On Day 1 of the Cosecha encampment in Lansing, we talked about how the systems of power pushed back against their plan to have a non-violent encampment, along with interactions the immigrant activists had with a far right Christian rally. In this post we want to primarily talk about how the political system of representative democracy fails the basic needs of the people.
In Day 2, Cosecha members were still being harassed by local police and the private security firm that security for Lansing City Hall. DK Security has had a contract with the City of Lansing for several years now, which is part of the privatization of security for local governments. Interestingly enough, DK Security is based in Grand Rapids, plus the Sr. Vice President of the company is Kevin Belk. Belk was part of the GRPD for several 
decades, and like many who used to work police departments, Belk transitioned to doing private security, which has even less accountability.
The Lansing police department kept sending officers to talk with the Cosecha police liaison, playing the good cop role, while sending patrol officers out to monitor and film Cosecha members throughout the day. The cop pictured here on the right, was filming immigrant activists while he was driving, using a cell phone.
One of the activities that the Lansing Police were filming was their crosswalk action and their information distribution. Since Cosecha members were located in front of City Hall (which is right across the street from the Lansing State Capital), they were able to distribute literature about their efforts to win Driver’s Licenses for All. This area in front of the State Capital is a business district, with lots of foot traffic, so Cosecha members were handing out information to people throughout the morning. In addition, their crosswalk action – which is when people walk slow, holding signs and banners, often causing some backup of traffic – was a useful tactic to get even more attention and to hand out flyers to people in cars.
At about 1:15pm, the immigrant activists when into the State Capital, since there was a scheduled session of the State House of Representatives. The session on Tuesday did not have enough people, so it was cancelled within 20 minutes. When the Cosecha activists showed up at the entrance of the State House room, they were told by the men in the red coats – also Capital security – that the session had already been cancelled, since there would not be a quorum. The guys in the red coats even changed the signage to Thursday, while Cosecha activists were talking with them before it was time for the scheduled session on Wednesday.
At this point Cosecha members decided to go to the office of the Speaker of the State House, Rep. Jason Wentworth. Wentworth was named Speaker of the House just after the 2020 Election. Rep. Wentworth was the person who cancelled the scheduled hearing for Driver’s Licenses last year, which Cosecha Michigan planned to speak at. Three Cosecha members were allowed to enter Wentworth’s office to talk with his staff. The staff person did not seemed to know anything about the Driver’s Licenses bill, but told the Cosecha activists that Rep. Wentworth was not in town. In fact, Wentworth’s staff said he was out campaigning to win re-election this November. According to Ballotpedia, Rep. Wentworth has raised more than any other legislator this election cycle, raising $831,900 as of July.
Once Cosecha members had finished their brief conversation with Wentworth’s staff, then went back up to the area in front of the entrance to where the House of Representatives holds their sessions. It was here that the immigrant justice movement members decided to do two things. First, they decided to provide a live Spanish/English description of the meeting they just had with Wentworth’s staff, which included letting people know that Wentworth was not only available to meet with residents of Michigan, he chose not to come to the House chambers, since it was his priority to campaign run for re-election.
The second thing that Cosecha activist did was to hold their own hearing on Driver’s Licenses, what they referred to as a People’s Hearing. During the People’s Hearing, Cosecha members talked about their own lived experience as undocumented immigrants and why obtaining Driver’s Licenses is so vitally important to them and their family. Other members talked about how so many undocumented workers, which are essential workers, don’t have driver’s licenses, which constantly puts them at risk with the cops and ICE agents. One Cosecha member, an older woman, talked about how essential having a driver’s licenses was, especially for basic things like going to the pharmacy to get medication or to the grocery store to buy food, things we often take for granted. The People’s Hearing is exactly what they what the State Representatives needed to hear, but because so few even bothered to show up to do their job of representing the people, they wouldn’t hear the powerful testimony provided by Cosecha activists.
What the past few days has demonstrated to this writer, is that the system of Representative Democracy is a bankrupt system. Residents of Michigan, who traveled hours to come to Lansing to speak with elected officials were denied the opportunity to do so. Not only were they deny the opportunity to speak with elected officials, they were denied the opportunity to show elected officials how urgently important it would be to the immigrant community to have something as essential as Driver’s Licenses to provide basic necessities for their families and their community. There was nothing that happened over the past two days that would demonstrate any aspect of the most basic democratic principles, apart from the autonomous, horizontal, compassionate actions of the immigrant justice activists who refused to give up. Hasta La Huelga!
Cosecha Michigan protest encampment – Day 1
Yesterday, Movimiento Cosecha Michigan began the first of their three day protest and encampment at the State Capital in Lansing.
It was one year ago today, that Movimiento Cosehca converged on the State Capital to continue their fight to win Driver’s Licenses for All in Michigan. As we wrote a year ago, just 15 minutes before the committee hearing on the proposed legislation to allow undocumented people to obtain a driver’s license, the Speaker of the House of Representatives canceled the hearing.
Since then there has been no movement on this legislation, which is very frustrating and insulting to the immigrant community. Having Driver’s Licenses is critical for people to feel safe to go about their daily lives – going to work, picking up children from school, going to the grocery store, etc. In addition, if undocumented immigrants are stopped by the police, it put them at serious risk of being reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
There was a scheduled session in the State House of Representatives today, which the Cosecha members decided to sit in on, but after 20 minutes there were only a handful of elected officials present, so the session was canceled. Undeterred, the immigration justice activists continued to engage in disruptive tactics with the Capital building.
Eventually the group moved outside, since they were going to prepare for an encampment on the State Capital property. However, upon exiting the building, Cosecha Michigan members came upon a rally that was being held by Christians who were also Trump supporters, less than 100 of them. Their rally encompassed information to vote no on Proposal 3, since they oppose abortion, plus they were talking about the “stolen election in 2020” and how public education is both indoctrination and a form of communism. However, the most outlandish thing that was said by one of the speakers, was that Sal Alinsky, author of the book Rules for Radicals, had dedicated his book to Lucifer. I shit you not.
Cosecha is accustomed to engaging in disruptive tactics, so when they left the Capital building, they began to chant along the perimeter of the Christian Right’s rally. The overwhelmingly white crowd did not take kindly to what Cosecha was doing, and tried to prevent Cosecha members from walking anywhere near their event, even going as far as to push some of the female Cosecha participants. This writer was doing crowd safety and was able to get between a white guy and one of the Cosecha organizers, who was now pushing against me. In fact, at one point they went inside to get Capital police to complain about Cosecha and use them to silence the immigrant justice advocates, as you can see here in this picture below.
The Christian Right rally then ended and Cosecha members began to set up for their encampment. Within minutes, the Capital police and an unidentified man who claimed to work for the Capital, told us that we could not set up tents or tables on Capital property. Cosecha organizers then decided to move the encampment to the public sidewalk in front of the State Capital, which is pretty deep and would have been enough space to set up on. However, the guy from the Capital and Capital police came out again and said that the sidewalk was also part of the Capital. When asked what they would do if we didn’t leave, they said they would have their people come out and haul away our tents and tables, then arrest us.
Unwilling to give up, Cosecha Michigan then set up an encampment in front of the Lansing City Hall, which is directly across the street from the Capital. As you can see from the picture below, we were able to set up tents, tables and canopies, just in case it would rain. The Lansing City PD then came, but did not kick us out and said that they would get back to us if the encampment was a problem. The Lansing City PD never called that first night, so we all sat around putting the finishing touches on the encampment, sharing wonderfully cooked food and telling stories. This was Day 1 of the Cosecha protest encampment. We’ll see what Day 2 brings, but Day 1 was filled with hope, passion and a deep commitment to the struggle. La Lucha Sigue y Sigue!
Political Ads are designed to be vague, deceptive and to misinform the public: Part II
In Part I, we discussed some of the larger reasons why political ads are so offensive. We talked about how journalism has failed us on election coverage and how candidates center themselves instead of the community or issues that people care about.
In Part II, we want to look at a recent political ad, one that could be described as an attack ad, and one that severely misinforms the public.
The political ad in question, was an attack ad paid for by the Congressional Leadership Fund, which is a GOP Political Action Committee, with the following mission statement:
Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF) is the super PAC dedicated exclusively to one goal: winning a Republican Majority in the House of Representatives.
The paid ad is part of a website that attacks the democratic Party Candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, Hillary Scholten, which has as the main page banner a picture of Hillary Scholten and this phrase, “Hillary Scholten stood with rioters. Not us.”
Here is the 30 second ad, paid for by the Congressional Leadership Fund:
The ad begins with an image of cops in riot gear, with text that says, “riots in Grand Rapids,” and a voice over saying, “Two years ago, peace was shattered in our community.” First off, how is it that an ad that is paid for by a GOP Political Action Committee, located in Washington, DC, how can they say “our community” when referring to Grand Rapids?
The ad continues by listing the number of cop cars burned, the number of businesses that were damaged by the 2020 uprising and the cost of the damage done because of the uprising.
Then comes the punch line, “Hillary Scholten’s response just one day after the riots? She dismissed the destruction and praised the rioters. And Scholten worked with a group that wanted the rioters to get away with destruction. Hillary Scholten is with them, not us.”
The critical points to deconstruct here are the claims that 1) Scholten dismissed the destruction and praised the rioters, and 2) that she worked with a group that wanted to rioters to get away with destruction.
The first claim is supposedly based on comments from Hillary Scholten’s candidate Facebook page for May 31st, 2020. Here is what was actually posted. First, a picture of her and one of her children, sweeping up glass the day after the riot, with the comment you can see here on the right above.
The other post that Scholten made on May 31st, 2020, was a formal statement from here campaign, posted here below:
Now, in the first May 31st post comments, Scholten makes the point that she wants to, “repair the relationship between our police and communities of color.” Such a statement does dismiss the destruction, nor does it praise the rioters. In the campaign statement released on May 31st, 2020, it seems clear to this writer that Scholten believes that property damage done during the uprising was negative and that people who are protesting should always be “peaceful.” She even comes across as judging those who were protesting by saying that the destruction will make it more difficult to rebuild from the ongoing crisis brought on by the COVID crisis. Therefore, the ad’s claim that Scholar dismissed the destruction and praised the rioters is simply false.
As to the second major accusation, that Scholten worked with a group that wanted to rioters to get away with destruction, the ad’s source for this is an ACLU Michigan Media Release from June 9, 2020. Here is an excerpt from that Media Release:
Now is a time for healing, which can begin with a demonstration of law enforcement officials’ commitment both to the freedom of speech and the need to address the systemic injustice these protests have highlighted. The first step, which the ACLU urges law enforcement statewide to take today, is to dismiss charges, or not to pursue prosecutions, in cases arising from the protests of the past two weeks.
While the ACLU Michigan Media Release makes clear they want police departments across the State of Michigan to not prosecute those involving the protests during late May/early June of 2020, but that is different that saying they wanted rioters to get away with destruction. More importantly, while Hillary Scholten has worked with the ACLU, primarily because of her work on immigration rights, there is no direct involvement in the June 9, 2020 Media Release from the ACLU of Michigan.
Clearly, the Congressional Leadership Fund wants to present candidate Scholten as someone who is lawless and can be viewed as having ideological positions as antifa. However, there is nothing from Scholten’s Campaign page, which would suggest that she is anti-establishment or that she is challenging systems of power and oppression. Scholten doesn’t even present information on her campaign page about the police, policing, nor the demands to defund policing that have come out of the Movement for Black Lives. In fact, the Democratic Party as a whole has consistently advocated for and voted for additional funding for the cops since the uprisings of 2020.
As with most political ads, the truth is irrelevant. If a political ad can get the public to associate a candidate with taking a position that is outside of mainstream politics, then that is all that they care about. In Part III of our look at political ads, we will look at a few examples of ads that are vague and use campaign buzzwords, but offer any real substance.
Political Ads are designed to be vague, deceptive and to misinform the public: Part I
We are just under two months before the 2022 Elections, so get ready to be inundated with political deception, vague promises and lots of mud slinging, in the campaign ads that will be running through November 8.
Campaign advertising is detestable for numerous reasons. There is the obvious low hanging fruit, which is in the form of outright lies and deception. Then there are ads that use buzzwords and phrases like “the middle class”, “pro-life”, “health care access”, “family values”, and “fair wages.” These are generally meaningless terms that don’t provide voters with any clarity on where candidates stand. If a candidate says they will work towards medicare for all or work to win a minimum wage of $25 an hour, then you know where they stand. However, this rarely happens in political ads.
The other thing about political ads is that they consume the bulk of the money candidates raise in their campaigns. This means, when you donate to a candidate, they will spend the bulk of whatever you donate on advertising bogus, misleading, deceptive or vague messages. During the 2020 Election, there was a total of $2.5 Billion spent on TV ads alone.
Now, candidates and campaign managers will often say that political ads are an essential way for people to get their name out. This is simply not true, and would be increasingly unnecessary, especially if the following were to happen. First, if journalist were to practice honest, investigative reporting, the public would have plenty of information to make a well informed decision on where candidates stand on critical issues. I have been tracking election coverage for the past 20 years in the Greater Grand Rapids news market, which means I have seen how awful and how little election coverage there is with local news outlets.
In 2010, GRIID conducted a study of the Grand Rapids Press and compared their election coverage to their coverage of the art spectacle Artprize, which was happening at the same time. Here is a summary of our findings:
In 2004, we also conducted an election coverage study of the three Grand Rapids-based TV stations, looking at coverage for 30 days leading up to the November Election. The findings were astounding, especially considering it was a Presidential Election year. However, we noticed that local candidates/elections don’t get nearly enough coverage, not because they are not important, but because of what news agencies chose to focus on. We found that for the 30 days prior to the 2004 election, not one second of airtime was devoted to the 19 separate Kent County Commission races. During that same 30 day period, the three Grand Rapids-based TV stations aired 107 stories about a DC sniper. During that same election cycle, the WWE was in Grand Rapids at the Van Andel Arena, so we went down and interviewed people going in and asked them about why they liked professional wrestling, along with their thoughts about electoral politics, which you can watch here.
Since the study we did in 2004, news rooms have continued to shrink, resulting in even worse election coverage.
Second, if candidates want to get people to support them, instead of hosting events that are highly scripted and managed, candidates should be centering the community, listening to the community, advocating with the community. Instead of asking for money to run misleading or vague political ads, how about candidates who are out raising money for families experiencing poverty, those that are struggling to afford rent, and those that are food insecure. This kind of a strategy does two things. First, it would provide economic relief to people who really need it. Second, it would provide candidates an opportunity to talk about making a livable wage, like $25 an hour, or how landlords and property management companies are exploiting tenants, or it could be an opportunity to talk about the unjust food system we have. Unfortunately, these types of strategies are not practiced, so we are left with the painfully realities of political ads for the next month.
In Part II of this series, we will look at a current deceptive/attack ad, which is directed at a Congressional candidate.
Proposed soccer stadium in downtown Grand Rapids is a study in how the DeVos family gets what they want – ownership and massive profits
Do you ever feel like members of the Capitalist Class in Grand Rapids get to do whatever the hell they want to? Well, it sure seems that way, which is exactly why GRIID attempts to monitor and write about people and organizations that we identify as being part of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
On September 1st, MiBiz reported that the group that is behind the soon to be realized outdoor amphitheater, Grand Action 2.0, is now looking to potentially develop land between Pearl and Bridge St on the near westside for a soccer stadium. A rendering of the potential site can be seen at the bottom of this article.
The MiBiz story also points out that the DeVos family (specifically DP Fox Ventures LLC) recently purchased 407 Pearl St. NW for $3.175 million. DF Fox Ventures LLC is one of the DeVos family holdings that is run by Dan and Pamella DeVos. The fact that Dan DeVos is behind the purchase of this property, which is one piece of a potential site for a new soccer stadium, makes complete sense, especially since Dan DeVos is the chairman of the NBA team, the Orlando Magic, is co-owner of the Grand Rapids Griffins and was owner of the now defunct arena football team, the Grand Rapids Rampage.
In Dave Zirin’s book, Bad Sports: How Owners Are Ruining the Games We Love, he discusses how wealthy sports team owners are constantly manipulating municipal governments and city residents to get them to provide massive subsidies for the construction of sports venues, like arena’s and stadiums. Zirin mentions how the DeVos family squeezed taxpayers in Orlando, when they wanted a new arena for their Orlando Magic basketball team. Zirin writes:
“And he’s (DeVos) is getting $1 billion in taxpayers’ money to build the arena. That sends a bad message. Indeed. At its core, the DeVos model could be characterized as theft of public funds that turns teams and arenas into slush funds for radical right politics.”
The MiBiz article cites Grand Action 2.0 spokesperson, Kara Wood, who used to work for the City of Grand Rapids. The article also cites Nick Wasmiller, who is the Director of Communications at RDV Corporation, even though the MiBiz article refers to him as a “DeVos Family spokesperson.” In addition, the article cites a memo about the potential soccer stadium, which was produced by the Right Place Inc., which has the current CEO of Amway on their Board of Directors and is a member of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
On Wednesday, MLive also wrote a story about the potential soccer stadium, although they didn’t really have any new information about the project. MLive did reach out to other contacts to get some feedback on this story, such as the PR firm Truscott Rossman. John Truscott was the Press Secretary for Michigan Governor John Engler, and he sits of the Board of Directors of the Grand Rapids Economic Club. Truscott Rossman also does PR work for the West Michigan Policy Forum, which is also a member of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. was also cited in the MLive article, as was a spokesperson for the City of Grand Rapids, along with Grand Rapids Mayor Bliss, who was quoted as saying, that “she was “excited about a project of this scale and the vibrancy it could add to our city and region.”
Now, we all know that whenever Grand Action does a project, that the public ends up paying a significant portion of the cost, whether that is tax breaks by the city or the State of Michigan. This has been the case with every major project that Grand Action has been behind since they were founded. Here is a list of the Grand Action projects that have received significant public funding:
- Van Andel Arena
- DeVos Place
- Meijer Majestic Theater
- MSU Secchia Center
- Grand Rapids Downtown Market
- Downtown outdoor Amphitheater project – still in process
Despite the fact that the public has contributed large sums of money to these projects, and will to the soccer stadium, the public has no say in the matter. There will be no public vote on whether a soccer stadium gets built, nor who will own it. If the soccer stadium get built on in the area between Pearl and Bridge St., it will certainly have an impact on traffic, the need to create additional parking, and the likely displacement of existing residents or small businesses in the area. This kind of displacement has happened before.
In the mid-1990s, when the Van Andel Arena was being built, that project took over existing City owned parking lots. At the same time, there was a development proposal in the works where the proposed soccer stadium might go on the westside. In the mid 1990’s, Jack Buchanan Jr. had the idea of re-developing the near westside. Buchanan bought up roughly 60 homes, continued to rent those spaces, but did nothing to maintain those properties. People were then forced to leave those rental properties, because Buchanan had plans to re-create that area, with office and residential space for members of the professional class. However, before all of the residents in the area had left, Chuck Peterson and myself, using equipment from GRTV, had interviewed a dozen different residents, all of which told us that Jack Buchanan Jr had not maintain the rental units. Some of those properties were so bad that when it rained, water would leak into the homes where people were living. People also told us that they were offered a 20 inch TV and one months rent if they agreed to leave and sign a non-disclosure agreement.
However, the project became too costly, so Buchanan ended up selling the land to the City of Grand Rapids, which constructed parking lots they needed because of the parking spaces that were displaced by the Van Andel Arena. Buchanan later tried to defraud the State of Michigan in another development project and went to jail in 2011.
The point of sharing this information is to say that the land that is being eyed as a potential site for the proposed soccer stadium, has a long history of rich people making bank, while screwing over working class families.
Downtown Grand Rapids has an interesting history, with its origins being Settler Colonialism and the displacement of Indigenous communities. Since then downtown Grand Rapids has been a major hub for those with political and economic power to make and remake that part of the city, regardless of what the public thinks. Downtown Grand Rapids is like a playground for the members of the Capitalist Class, where they get what they want or they’ll throw a temper tantrum. And what they want is to continue to get the public to pay for their playground projects, while they sit back and watch their wealth exponentially increase. We should see the proposed soccer stadium as just the most recent example of the Capitalist Con, with the DeVos family being the primary beneficiaries.
On Tuesday, the Grand Rapids City Commission voted to give a tax break to the developers of a new housing project at the far southeast part of the city, on 43rd St.
MLive had reported on this project on September 6th, noting that the City’s tax breaks are, “contingent upon the development receiving tax credits from the state.”
This housing development project is supposed to be affordable, with about one third of the units “to be permanent supportive housing serving people who are experiencing homelessness or have a disability.”
In addition, the MLive article also noted that the company developing this new housing project will be charging $667 up to $1,202 per month for a one bedroom apartment, and $801 up to $1,441 for a two bedroom. The lower end prices for both the one and two bedroom apartments might be feasible for those with disabilities and those who are transitioning from being unhoused, but after paying rent, it would not leave people with much for utilities, food, transportation, etc.
One other important bit of information from the MLive story is that the company that will be developing this new “affordable housing” project, is a national company, Woda Cooper Companies. In 2020, Woda Cooper Companies Inc, received $2,828,800 in PPP loans from the federal government because of COVID. Several months later that loan was forgiven. If Woda Cooper Companies Inc can benefit from nearly $3 Million of public money, they surely can afford to build houses without public subsidies.
Lastly, there have been numerous complaints about other Woda Cooper Company properties in Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union met with tenants from Grand View Place Apartments last year and learned that there was all kinds of unfair and exploitative practices that the Woda Cooper Company was involved in. In fact, the tenants came up with the following demands:
- Security/Safety – Hire an Independent Security Contractor for 24 hour security, as numerous residents have been assaulted on the property, have witnessed illegal activities and have been threatened by other tenants with bodily harm.
- Repairs/ general sanitation – Make necessary repairs that tenants have contacted management about in a timely fashion. In addition, the sanitation of the buildings is unacceptable, with urine, blood and even vomit in the hallways, stairways and elevator that is left for days. Management needs to make sure that common spaces are clear and sanitary at all times, but especially now with COVID.
- Transparency and consistency with funds – residents have noted that they are being charged excessive rent fees, along with over-charging people who have a fixed rental fee. In addition, WODA Cooper Companies has not been transparent about the use of COVID relief funds they have received from the Federal Government.
- NOISE Violation Enforcement – Tenants are demanding that management enforce noise violations, as numerous tenants have to constantly put up with unnecessarily loud noises at all times of the night, making it difficult to slept or have a sense of peace in their own space.
- Stop threats of Eviction and Retaliation – Numerous tenants have been threatened with eviction or retaliation by management when they file a complaint about illegal drugs, prostitution, excessive noise or other security issues inside and on the apartment property. It is illegal to threaten or retaliate against tenants for wanting fairness and security where they are living.
- MSHDA Oversight – Tenants would like to see the Michigan State Housing Development Authority have some oversight in management for the Grand View Place, which is owned by WODA Cooper Companies. This oversight would create more accountability and provide a sense of relief for tenants who have been mistreated and threatened over the past year.
These are serious issues that tenants are facing at one of the many Woda Cooper Company’s properties in Grand Rapids. The tenants from the Woda Cooper Company-owned Grand View Place apartments, also organized a press conference to make their grievances public. The Woda Cooper Company staff were so threatened by the Press Conference, that they called the GRPD. Just minutes before the press conference was to take place, 5 separate GRPD cruisers showed up and one cop told the tenant union that if they chose to stay on the property of Grand View Place apartments, they would be arrested.
The Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union then wrote a letter to Grand Rapids City Officials, communicating their dismay at the fact that 5 GRPD cruisers showed up to prevent a press conference being organized by tenants who were standing up for their rights. Grand Rapids City Officials never responded to the letter, which you can read here.
To review, the Woda Cooper Company, which is set to receive tax breaks from the City of Grand Rapids; has received nearly $3 Million in PPP funds, which they never had to pay back; and has a history of mistreating and exploiting tenants; plus when tenants sought to organize they were threatened by the GRPD for holding a press conference. Who else thinks such companies shouldn’t receive any sort of tax breaks or public subsidies?
Another letter calling for the criminalization of the unhoused: The failure to address the root causes of Neoliberal economic policy in Grand Rapids
During yesterday’s Grand Rapids City Commission, it was announced that they had received a letter from Matthew Wikander, CEO of Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge, a law firm located at 100 Monroe Center NW in downtown Grand Rapids.
The content of that letter is on pages 33 & 34 of the Agenda Packet for the September 6th Grand Rapids City Commission meeting. This letter from a downtown law firm is similar to the letter the Grand Rapids City Commission received in the second week of July, a letter sent from the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, which we wrote about.
Both letters address issues of public safety, illegal activity and homelessness. This most recent letter from law firm of Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge, begins with a little bit of the history of the law firm’s presence in Grand Rapids. The letter also states they have recently renewed a lease until 2033, thus demonstrating their “commitment” to Grand Rapids. By all accounts, Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge, is a corporate law firm, which has offices in three additional cities in Michigan, besides their office in Grand Rapids.
Beginning in the second paragraph, the law firm makes a veiled threat, where they question whether or not they want to continue to operate out of downtown Grand Rapids, stating:
With that context, developments around our building risk changing our attitude towards working downtown. We are questioning our decision to stay. Monroe Center and connected streets have become unsafe, unhealthy and unsuitable for client service. I write imploring the city to proactively correct the situation (I recognize that some aspects of the situation are rooted in problems caused by homelessness, however the incidents summarized below are unrelated to homelessness or are illegal and need to be corrected immediately).
The law firm’s CEO seemingly contradicts himself, by first acknowledging that the root of the problems might be caused by homelessness, but then in the very next sentence says the “illegal” activity is unrelated to homelessness and needs to be corrected immediately. The list of issues/incidents make up the bulk of the letter, which includes people drinking, smoking and listening to loud music on public benches; solicitation of sex; public urination/defecation; their well-connected clients having to use a secondary entrance to the building; plus loud and lewd behavior, which is causing some of their staff to not come into the office.
The letter then ends with the following statement:
While homelessness is complicated and requires humane solutions, the situations described above should be addressed as unacceptable (and often illegal) behavior, not an inevitable consequence of homelessness. It is in both the business community and the city’s interests to address this because downtown’s culture, safety and business climate are at stake. Smith Haughey is willing to participate in effective solutions, but time is of the essence.
Again, the CEO of this law firm acknowledges the complexity of the issue of homelessness, but then quickly shifts to “unacceptable behavior.” More importantly, the sentence that we highlighted is really the crux of the matter, since the business community is negatively impacted. It’s also interesting that the CEO of this law firm equates the business community and the City’s interests as the same.
What is really at issue here is the decades long effects of domestic austerity measures, within the larger Neoliberal Capitalist project. This includes, but is not limited to, the dismantling of the welfare state, stagnant wages, the elimination of public services, the privatization of previously public services, using public money for private interests and the push to make downtown Grand Rapids a playground for the rich and destination for tourists.
The CEO of Smith, Haughey, Rice & Roegge wants to have the public benches removed because people are drinking smoking and listening to loud music. Downtown Grand Rapids is literally a place the thousands of people go to on a weekly basis to drink, smoke and listen to loud music. Just because some people pay to access spaces to do those things, while others don’t, shouldn’t be cause for removing public benches. In fact, the removal of benches is just one more way to wage a war against the “undesirable class,” along with the fact that it is the direct result of adopting austerity measures in Grand Rapids.
In addition, the more than we criminalize people for sex work or homelessness, just means that we as a society refuse to deal with the root causes of the problem(s), which is economic inequality. The economic inequality will also lead to increased calls for more policing and other punitive actions that are not only short sighted, but fail to address the economic inequality that Grand Rapids is known for. A document prepared by the Urban Core Collective states:
A report produced by the Economic Policy Institute (2018) revealed that the average income of the top 1% of families in Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI is 25.9 times higher than the average income of the bottom 99% of families in the area, with average incomes of $1,219,262 and $47,150, respectively.
Until the business community and the City of Grand Rapids comes to terms with the realities of embracing Neoliberal economics, we will always have unhoused people in this city, an expanding housing crisis, and we will perpetuate government violence by advocating for more cops to deal with those who are most affected by the consequences of Neoliberal Capitalism.
According to the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association, it is a waste of tax payer money for a Black person to seek justice in this city
On Friday, it was reported that the GRPD cop Gregory Bauer, was was found not guilty of discharging his firearm, while confronting someone he believed to be a suspect in a stolen car.
Daevionne Smith, a Black man, was getting out of his car, when the GRPD cop stopped him, then fired his gun, which hit a house. The GRPD cop claims he tripped, which is what caused him to fire his gun. This all happened in December of 2021.
In February of 2022, Daevionne Smith, who had agreed to do an interview with FOX 17, was driving with a carload of people, when arriving to do the channel 17 interview. FOX 17 reported:
“I’m in fear for my life every day. Every day I walk outside the house and I don’t know if it’s somebody on the side of the house waiting for me again. Like, I’m scared. I’ve actually hired a security team to transport me from place to place.”
In late April, Daevionne Smith then filed a lawsuit against the Grand Rapids Police Department and the city of Grand Rapids after an officer accidentally fired his gun. He says the incident has caused him emotional distress, according to a story on WOOD TV 8.
During the court proceedings to determine if the GRPD cop who fired the shot was guilty of negligence, Daevionne Smith was not allowed to speak, nor offer testimony. The Judge said, his testimony would “distract the jury.” In response, Daevionne Smith was quoted as saying:
“This is one of the first times I’ve ever felt so powerless, to sit back and actually watch this go on and not able to do nothing about it. Y’all made me feel like I don’t matter. My life don’t matter. Everything that I went through and I’m still continuously going through doesn’t matter.”
Cop Union Response to the verdict
The Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association (GRPOA) didn’t waste any time responding to the verdict. They posted a link to the WOOD TV 8 story, but provided their own narrative at the top, which read:
Never a doubt Officer Bauer would be acquitted. What a waste of tax payer dollars. Way to go Becker!! Officer Schurr will be the next to be acquitted.
Even though the statement from the GRPOA was brief, it said a great deal.
First, by saying that there was never a doubt that the cop who forearmed his weapon while confronting Daevionne Smith, would be acquitted, demonstrates, 1) a certain level of arrogance that cops are never in the wrong, and 2) an understanding that the laws involving cops in this society, almost always protect cops or give them the benefit of the doubt.
Second, the cop union claims that the trial was a waste of tax payer dollars. This statement is basically saying that someone who is seeking justice for the harm they have endured, is a waste of tax payer dollars. Seeking justice for a Black man, who has been traumatized from the GRPD cop firing his weapon and has repeatedly stated that he fears for his life is not a waste of public money. The fact that the GRPD union thinks it is a waste of public money, shows their ignorance and their complete disregard for the well being of Daevionne Smith.
Third, the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association ends their statement by asserting that the former GRPD cop Christopher Schurr will be the next cop to be acquitted, despite the fact that he shot and killed Patrick Lyoya, after Lyoya had been stopped because his car plates had expired. Again, the GRPOA demonstrates their arrogance, but also their belief that the cop who shot Patrick Lyoya in the back of the head will be acquitted because the law is in Schurr’s favor, especially around use of force laws in Michigan.
Lastly, it is worth noting that the same lawyer who got the GRPD cop who fired his weapon while confronting Daevionne Smith, is the same lawyer who is part of the defense team for Christopher Schuur, Mark Dodge. In June, the legal team representing Schuur released the following statement:
We were disappointed to learn that Officer Schurr has been charged with murder by the Kent County Prosecutor. Officer Schurr is a decorated member of law enforcement who has dedicated his career to helping others and protecting the citizens of Grand Rapids. The evidence in this case will show that the death of Patrick Lyoya was not murder but an unfortunate tragedy, resulting from a highly volatile situation. Mr. Lyoya continually refused to obey lawful commands and ultimately disarmed a police officer. Mr. Lyoya gained full control of a police officer’s weapon while resisting arrest, placing Officer Schurr in fear of great bodily harm or death. We are confident that after a jury hears all of the evidence, Officer Schurr will be exonerated.
Such a statement is not only consistent with what the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association believes, it is reflected in comments from white people in this city, which we documented during the August 23rd City Commission meeting public comments. Daevionne Smith is right to feel like his life doesn’t matter. The City of Grand Rapids and the GRPD continues to affirm that reality, especially when it comes to Black residents in this city.
More Cops won’t keep us safe: Biden announces even more funding for cops, despite national movement calling for defunding the police
On Tuesday, while speaking in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden laid out his Safer America Plan, which includes $37 Billion in funding for policing and a commitment to add an additional 100,000 more cops across the nation.
Biden’s comments were similar to what he said during the 2022 State of the Union address, when he said:
You know, I call it the Safer America Plan, and both your members of Congress voted for it. It’s based on a simple notion: When it comes to public safety in this nation, the answer is not “defund the police,” it’s “fund the police.”
Such statements from Biden should not come as a surprise, as he campaigned in 2020 with the intention of increasing funding for cops. In addition, we need to remember that when Biden was the Vice President and a Senator he has always supported policing, and the Senator was instrumental in passing the 1994 Crime Bill, which not only increased police funding, it led to what Michelle Alexander calls Mass Incarceration.
Over the past few weeks, we have written that the Democratic Party is equally committed to supporting and defending policing in this country, despite the calls from millions to defund the police. Biden’s speech on Tuesday affirmed his administration’s commitment to expanding the police, even though there is plenty of evidence that more cops does not translate into safer communities, nor less crime.
Take for instance the 2021 report from Interrupting Criminalization, Cop’s Don’t Stop Violence: Combating Narratives Used to Defend Police Instead of Defunding Them. The report states in its introduction:
Police are facing one of the greatest crises of legitimacy in a generation. In the wake of the largest uprisings in U.S. history, sparked by police violence, bloated police budgets, and the deadly impacts of a failure to invest in community health and safety laid bare by the pandemic, pro-police forces are on the defensive. So they are reaching for one of their most reliable weapons — fear.
This is nothing new — cops and policymakers have always used fearmongering to push “law and order” agendas and pour more and more money into police departments. Now, with police budgets under scrutiny by campaigns to defund the police and refund our communities all across the country, lawmakers and the media are once again recycling old talking points about increasing violence and crime, claiming that campaigns to defund police are responsible.
The Cops Don’t Stop Violence report is well researched and full of data, that is presented in a very readable fashion. The report concludes with the following statement:
It’s time to recognize that decades of pouring more money, resources, and legitimacy into policing in an effort to increase safety have failed — because policing is functioning as it is intended to: to contain, control, and criminalize Black and Brown communities rather than to prevent and reduce violence. It’s time to invest in meeting community needs and building non-police community safety strategies. It’s time to invest in just recovery.
While Biden’s commitment to providing more funding for cops and increasing the sheer number of police across the county is somewhat disheartening, it is expected that those committed to protecting power and privilege would continue to maintain a system of repression and State violence, policing. What has been happening in Grand Rapids over the past several years, is no different.
We know we have our work cut out for us, just as all abolitionists have experienced of the centuries. We need to continue to resist and to radically imagine a world that is not subservient to capital, and a system that is rooted in White Supremacy. We need to continue to educate ourselves and use resources that can be used as tools of popular education. For example, I encourage people to read and share this fabulous zine, Police Abolition 101, which you can download here. The more we can share these tools, self-educate, resist State violence, and create real conditions for community safety, then we can work to defund and abolish the GRPD.
Our latest update to the DeVos Family Reader: Monitoring the most powerful family in West Michigan
In Howard Zinn’s monumental book, A People’s History of the United States, he constantly juxtaposes the amazing things that people did to fight for liberation and the people behind the systems of oppression that social movements were fighting against.
This is exactly why I have spent years monitoring, investigating and critiquing the DeVos Family. They are the most recognizable and powerful manifestation of the systems of power and oppression in West Michigan. Now, I know there are plenty of people who share the belief that without the DeVos Family, Grand Rapids wouldn’t be where it is today. I fully agree with that belief, but for reasons that are the exact opposite of those who hold the most powerful family in West Michigan in high regard.
Three times a year we try to update our DeVos Family Reader, a collection of articles that looks at the family’s history, the influence on election & public policy, their foundations, how they are reported on in the news media, ArtPrize and the section entitled Betsy DeVos Watch.
This updated version of the DeVos Family Reader includes information and analysis on a variety of topics, since our last update, which was 4 months ago. There a total of 10 separate articles we posted having to directly with the DeVos family. The first post in mid-May was an article about the anti-Abortion Cartel in West Michigan, which has at the top of it the DeVos family. This article looks at the level of funding, both to political candidates and through their foundation, the DeVos family has contributed that essentially has led to the criminalization of abortion. In July, we posted another article with some of the same information, but it was also the beginning of a Wanted Poster series we began, looking at the families and organizations that have funded the criminalization of abortion.
A second article, which was post in the 3rd week of May, was written because of the pressure being put on the Kent County Prosecutor to recuse himself in the Patrick Lyoya case, since he took money from the Grand Rapids Area Police Officer’s Association. The GRIID article was pointing out that during the County Prosecutor’s time in office, he has received 23 time more campaign money from the DeVos family, than the cop union.
In June, we posted four articles about the DeVos family, with the first focusing on the role they are playing the proposed outdoor amphitheater project, which will be located in the southwest part of downtown along the Grand River. The article centers on how much public money is being used without any public input.
Another article in June looks at one the guests that Doug DeVos had on his podcast show, called Believe, while another article looked at an interview that Betsy DeVos did on the Acton Institute’s radio show, which focused on her recently released book.
There was one final post in June about the DeVos family, which was a critique of the Amway Corporation’s decision to pull all of their operations out of Russia.
In early August, right around the time of the Michigan Primary Election, we posted two stories on the DeVos family’s role in campaign financing. One article centered on the fact that the DeVos family, along with other members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure, dominated campaign contributions to candidates from West Michigan in the primary. The second post was about the fact that the DeVos family was the single largest campaign contributor to the GOP gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon, who won the GOP primary and will face Gov. Whitmer in November.
The last article we posted in our updated version of the DeVos Family Reader, was a mid-August piece looking at the upcoming art spectacle in Grand Rapids known as ArtPrize. We have written a great deal about ArtPrize over the years, but this year decided to ask the question, How do we justify ArtPrize with all the horrible shit the DeVos family does?
With these new additions to the DeVos Family Reader, we are now up to 681 pages of information and analysis on the most powerful family in West Michigan.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 