Last week I had the opportunity to talk about Food Justice with my friend Ember Kelley.
Ember, who used to live in Grand Rapids with their family, is now doing religious education work in New York City, with the Fourth Universalist Society.
In our discussion on Food Justice we covered lots of ground, which was prompted by the following questions from Ember:
1) Tell us a bit about yourself
2) What does Food Justice mean to you?
3) What can we do to fight for food justice?
4) How does food justice connect to the other work you do?
5) Food Justice seems a good example of intersectionality- how different issues of oppression inter-relate, as someone who has been doing this work- what observations and insights have you gained about food justice intersecting with fights against other oppressions?
6) What would a world where we have food justice look like to you? What are some practical small steps we could take?
You can listen to or download the 44 minute podcast at this link.
Kent County I-Bond Fund continues to raise money for immigrants being detained by ICE – Help them spread the word!
For the past two years, the Kent County I-Bond Fund, which grew out of GR Rapid Response to ICE, has functioned as a community-based fund specifically for immigrants being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Those who are in detention after being picked up by ICE, must pay the full amount of the bond cost set by the judge, unlike criminal cases, where people pay 10% of what the bond is set at.
The Kent County I-Bond Fund was designed to provide financial assistance to to immigrant families who have a loved one in detention. This bond fund can supplement the costs needed and in some cases cover the entire bond fee.
Since the COVID 19 pandemic, the number of immigrants being detained by ICE in West Michigan has decreased, so the Kent County I-Bond Fund has been able to replenish, with a substantial amount of funds that are available for those needing to bond out a family member who was detained because of ICE.
Geoff Gillis, one of the core members of the Kent County I-Bond Fund said of the bond fund:
“The Kent I-Bond is part of the National Immigration Bond Fund Network, a coast to coast and border to border, bond movement which shares ideas, on the ground assistance and fundraising cooperation.
Statistics show that people out of jail have an orders of magnitude greater chance of winning their immigration cases; and they can return to their families and work. They can make plans. Freedom makes a real difference in lives and suffering. Confinement in the COVID era adds a whole different level of risk.”
If you know of someone who might benefit from this community resource, please direct them to their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KentCountyIBOND, or they can call 616-340-4757 or 248-727-3529.
In addition, individuals, organizations, faith communities and lawyers need to know about this resource, which would help the Kent County I-Bond Fund get the word out about this important resource.
Lastly, please consider donating to help us defend our neighbors from ICE violence and deportation. You can donate online at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kentcountyibond or by sending a check made out to Joy Like a River (the fiduciary) and mailing it to this address.
Kent County I-Bond Fund
PO Box 150350
Grand Rapids, Mich. 49515
GR Chamber blog post promotes misinformation about Grand Rapids voting down CARES Act Funding from the County
In November, we reported that the Grand Rapids City Commission was split on whether or not to accept CARES Act funds from the county, specifically for crime prevention.
We noted in that post from November 17, that part of the reason why three commissioners voted against accepting the funding, was because of a GRPD memo that was part of the City resolution on the matter. Part of our report stated:
There was a lengthy conversation centered around the resolution, with questions about why there was ShotSpotter information included, along with how the money would be used and how quickly it the CARES Act funds would need to be used.
The City Attorney and City Manager both chimed in on these questions in order to clarify a few points. City Manager Mark Washington stated that the $500,000 could only be used for crime prevention within the GRPD. Washington claimed that the money would likely be used for GRPD payroll, to cover additional costs for officers who have been responding to gun violence in recent months. The City Manager also said they might be able to us the money for the GRPD’s gun buy back program, but the County could reserve the right to reject the proposal to use it for such a program.
On the matter of ShotSpotter, there was lots of confusion and frustration being expressed by several commissioners. Commissioner Reppart and Ysasi both asked why ShotSpotter was included in the resolution, especially if the $500,000 could not be used for this technology. The Mayor acknowledged that it was confusing, but kept saying the resolution language was clear.
Commissioners Ysasi and Reppart both made it clear that all communications they have received about ShotSpotter have been in opposition to the technology, while Commissioner Lenear said that most of the messages she has received were also in opposition, except for some residents in the 3rd Ward who want something to be done about the gun violence, but that they were not naming ShotSpotter as the solution specifically.
For anyone who listed in or watch the City Commission meeting that night, it was clear that the GRPD memo about ShotSpotter and the volume of messages that commissioners received in opposition to using CARES Act money for the GRPD, which is why the vote did not pass.
However, the Grand Rapids Chamber posted on their blog on November 18, a different narrative. The Chamber blog post calls the vote both surprising and unexpected, since there has been a rise gunfire and murder in the city. This narrative completely omits the context about the GRPD’s memo, which was attached to the City resolution on using CARES Act funding from the County, plus there is NO mention of the substantial community opposition on the funds being used by the GRPD.
The Chamber blog post, then goes on to make the following claim:
The Grand Rapids Chamber is working every day to address root causes of crime through our work to promote an environment that supports economic prosperity for all, housing supply and affordability, access to high quality childcare, criminal justice reform and more.
Of course, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce doesn’t provide any evidence that they actually fight the root causes of crime. The GR Chamber has been around for a long time, and this is the first time I have read that they claimed to fight the root causes of crime and that they support economic prosperity for all. Again, no evidence that the Chamber has been able to win prosperity for all. We do know that Grand Rapids has the highest wealth gap of any city in Michigan, plus after monitoring their work for several decades, the kind of legislative actions they take primarily benefit the business class. The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce has opposed any increase in the minimum wage and they take an aggressive stance against workers who either are part of a union or attempt to organize a union. Several years ago, the West Michigan Policy Forum was born out of the Chamber’s work and that entity vehemently opposes economic prosperity or equality for all, as we have noted in the past decade.
Towards the end of the Chamber blog post, they express their disappointment at the commission and then thank the commissioners who voted for the CARES Act funding. Again, those who voted against the funding were clear about the reasons, which included the GRPD memo, the substantial community call to not accept the funds and because the City’s resolution would have gone for previous GRPD payroll costs. Then again, it is not surprising that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce would push a false narrative about what the City vote, along with a self congratulatory narrative about their commitment to bringing economic prosperity for all. Maybe the thousands of families impacted by COVID should call the GR Chamber and see if they can provide funds for rent, food and health care, just to demonstrate their commitment to economic prosperity for everyone. Here is how you can contact them: 616.771.0300 Email | info@grandrapids.org
The Devil is in the Details: Committees, Policies and Power in Grand Rapids – Week of January 11
(Editor’s note: this is the first installment of a new series that will dissect some of the inner-workings of Grand Rapids City government and the various committees that exist to serve the interests of those with power and privilege.)
The activity of local government is constant. There are decisions that get made on a daily basis, often without public knowledge or consent.
If one looks at the schedule of all the various meetings becoming out of the City of Grand Rapids, it can be a bit overwhelming. There are numerous committees, from the Planning Commission to the Economic Development Committee and the Fiscal Committee to Public Safety. While there are elected officials who are part of these committees, most of those who serve are by appointment. Those appointed are generally recommended by those elected or those who have regular and ongoing access to Grand Rapids City officials.
For example, based on the City Commission Agenda packet for January 12, there is a list of newly appointed members to the numerous committees that operate within the City Government, listed on pages 7 – 12 of the City Commission Agenda packet. A couple examples of those appointed illustrates that more often than not, those who are appointed are those with direct access to City officials and people with lots of privilege. The City Planning Commission appointees serve for 3 year terms and Kyle Van Strien was appointed again. Van Strien is the co-owner of Long Road Distillery on the westside. Van Strien’s business partner at Long Road Distillery, is 1st Ward Commissioner John O’Connor, demonstrating how committee appointees are so connected to local centers of power.
A second example, is the new appointment of Ed Kettle to the Public Safety Committee. For those who are not familiar with Kettle, he has been a longtime supporter of the GRPD and created the group Friends of GR Cops several years ago, just after Black Lives Matter came on the scene to challenge the legitimacy of policing in the US. Kettle states on the Friends of GR Cops website, “I am presently working with the Grand Rapids Police Officers Association to build their community and political profile. I formed Friends of GRCops, essentially a social media effort, to help solidify public support for our police officers and to create opportunities for public dialogue.”Having a police apologist on the Public Safety Committee should tell you something about how these committees are stacked in favor of those who power, access and privilege.
Another aspect of these Grand Rapids City Committees is that they tend to operate under the radar. Sure, you can read about what is on their agendas from meeting to meeting, but who has the time to read all of these documents, make sense of them and then try to organize against whatever is being proposed? People who are struggling to make ends meet, to take care of their families, people who do not make a living wage and have unstable housing, food and healthcare needs, are often not in a position to sift through the minutia of these Committee meeting minutes. This reality, is not merely an unfortunate one, it is by design. John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States was fond of saying, “those who own the country, ought to govern it.” Using that sentiment on a local level here in Grand Rapids, we could say, those that have privilege and access to power, ought to make the decisions about what happens in Grand Rapids.
Cannabis Rules
There are more and more companies that are proposing recreational cannabis licenses in Grand Rapids, most of which are not local and will not benefit those most impacted by the historical war on drugs.
According to the most recent Agenda Packet from the City Planning Commission, the following companies have requested approval for being a recreational cannabis retailer:
- SB VB Grand Rapids, LLC
- FPAW Michigan, LLC
- AEY Capital LLC
Question: Why is it so hard to get concrete information about these companies? Also, by design.
Still No Transparency
In early December, it was reported that the DeVos-created AmplifyGR project was lobbying for $2.2 million in tax breaks for the re-development of 1601 Madison SE. The name of the future business at 1601 Madison SE was not revealed last month, but the Direct of AmplifyGR was quoted in MLive, saying, ““We’re hoping that by the end of the year we can be a little bit more public with that. So hopefully it’s a matter of weeks and not months.” No names have been revealed as of yet, but no matter, as the City of Grand Rapids is hosting a Public Hearing on the issue of a $2.2 million tax break, despite the lack of transparency. See page 324 of the City Commission Agenda packet, which says:
The Developer, an entity affiliated with Amplify GR and Rockford Construction, is proposing to demolish the existing 250,000 square foot industrial building to begin a first phase of development on the 10-acre site.
More tax breaks for AmplifyGR projects
The Fiscal Committee is set to approve tax exemption for part of the 9 acres AmplifyGR project that was approved by the City of Grand Rapids last fall. The Boston Square Together project is the first phase of a larger development project, with the first phase consisting of condominium construction. From the Fiscal Committee packet, “The developer is a joint venture between Brinshore Development, LLC and Amplify GR. The ownership entity will be the BSQ Together I Limited Dividend Housing Association, LLC (BSQ Together I LDHA LLC).”
The Fiscal Committee document says of the Condos: “Unit 1 will be owned by an affiliate of Amplify GR and Units 2 and 3 will be owned by BSQ Together I LDHA LLC.” There are no details on who the AmplifyGR affiliate is……but who needs transparency, especially when public funds are involved.
Betsy DeVos’ resignation was cowardly and in no way diminishes her complicity in the harm that the Trump Administration inflicted on the world
On Friday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, resigned from the Trump Administration, just weeks for she would have had to vacate her position.
DeVos, who is part of one of the most powerful family mergers in the country – the DeVos/Prince Family Cartel – sent a letter of resignation on Thursday to President Trump.
The letter of resignation from DeVos is instructive, for a variety of reasons.
First, DeVos spends the bulk of the letter highlighting her accomplishments within the Trump Administration, even speaking fondly of Trump and his efforts to champion the Neo-Liberal Education model DeVos has promoted for decades.
Second, DeVos even takes yet another opportunity to denigrate teacher unions by saying, “Millions (of students) are being denied meaningful access to education right now, in no small part because of the union bosses who control so much of the traditional system.”
Third, it is not until over halfway through the letter that DeVos expresses her sentiments about what happened on Wednesday at the Capitol. “That behavior was unconscionable for our country. There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me.”
Ok, so putting immigrant children in cages and separating them from their parents was not an inflection point for you Betsy? How about four years of endorsing White Supremacy with the Trump Administration, which not only fostered a climate for white nationalists to intimidate and harm Black, latinx and indigenous people, it sanctioned and nurtured a long standing practice of law enforcement agencies to brutalize Black, latinx and indigenous people. This was not a point of inflection for you Betsy?
Fourth, Betsy then seems to care about how the MAGA coup attempt at the US Capitol may have impacted children who were watching what went down. Really! How does Betsy think that children, who saw her ascendancy, as a billionaire, into the Trump Administration, with no previous public education experience, would react to what went own on Wednesday? More importantly, how will the parents and teachers help make meaning of what happened at the US Capitol. Will they challenge the official version of US history, a version that DeVos embraces when she says things like the children, “must know from us that America is greater than what transpired yesterday,” or will they expose them to a more honest People’s History version of how systems of power have functioned in the US since it was founded on Settler Colonialism and Slavery?
Fifth, the fact that DeVos is trying to distance herself from what happened at the US Capitol on Wednesday is also a desperate attempt to deflect the fact that the DeVos family spent millions in the last four years to elect Republicans, many of which have encouraged the White Nationalist who attempted the coup, plus they contributed to Trump’s re-election in 2020.
Lastly, it is worth saying that Betsy’s resignation is just another attempt by those who have benefited from Trumpism to try to save face. The reality is that the resignation of Betsy DeVos was a cowardly act, in a long line of cowardly acts that she and the rest of the Capitalist Class have been committing for a very long time.
Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union holds Press Conference outside the Eviction Courts to demand a moratorium on evictions
The Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union organized a media action in front of the Kent County Court House on Thursday, just before the courthouse closed.
A small group of tenants and allies came together, wearing masks and socially distancing to learn more about what the relatively new tenant union was doing, particularly in preparation for the likelihood of mass evictions at the end of the month.
Before the media action even began, deputies from the courthouse came out to let people know that they heard about the action and didn’t want things to get “out of hand.” In addition, three separate GRPD cruisers drove by to keep an eye on what the anti-eviction activists and supporters were doing.
The Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union chose to host their media action outside the courthouse, since eviction proceedings happen there.
The tenant union organizers then listed several demands, which included:
- A demand that the incoming Biden administration a complete moratorium on evictions, on day one. They were also calling on Governor Whitmer and all the local Mayors in Kent County, to also support a moratorium against evictions as well.
- Another demand was to call on all Judges to not enforce eviction proceedings in the midst of the pandemic, since putting people out on the street is both cruel and criminal.
The organizers also cited a recent study, which looked at the states that lifted eviction moratoriums early in the pandemic, found that between March 13 and September 3, that 10,700 deaths from COVID 19 occurred because people were evicted.
At one point tenants were invited to share their own experiences with landlords and Property Management Companies. One tenant said they rented from Urban Pharm, and that within the first week of living there, part of the roof collapsed. In addition, they have had issues with rodents, along with a general lack of upkeep on the property. They also shared that rent was too high and has risen 200% in recent years, making it very difficult for them pay increased rental fees, on top of other living expenses.
Organizers also stated that the media action was in conjunction with Housing is the Cure events happening in cities all across the country, action that were coordinated through Right to the City.
In preparation of the likelihood of lots of evictions, the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union also let people know about their upcoming Eviction Defense Training, which will be this Saturday at noon, in an online format. For those interested in participating, you can go to the event page at this link.
West Michigan Policy Forum fought to end the Stay at Home order, now they want people to wear masks and keep shopping!
The great scientist Albert Einstein once said, “You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war.”
The same could be said for how some group that are connected to the local power structure are responding to the COVID 19 pandemic.
Ever since the COVID 19 pandemic began, there have been numerous groups who have outright denied the existence of the virus and the public health risks involved. These people, like the American Patriot Council, refuse to wear masks and believe that it is some sort of government conspiracy.
Then there are groups that have fought Governor Whitmer’s Stay at Home orders from the get go, thinking it was bad business. Groups like the Chamber of Commerce, the Acton Institute and the West Michigan Policy Forum. All of these groups have resisted the Stay at Home orders, primarily out of economic interests. These groups have mostly worked to lobby Michigan legislators to oppose the Stay at Home orders and to allow the business community to make their own decisions about how to respond to the pandemic.
The West Michigan Policy Forum (WMPF) was particularly aggressive when it came to pushing against the Stay at Home orders. In April we reported on an online forum that the WMPF hosted, where CEOs were talking about getting Michigan business open again.
In May, the WMPF took out paid ads on MLive to promote their views on the Stay at Home order in Michigan, primarily that it was an infringement on their rights to engage in commerce.
After ongoing lobbying by the WMPF to get the GOP-controlled State Legislature to vote against the Stay at Home order, we then saw a spike in COVID cases and deaths across the state, particularly in November and December. We made the point in an article we wrote in November, that many of the members of the WMPF had also contributed significant amounts of campaign funds to State House leader Lee Chatfield and Senate leader Mike Shirkey.
In the past fews days, the West Michigan Policy Forum has been posting videos on their Facebook page, with the CEO of Spectrum Health, the President of the Small Business Association of Michigan and Grand Rapids Mayor Bliss, all imploring people to mask up and support local businesses. Again, the videos primarily push the idea that profit making should continue, despite the public health risks of the COVID crisis.
It’s hard to know the real motivations behind posting these recent videos, but we do know that the West Michigan Policy Forum has been one of the leading voices of the business community that fought Gov. Whitmer’s Stay at Home order and financed the politicians who got the Stay at Home order overturned.
We would argue that the spike in new COVID cases and COVID deaths is a direct result of the efforts of groups like the West Michigan Policy Forum. It seems that their call for people to mask up is primarily motivated by profit making, NOT the well being of the general population and particularly the most marginalized in our community that have been most impacted by the COVID 19 crisis. You cannot simultaneously make massive profits and call for an end to the pandemic by simply asking people to wear masks.
In the summer of 1990, it began clear that the US government was beginning to marginalize Iraq, with the intent of going to war with the Middle Eastern nation.
The US was claiming that Iraq’s border dispute with Kuwait was an act of aggression and by late Summer of 1990, the US began a military build-up against Iraq, getting Saudi permission to use their country as a base in which to begin an invasion.
Activists in Grand Rapids began holding weekly demonstrations in front of the federal building in downtown, sometime in September of 1990. The weekly demonstrations grew in size between September and the New Year, as the Bush Administration began to ramp up campaign to justify an invasion of Iraq.
The US news media was going along with US government’s propaganda and also began to beat the war drums. CNN, which was a fairly recent player in news market, became the first 24 hour news platform and made the US build-up to the war in Iraq its main focus, providing daily coverage of US military press briefings and creating digital graphics for promoting the Gulf War.
The US military assault on Iraq, known as Operation Desert Storm, began as the national known as Martin Luther King Jr. day was being celebrated. Once the war started, the Pentagon, along with most major news outlets began framing the issue to the public as Support for the Troops. Many cities across the country, including Grand Rapids, decorated their downtown districts with yellow ribbons tied on trees or lamp posts. Such displays was meant to silence any anti-war sentiment and equate being agains the US war as being against the US troops.
There were protests every Monday in Grand Rapids, mostly in front of the Federal building, but sometimes those in the demonstrations would march. The picture above is a student-led march that began at the Federal building, but continued throughout the downtown area. These demonstrations lasted until late February of 1991, when the US ended their military attack against Iraq.
During those 6 weeks of protesting, there were other actions that were organized in Grand Rapids:
▪ In late January the Institute for Global Education organized a Teach-In on the Gulf War, which provided sessions on a history of US foreign policy in that region and workshops on civil disobedience.
▪ At a GVSU hosted MLK Day (downtown GR campus) there was a workshop done on US militarism and racism, with an emphasis on what is referred to as an economic draft. An economic draft, means that a disproportionate amount of black and latino/latinx youth were joining the US military because of the lack of work and education opportunities.
▪ There were also workshops being done in Grand Rapids with college and high schools students about how to become a conscientious objector or war resister if a draft was re-instated and to provide people with more information on being a CO or war resister.
However, since the US military portion of the war ended so quickly, it made it difficult to build a mass movement in Grand Rapids to oppose the war. Just weeks after the US military ended the invasion/war on Iraq in February of 1991, it became known that the PR film of Hill & Knowlton had done a great deal to sway public opinion and the US Congress to get their support for war. The Center for Media & Democracy initially published a report on how the PR firm had fabricated information, particularly the story about Iraqi soldiers taking Kuwaiti children out of their incubators and killing them. This PR effort used a Kuwaiti girl, who testified at a Congressional hearing, but was only discovered later that she was the daughter of the Kuwaiti Ambassador to the US. Watch this documentary on the PR industry and at 24:50 you will hear how Hill & Knowlton developed their campaign to demonize Iraq.
Another thing that came out of the war was the brutal air assaults by the US military, particularly on Iraqi troops that were in retreat. In late February of 1991, US fighter pilots dropped bombs on the Iraqi military, which was retreating on highway 80 towards Basara. One of the images that came out of the US military assault was the picture below, of an Iraqi soldier who had been burned alive in the vehicle he was in during the US bombing campaign.
Another incident that received attention later, was the revelation that the US military was putting snow plows on the front of Abrams M1 tanks and burying Iraqi soldiers alive in the desert. The independent media had reported on this earlier, but here is a link from a New York Times article later that year. It was this crime that got the attention of several anti-war activists in Grand Rapids.
In late June of 1991, the Grand Rapids Press announced that George H.W. Bush would be coming to town to celebrate the 4th of July. It was also reported that the same kind of tanks that were used to bury Iraqi soldiers alive in the desert just months earlier, would also be in a parade that Grand Rapids would be having for President Bush.
Three Grand Rapids anti-war activists decided that they would protest not only Bush’s visit, but the tanks that were used to violate international law, which would be in the parade. You can see from a GR Press photo below, that the three activists tried to lay down in front of the tanks, but were quickly stopped by Secret Service and local cops.
The three activists decided to challenge their arrest by using International Law as a defense. The group went to trial in November 1991 and defended themselves. The day before the trial the court change the judge, who would no longer allow them to use International Law as a defense, despite the fact that they had submitted a 40-page brief.
Judge Christensen would not allow them to use an International Law argument, so the three activists just tried to get the jury to hear their side of the story. The three activists were charged with blocking a roadway. However, the jury did not find the three activists guilty, since the cops dragged them out of the way so fast that the parade never missed a beat.
The Grand Rapids City Attorney was so upset, since he was beaten by three young activists who defended themselves. Unfortunately, there was no other resistance to the Gulf War or its aftermath, like the ongoing US bombing of Iraq in the No Fly Zones that took place during the entire 8 years of the Clinton Administration, right through the first two years of the George W. Bush administration, until another war/invasion of Iraq took place in March of 2003.
Welcome to the next installment of West Michigan Far Right Watch, where we keep tabs on the far right in this area and provide a summary of what they are up to and what kind of messages they are promoting in this community. As a matter of clarification, when we say the Far Right, we mean those in the streets who fight to defend White Supremacy, those who promote far right ideology, and those with political and economic power.
We have three examples for this installment. The first one comes to us from the police apologist group, Voice for the Badge. After MLive reported that the suspension of GRPD officer VanderKooi was overturned by an unsourced arbitrator, Voice for the Badge posted the following ramblings on their Facebook page on December 31st.
WOW GRPD WE FINALLY WIN ONE!!
Captain Curt Vandercooi -exemplary GRPD officer for 40 years/highly respected by citizens and peers has been vindicated. IMPARCIAL arbitrator determined-there was not just cause for the disciplinary action that Captain Vandercooi received. So he was proactive in addressing a 100% legitimate concern in regards to potential domestic terrorism. Turned out the gentleman wasn’t but what if he was??? Think about it.
The Civilian {{with the exception of a couple} Board voted for his dismissal {with the exception of a couple}. As proven it was a horrible decision and what should be embarrassing—but then again the civilian boards job is to critique our PD. Another layer of b.s. for our PD. Personally I think the civilian board is worthless especially since we added the position of Oversight of Police and Fire–yea OK -I’m still trying to figure out what Brandon Davis does. At least the civilian board works for free but then again I would pay to have an impartial board or better yet the elimination of this board.
Remember they damn near ruined a great police officers career and reputation. They should be ashamed.
We have become accustomed to these kinds of posts from the VFB, since they defend the GRPD no matter what kind of harm they do in the community, especially the harm they do to Black people and immigrants.
Our second example today, comes to us from the American Patriot Council, where co-founder Jason Howland decides to make a video while he is driving, a video that presents all sorts of conspiracy theories and misinformation about public schools. In this 15 minute video, Howland claims that children can’t spread COVID, that school milages are unconstitutional and that public school teachers are indoctrinated children.
Our last example is from the Far Right Think Tank, the Acton Institute. In an article posted on December 31st, the editor of Acton’s journal Religion & Liberty, posted an article about the state of freedom in the world. His primary sources for determining freedom are the Cato Institute, which was founded by the Koch Brothers, and the Fraser Institute, which also receives funding from the Koch Brothers, is a member of the right wing State Policy Network and is a known climate denier.
The Acton Institute article also takes an opportunity to remind their readers that the rebellions after the public lynching of George Floyd hurt poor & minority communities, and that the police were the victims of rioters. Of course, the Acton writer doesn’t even mention George Floyd or the many other Black people who were murdered and brutalized by police across the country. Such commentary, is consistent with what the Acton Institute has posted in recent years.
A look at the Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids
The issue of people who are unhoused in this community has gained extra attention in recent weeks, because of the various encampments in Grand Rapids, particularly the encampment that was at Heartside Park.
Just before Christmas, the City of Grand Rapids had told those who were staying at the encampment to vacate or be evicted. City officials said they had alternatives, but most of those alternatives violated the rights of people, as was pointed out by the ACLU in a letter they sent to Grand Rapids City officials.
Various grassroots groups organized quickly to provide some support and relief to those who were being evicted from Heartside Park. In addition, there was a protest last week and an online campaign to pressure Grand Rapids City officials to not criminalize those who are unhoused where nearly 400 people sent messages. Of course, we all received a canned message in response from the Mayor’s office, which included these comments:
“The City has also created a Homelessness Work Group, appointed the City’s first full-time homelessness coordinator, and formed the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Fire Department, Grand Rapids Police Department and Network180. We are also working with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services for the Eviction Prevention Program in the 61st District Court.
Ensuring people have a safe and warm place to sleep each night is a priority. We also have to respond to some of the significant health and safety issues occurring in some public spaces. These are complex issues that require a community response and we are doing all that we can to find solutions.”
Noticeably absent from the City’s response was their failure to actually address the issued raised in the online letter, along with the the fact that they do not acknowledge their role in criminalizing homelessness.
In the coming weeks, the number of unhoused in Kent County may increase significantly, due to the end of the CDC’s moratorium on eviction, which ended on December 31st. While this crisis is exacerbated because of the pandemic, it is important that we come to terms with the fact that there has been a decades long problem of homelessness in the Grand Rapids area.
Therefore, we need to examine not only the larger social factors which lead to people being unhoused, we also need to take a more honest look at what we might call the Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids and why their function primarily serves to perpetuate homelessness in this community.
Before people get their tighty-whities all in a bunch, I am not suggesting that we just do away the organizations which provide temporary shelter to those experiencing homelessness, at least not without having something else in place. I know there are well-intentioned people who work for these groups, some who even care. However, we need to stop looking at complex social issues through the binary lens of good/bad when it comes to the non-profits who make up the Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids. In many ways, like most non-profits, these groups only respond to the symptoms of the problem, instead of addressing the root causes.
Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids
On December 25th, the Grand Rapids Business Journal published an opinion piece by Dennis Van Kampen, the President and CEO of Mel Trotter Ministries. The opinion piece is entitled, Do we have the will to end homelessness in Kent County. It’s not a very insightful article by Van Kampen. In fact, the opinion piece reflects an important aspect of why the Homeless Industrial Complex is part of the problem. Van Kampen states that one of the strengths of this community is growth and development, even though it has consequences. Van Kampen acknowledges that while rent has nearly doubled in the last decade, wages have not. However, what is extremely instructive about the piece by Van Kampen, is that he doesn’t provide a solution to the problem of homelessness.
In the 40 years that I have lived in this community, there has been a significant increase in the number of homeless shelters and housing assistance organizations. Most people view these increases as a good thing. On the contrary, the increase in services is not a good thing, in my opinion, rather it only expands and perpetuates the need for the Homeless Industrial Complex, which is highly problematic. One of the reasons that it is problematic, is that these agencies only address individual or family needs, but fail to address the larger structural problems, which cause people to be without stable housing. In other words, the shelter model, which i also the White Savior model in this community, is a false solution. So what factors contribute to the Homelessness Industrial Complex as being a False Solution?
First, most of the shelters and homeless advocacy groups in this community are Christian groups. More accurately, they are Christian groups that practice a form of White Saviorism, rather than theology of liberation. Many Christians in this community can avoid having to practice radical hospitality, because the shelters like Guiding Light or Mel Trotter Ministries will take care of that problem. On top of most Christians getting a free pass on the homelessness issue, there is the issue of people who utilize the services of these groups with having to constantly deal with religion being imposed on them. For people who are not Christian, this can be a huge turn off and more importantly it is a form of spiritual violence.
Second, there is the issue of Non-Profits having the 501c3 required Board of Directors. Those who sit on the boards of non-profits are often interested in how it will look on their resumes or because they work in the financial sector or corporate world and have access to people with deep pockets. Those who sit on boards of shelters are generally not those who have experienced homelessness, but often people in positions of privilege. Having boards with status and privilege doesn’t foster a conversation about the root causes of people who are unhoused. Take a look for yourself to see who sits on the boards of Mel Trotter Ministries, Degage Ministries, Guiding Light, Family Promise, ICCF and Matthew’s House Ministries.
Third, there is the issue of careerism with the non-profit sector, which doesn’t tend to lend itself to wanting to actually eliminate the problem of homelessness. Part of the careerism is that those in leadership positions can make a pretty decent salary, especially compared to most workers. I looked at the salary of the CEO of Mel Trotter and Degage, which were $111,000 and $80,000 respectively, based on 2018 990 records.
Fourth, there is the issue of funding. Most of the shelters in the Grand Rapids area rely on foundation funding, which is money that comes from those who are part of the local power structure. If a non-profit’s goal was to eliminate homelessness by attacking the root causes, such groups would have a hard time getting funding from those who made their millions/billions by exploiting people and buying politicians who craft public policies that are beneficial to members of the Capitalist Class. Just looking at the 990 documents for 2018 (the most recent available) from the various DeVos family foundations, non-profits like Mel Trotters, Degage, Guiding Light, Family Promise and ICCF have all been recipient of sizable contributions.
The fifth and last reason is because none of the organizations that make up the Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids are attacking the root causes of people being unhoused. None of these groups actively promote and demand that all people make a living wage, which in this market, would be roughly $20 an hour in order to have a mortgage or be able to rent, especially for families. None of the members of the Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids are exposing or challenging the serious wealth gap that exists in this area. We have several families that are worth billions and according to 2016 data, there are 600 millionaires in Kent County.
In addition, until stable and secure housing is actually a right in this community, we will always be at the mercy of landlords, property management companies, real estate companies, housing developers and mortgage brokers, all of which operate within the framework of the profit system, which means they inherently see housing as a means to make a profit, not as a fundamental right of people.
Now, I recognize that dismantling capitalism is a tall task, but it is possible. It won’t happen over night, but we can begin to work on it in stages, with ideas and solutions that make housing justice the goal of our movement. However, if we are unwilling to begin having conversations and develop strategies that centers housing justice, we will be stuck with Homelessness Industrial Complex in Grand Rapids and its relationship to the local power structure that will always oppose the core belief that everyone has the right to secure and safe housing. Housing Justice Now!
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 