letter in July of 2022, calling for an increased presence of the GRPD to deal with people who Lunger claimed were a threat to the safety and commerce of the people and businesses in downtown Grand Rapids.
Just weeks before the November Election, there was local news coverage concerning Lunger and his role in the campaign known as SafeGR, which specifically targeted 1st Ward Commissioner Kurt Reppart and presented information about crime and safety in Grand Rapids, information that GRIID noted was misinformation. We wrote a piece the day after the election which stated:
In addition, the SafeGR campaign used bogus information, which was designed to paint a picture that Grand Rapids is experiencing a crime wave and that less police would mean more crime. Neither of these claims are true, and even one of the sources they used around public opinion and safety doesn’t support their claim. Go to this link, which SafeGR cited, and then click on the heading Safety.
As one more piece of context for this latest letter from Lunger, it is important to note that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Lunger’s employer, contributed $10,500 to Andrew Robbins, who was running for Reppart’s seat in the 1st Ward. The GR Chamber provided that kind of money, which ultimately helped Robbins win the election under a platform of more cops.
The most recent letter by Lunger continues the GR Chamber’s plea for increased GRPD presence in the downtown, except in the current letter, there are more developed proposals that would clearly target and punish those who are unhoused. What is instructive about the language that the letter from Lunger/GR Chamber of Commerce is using, are two things. First, the letter wants the City of Grand Rapids to adopt ordinances that would punish the unhoused or are not compliant, and second, the letter goes out of its way to say that these ordinances will “not criminalize homelessness.”
However, despite the Chamber’s claim that this will not criminalize homelessness, beginning on page 45 of the Agenda Packet there is a section with the heading, “Aggressive solicitation and harassment.” Under that section it makes clear that this type of ordinance would punish those who solicit people for money. What is instructive about this section is that it is prohibiting people (those who solicit) from being within 15 feet of a public toilet entrance, an automated teller machine, any bus stop, taxi stand or rapid transit stop, the entrance or exit from a building, public or private, or within 20 feet of any parking lot, parking garage, parking meter or parking pay station, from any entrance or exit of commercially zoned property, or within 150 feet of any signalized intersection. Lastly, the ordinance that the GR Chamber of Commerce is proposing would prohibit those soliciting -which is code for the unhoused and those that are financially struggling – from, “At any lawfully permitted outdoor dining area, amphitheater seating area, playground or lawfully permitted outdoor merchandise area.” With these distance regulations, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is essentially saying that the poor, the unhoused, those who are struggling with mental health, etc., should just stay the hell out of the downtown area.
Just when you think that it couldn’t get any worse, on page 46, the ordinance that the GR Chamber wants to be adopted would come with penalties, meaning the poor, the unhoused and those with struggling with mental health issues would be punished. Here is what the “penalties are:
- Upon conviction for a first offense for violating this section, the court shall impose a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00), or a sentence of probation, or both.
- Upon conviction for a second or subsequent offense for violating this section, the court shall impose a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00), or imprisonment in jail for a period of not more than ninety (90) days, or a sentence of probation, or by a combination of fine, imprisonment, and a sentence of probation.
If this isn’t a clear path to criminalizing the unhoused, even though the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce says it isn’t, then it is clear that we need to call what the GR Chamber is asking for, which is in fact the criminalization of people that are poor, unhoused and struggling with mental health. The GR Chamber of Commerce can claim they want services to be provided to people who fall under one or more of these descriptors, but we all know that the GR Chamber of Commerce and its members will not be stepping up to pay for these services. This new letter from the GR Chamber of Commerce demonstrates once again that their primary goal is to protect the interests of members of the Capitalist Class – making downtown safe for commerce and tourists, which always results in punishing those who threaten those interests. We need people to come together to actively resist such an ordinance and to confront the GR Chamber of Commerce for even proposing an ordinance which says it is ok to treat people this way. Who wants to join this fight?
Grabbing a cop’s taser is becoming a popular legal justification for police shooting of Black people
Ever since Patrick Lyoya was murdered by the GRPD back in April, elected officials, cops and police apologists have been making the claim that Christopher Schurr’s use of force – shooting Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head – was justified because Patrick grabbed the cop’s taser.
This is the argument used on a recent Facebook post by the Grand Rapids-based Gerald R. Ford Metro Lodge #97, Fraternal Order of Police. The police union’s post from November 25th reads:
Anybody else seeing a pattern here? You disarm or grab an officer’s TASER, it unquestionably is a deadly force encounter. But not in Kent County…..no….here the prosecutor goes after you for political points. Unreal. End this madness.
Even with this comment, you can see that grabbing a cop’s taser is referred to as a “deadly force encounter,” meaning the cop gets to shoot the person who grabbed their taser.
The social media post included a link to a story out of Chicago about police officer who shot a Black man twice, once in the stomach and once in the back as he was running up an escalator, all because the Black man grabbed at the taser that was used on him twice during the encounter. You can see for yourself in the footage that the news story included.
After looking at the footage of this story and looking at the video footage that was released on the Patrick Lyoya case, I agree with the first sentence from the Gerald R. Ford Metro Lodge #97, Fraternal Order of Police social media post, I see a pattern here. And, in case anyone is fuzzy on what I mean, the pattern is that cops get to use deadly force, especially against Black people, when they touch or grab the cop’s taser, the very same weapon that was used against the person the cop was trying to detain.
What also makes the case in Chicago and what happened to Patrick Lyoya a pattern is that they were both stopped because of non-violent offenses. Patrick Lyoya was pulled over for having expired plates on his car and the Black man in Chicago was tased and shot by cop because he was moving from one train car to another one, which is a violation of a Chicago City ordinance.
What is also instructive about the post comments from the Gerald R. Ford Metro Lodge #97, Fraternal Order of Police social media post was the attack on Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker. The vitriol against Becker, who has received police union funding during previous political campaigns, continues in the comments section of the post. One comment reads:
The whole system is sickening .. BLM has already been debunked, proven that it was a money scam .. right is right wrong is wrong .. try to grab anything from my duty belt and it would be a seriously bad day for you.
I chose to highlight this police union social media post in part, because it exposes the hyper-defensiveness of cops, but mostly because we can expect to see more of the same arguments in the Patrick Lyoya case when Christopher Schurr goes to trial after the New Year. The same “use of force” arguments will be made by the lawyers defending Schurr, along with the expected commentary from the various police unions in Grand Rapids and police apologist groups that exist in this community.
Cosecha activists show up at the home of Rep. Wentworth, the same guy who cancelled the public hearing on driver’s licenses over a year ago
Early Sunday morning, Cosecha activists from several circles around the state, converged on the small town of Claire, Michigan, to pay a visit to the home of Rep. Jason Wentworth.
The focus of the immigrant-led action was centered around the issue of driver’s licenses. Pressuring the state legislature to allow undocumented immigrants the right to obtain driver’s license has been a priority of Movimiento Cosecha since they began a campaign in 2018.
However, the main reason that the immigrant justice activists went to House Speaker Jason Wentworth’s home on the brisk Sunday morning, had to do with the fact that since the legislation for Driver’s Licenses had been introduced in 2019, there had been no public hearings held on the matter until September of 2021. Some 150 immigration justice activists arrived Lansing that day, to speak during the public hearing that was being held on driver’s licenses. Unfortunately, just minutes before the public hearing was about the begin, the Speaker of the Michigan State House of Representatives, Jason Wentworth, cancelled the public hearing, thus denying immigrant activists the chance to speak and share their stories about the difficulties of raising families and working in a state that denies them the right to obtain a driver’s license.
Undeterred by Wentworth’s cancellation of a public hearing, Movimiento Cosecha activists came back to Lansing one year later to hold a 3 day encampment outside of the Lansing State Capitol. In addition to the encampment, immigration justice activists attended State House Legislative sessions, which were also canceled because there were so few in attendance. The reason that so many State Representatives were not present for the scheduled session, was because they were spending time on their own campaigns for re-election, instead of doing what they were supposed to do. Movimiento Cosecha members found out this information after visiting Rep. Wentworth’s office, and a staff member informed them that he was out campaigning.
Since, Rep. Wentworth canceled the public hearing on driver’s licenses, has not been available to residents of Michigan to discuss the matter and has never provided a reason for cancelling the scheduled public hearing in the fall of 2021, those with Movimiento Cosecha decided to show up at his house.
As Cosecha action’s go, this was a small action, but it was not necessary to have large numbers, especially considering the fact that they were going to the home of an elected official, in a small town, and in an area where there were no sidewalks.
The Cosecha action involved 12 people, some with banners, some with signs and some with sound amplifying equipment, walking up the driveway of Rep. Wentworth’s home and singing along to the music that was playing. This all began around 8:15am on Sunday.
Now, Cosecha activists came to Wentworth’s home to make a statement and had hope to speak with him about the need to immediately schedule another public hearing and then adopt legislation that would once again allow undocumented immigrants the chance to obtain a driver’s license.
The Sunday morning air was chilly, but activists didn’t let the cold stop them from making the most out of their action. After playing music and chanting for about 20 minutes, a few of the Cosecha organizers walked up the Rep. Wentworth’s home and began knocking on the door. It was clear that someone was home, both because we saw people pulling curtains back and peering out the widows, plus someone was walking back and forth in the living room.
Unfortunately, no one came to the door, so one of the Cosecha organizers made a statement in English and then in Spanish, a statement that provided an overview of their campaign and what it was so critically important that the very same people who put food on the table for most people in Michigan, those who work in the agriculture industry, should be granted the opportunity to obtain a driver’s license. The Cosecha organizer made this statement in English, looking directing into the security camera that was mounted on the front porch of Rep. Wentwroth’s home, a camera which happened to be just above a sign that read, “Welcome to our home.”
After standing on the porch of the house for 20 minutes, the Cosecha activists rejoined there comrades in the driveway, where they sang more songs, chanted more chants and made their presence known to the Republican Speaker of the House in Michigan. Cosecha Michigan live-streamed the action, which you can watch at this link.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the New Year, especially now that the Democrats control all aspects of the State government in Michigan. We will see if the Democrats prioritize getting driver’s licenses passed or if it will take a back seat to other issues. One thing for sure is that you can bet that Movimiento Cosecha and other immigrant justice groups will continue to apply pressure and to demand that State officials pass legislation to allow the undocumented community the opportunity to obtain a driver’s license. Immigrant justice activists are well aware of the fact that no matter which political party is in power they will not get their demands met by elected officials unless those same officials are pressured into doing to. #HastaLaHuelga!
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 