It has been 20 months since the Israeli government began their most recent assault on Gaza and the West Bank. The retaliation for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel, has escalated to what the international community has called genocide, therefore, GRIID will be providing weekly links to information and analysis that we think can better inform us of what is happening, along with the role that the US government is playing. All of this information is to provide people with the capacity of what Noam Chomsky refers to as, intellectual self-defense.
Information
US and Israel turn “aid” centers into slaughter zones
The Hidden Story: Israeli ‘Aid’ Is Part of Genocide Plan
REVEALED: EU NATIONS CONDEMNING GAZA GENOCIDE SECRETLY INKING BILLION-DOLLAR ARMS DEALS WITH ISRAEL
BIRTHRIGHT IS BOOMING THIS YEAR. HERE’S HOW THE ISRAELI PROPAGANDA TRIP WORKS
Leaked Data From Meta Reveal Israeli Companies Are Struggling To Find Customers
Analysis & History
The Grassroots Movements to Break the Siege on Gaza
Image used in this post is from https://visualizingpalestine.org/visual/anti-palestinian-racism-in-the-media/
The Geo Group: We make profits off of human misery using taxpayer money in Grand Rapids and all around the world
Since June 4th, the public awareness around the existence of the ISAP office in Grand Rapids has increased, since ICE agents arrested and detained immigrants who were coming to their scheduled appointments at 545 Michigan St.
Since then, GR Rapid Response to ICE has been providing accompaniment to people who have appointments at that office, along with those who go to the ICE office at 517 Ottawa NW, just north of the 196 overpass.
A lot more people have also learned about what an ISAP office is. ISAP stands for Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, which is a program operated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that provides an alternative to detention for individuals in immigration proceedings.
What is instructive about the ISAP office in Grand Rapids, is that it is run by BI Incorporated, which is a subsidiary of the GEO Group. The GEO Group is one of the largest private prison entities in the world, which also runs prisons that are specifically ICE Detention Centers.
In addition, BI Incorporated also sells location tracking devices, such as ankle bracelets or wrist bracelets that people have to wear, so that ICE or other cops can monitor their whereabouts.
Think about it this way. The people who come to appointments at the ISAP office in Grand Rapids, are in the ICE system. They have to access the BI SmartLINK app, which allows “for real-time communication between officers and clients,” according to the BI Incorporated page. If they have a wrist or ankle bracelet, that is also provided by BI Incorporated. When they come to an appointment at the ISAP office in Grand Rapids, that is owned by BI Incorporated. Lastly, if they are detained by ICE agents while coming to their appointments, which is what happened on June 4, they will be sent to detention, which will soon mean that they will be sent to the GEO Group ICE detention facility in Baldwin, Michigan.
This is what Capitalists call a perfect loop, since every step in the process is owned and operated by the same company, the GEO Group. Not surprising, in 2024, the GEO Group contributed $3,718,518 to political candidates and they spent $1,380,000 lobbying Congress to adopt laws that would make them even more money. To top it off, all of these contract that the GEO Group has, along with their subsidiary BI Incorporated, are government contracts through ICE. This means that taxpayers foot the bill for the hellish systems used to track, monitor, manage, arrest and detain immigrants.
For those wanting to resist what happens at the ISAP office here in Grand Rapids, follow GR Rapid Response to ICE on Facebook and Instagram. For those who want to be involved in a campaign to shut down the GEO Group detention facility in Baldwin, follow the group No Detention Centers Michigan.
Yesterday, Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE held a Press Conference at Fountain Street Church to denounce ICE deception and cruelty against a Salvadoran family.
The family of Carlos Menjivar is claiming Sanctuary out of fear of being detained by ICE, following Carlos’ arrest last Wednesday, June 4, at an ICE raid here in Grand Rapids.
Carlos and his family had been offered a Voluntary Departure by ICE in previous weeks by the ISAP office personnel, so they had already purchased plane tickets to voluntarily fly back to El Salvador this week. Then ICE officials scheduled a check-in appointment at the ISAP office in Grand Rapids, which Carlos attended in good faith, counting on ICE’s verbal agreement with him and knowing he was soon to return to El Salvador. Yet during this appointment, Carlos was taken by alleged ICE agents and is now being held at the Calhoun County Jail in Battle Creek.
Fountain Street Church has offered the family of Carlos Menjivar sanctuary, in the words of Pastor Dannison, “When the residents of our community are under attack or under threat, our doors are open to provide shelter and sanctuary.”
The wife of Carlos Menjivar wanted to go into sanctuary out of fear for her children, but also to publicly denounce how ICE deceived her husband who had already agreed to a voluntary departure.
In response to the cruel and deceptive practices of ICE, Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE have created an online pressure campaign to call upon Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, along with Representative Hillary Scholten to directly intervene on behalf of Carlos Menjivar who was wrongfully detained by ICE last week in Grand Rapids. The online pressure campaign has three demands:
- For Carlos Menjivar to be released before Saturday, so he and his family can voluntarily depart to their home country of El Salvador.
- Return Carlos’ passport, which the ICE agents took when they detained him.
- Change Carlos Menjivar’s status from deportation to voluntary departure, since a charge of deportation would have lifelong consequences for him.
Go to this link to send messages to the three Michigan members of Congress. This pressure campaign will provide an opportunity for Peters, Slotkin and Scholten to leverage their power to assist the family of Carlos Menjivar who was wrongfully detained. Movimiento Cosecha organizer Gema Lowe said, “we are asking for people to sign the pressure campaign and share, because we need as many people as possible to send Peters, Slotkin and Scholten a message that they need to step up and defend families against separation by ICE.
GR Rapid Response to ICE also stated during the Press Conference that Fountain Street Church is modeling the behavior that should be the norm for faith communities in this city. There are roughly 800 churches and this is a chance for Grand Rapids to not only be Beer City, but a City of Sanctuary.
Please sign the online petition and share it widely! .https://actionnetwork.org/letters/free-carlos-menjivar-from-ice-detention/
On June 1st, I posted an article entitled, Flock cameras are being used in Kent County and Grand Rapids, but are they being used to get information for Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
One week later I posted evidence that the GRPD is using the Flock cameras in Grand Rapids regarding immigration matters, based on their logs. The GRPD is denying this and the local news media is siding with the cops. Today I want to present the location of all of the Flock cameras in Grand Rapids and near the city’s borders. This information was obtained from the site https://deflock.me/, which provides the location of every Flock camera across the US.
- Corner of Fuller and Plainfield NE
- 4 separate cameras at the intersection of Fuller and Leonard NE
- On the south side of Fulton Street East where Baldwin Park was.
- On the north side of Fulton Street East right in front of the Central Reformed Church
- South-east corner of Fulton Street East and College
- East Beltline at the northeast corner of Woodland Mall
- Parking lot that faces the CenterPoint Mall
- East Beltline, just south of 28th Street in front of Lowes
- Corner of 29th Street and Shaffer Ave
- Southeast corner of Burton St and Horton Ave
- 3 separate cameras at the intersection of Burton St and Division
- Northside of 28th St facing north towards the hotel near Division
- 2 separate cameras facing opposite directions on 28th St, between Division and Buchanan
- 2 separate cameras facing opposite directions on Burton St, just west of Clyde Park
- Chicago Dr SW, just west of where Lee Street intersects with Chicago Dr
- Market Ave near the Kent County Waste to Energy Facility
- Lake Michigan Dr at Bridge St, camera facing west
- Lake Michigan Dr just east of Covell Ave, camera is facing east
- Corner of Alpine and 4 Mile Rd, camera facing south
- Alpine and Henze Drive NW
- Alpine and Creek Drive
- 2 separate cameras in front of the Lowes just off of Plainfield NE
- Division and 36th St
- Division near Calhoun St
- 36th St at the railroad tracks just east of US 131
- 36th St at the end of the US 131 exit ramp facing west
- 36th St just east of Burlingame Ave
- 36th St. and Hubal Ave
To be clear, Flocal cameras are being used throughout parts of the US to provide license plate information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials/agents. Now that we know the Flock camera location in the GR area, people who are vulnerable to ICE might consider alternate routes and destinations.
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are a threat to your privacy and civil liberties. They’re regularly used to track everyone’s movements without a warrant, probable cause, or reasonable suspicion. Law enforcement agencies use them for various purposes, no matter how unethical, including ICE raids and tracking abortion seekers across state lines.
Information is Power! We keep us safe!
On June 1st, I posted an article entitled, Flock cameras are being used in Kent County and Grand Rapids, but are they being used to get information for Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
One week later I posted evidence that the GRPD is using the Flock cameras in Grand Rapids regarding immigration matters, based on their logs. The GRPD is denying this and the local news media is siding with the cops. Today I want to present the location of all of the Flock cameras in Grand Rapids and near the city’s borders. This information was obtained from the site https://deflock.me/, which provides the location of every Flock camera across the US.
- Corner of Fuller and Plainfield NE
- 4 separate cameras at the intersection of Fuller and Leonard NE
- On the south side of Fulton Street East where Baldwin Park was.
- On the north side of Fulton Street East right in front of the Central Reformed Church
- South-east corner of Fulton Street East and College
- East Beltline at the northeast corner of Woodland Mall
- Parking lot that faces the CenterPoint Mall
- East Beltline, just south of 28th Street in front of Lowes
- Corner of 29th Street and Shaffer Ave
- Southeast corner of Burton St and Horton Ave
- 3 separate cameras at the intersection of Burton St and Division
- Northside of 28th St facing north towards the hotel near Division
- 2 separate cameras facing opposite directions on 28th St, between Division and Buchanan
- 2 separate cameras facing opposite directions on Burton St, just west of Clyde Park
- Chicago Dr SW, just west of where Lee Street intersects with Chicago Dr
- Market Ave near the Kent County Waste to Energy Facility
- Lake Michigan Dr at Bridge St, camera facing west
- Lake Michigan Dr just east of Covell Ave, camera is facing east
- Corner of Alpine and 4 Mile Rd, camera facing south
- Alpine and Henze Drive NW
- Alpine and Creek Drive
- 2 separate cameras in front of the Lowes just off of Plainfield NE
- Division and 36th St
- Division near Calhoun St
- 36th St at the railroad tracks just east of US 131
- 36th St at the end of the US 131 exit ramp facing west
- 36th St just east of Burlingame Ave
- 36th St. and Hubal Ave
To be clear, Flocal cameras are being used throughout parts of the US to provide license plate information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials/agents. Now that we know the Flock camera location in the GR area, people who are vulnerable to ICE might consider alternate routes and destinations.
Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) are a threat to your privacy and civil liberties. They’re regularly used to track everyone’s movements without a warrant, probable cause, or reasonable suspicion. Law enforcement agencies use them for various purposes, no matter how unethical, including ICE raids and tracking abortion seekers across state lines.
Information is Power! We keep us safe!
Over the past week the intensity of ICE raids and ICE activity has increased, whether we are talking about what is happening in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, in US/Mexican border states, and even right here in Grand Rapids.
I have written about how ICE had taken people last Wednesday, people who were showing up to their appointments at the ISAP office on Michigan Street in Grand Rapids. The ICE violence resulted in people showing up to defend those most affected by ICE violence. This same tactics is being used across the country, resulting in an increase in fear for immigrants.
There has been lots social media chatter condemning Trump’s decision to send the National Guard to suppress those actually defending the community, and rightfully so. However, some of the commentary suggests that this is the first time this happened and other make the point about why the National Guard was not called out on January 6th, 2021.
The National Guard has been deployed all over the country, primarily to suppress popular movements, particularly movements that we led by BIPOC communities. Some examples of the National Guard being deployed domestically to suppress popular movements are:
1914 – the Colorado National Guard was sent in to suppress coal miners who were making demands, which led to a massacre with 21 people killed, mostly wives and children of the miners. Wilson was President.
1921 – Tulsa Race massacre, where Oklahoma National Guard to impose Martial Law, but only after white people terrorized and killed Black people and Black businesses in Tulsa. Harding was President.
1943 – Detroit race riot, where President FDR invoked the Insurrection Act of 1807 and ordered in federal troops. About 6,000 troops imposed a curfew, restored peace and occupied the streets of Detroit.
1965 – Watts, where 14,000 members of the California Army National Guard helped suppress the disturbance, which resulted in 34 deaths. Johnson was President.
1967 – there were an estimated 159 riots in the US, in cities such as Boston Louisville, Atlanta, Detroit, Kansas City and Grand Rapids. See my 3 part series on the 1967 GR riot at this link. For an excellent source on the 1960s riots, read Elizabeth Hinton’s book, America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s. Johnson was President.
1970 – Kent State, where the Ohio National Guard shot and killed 4 students. Nixon was President.
1992 – Los Angeles riots after Rodney King trial verdict where the California National Guard, United States military, and several federal law enforcement agencies deployed more than 10,000 of their armed responders to assist in ending the unrest. George Bush Sr. was President.
2014 – Ferguson, where Gov. Nixon issued an executive order calling in the National Guard to “help restore peace and order and to protect the citizens of Ferguson.” Obama was President.
2020 – George Floyd protests all across the country, where the National Guard was deployed to suppress the uprisings, just like in Grand Rapids. Trump was President.
These are only a handful of examples where the National Guard were deployed to put down strikes, uprisings and rebellions. I included the name of the US President in each case and you can easily see that deploying the National Guard to suppress the public is a bi-partisan affair. We should never ignore this history and deny that it has any bearing on what is happening in LA right now.
The term fascism is also being attached to what Trump is doing by sending the National Guard to Los Angeles, which may be true, but if that is the case you would need to apply the same terminology to previous administration that did the same. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that Presidents deploying the National Guard to suppress uprisings by BIPOC people and working class movements, is a long standing tradition in the US.
Peaceful vs Violent uprisings, rebellions, strikes
Then there is the question of whether or not uprisings, rebellions, strikes are “peaceful” or not. Based on the social media posts I have seen most of them have suggested that if it is “peaceful” then it is good. This is an arrogant and privileged position to take, considering with most uprisings, rebellions, strikes are led by BIPOC people and working class people.
In an interview I heard from an Indigenous organizer in Los Angeles, Ron Gochez, he stated:
And so, we understand that the violence that’s being used against us is lethal. We understand the violence is being used against us on a daily basis, whether it’s by the Border Patrol or the police. It’s violence against the community. And so, we have every right to defend ourselves, by any means necessary, because that is our — the livelihood, the well-being of our families is what’s at stake. Children have been gassed here in Los Angeles.
And so, whether it’s the National Guard, whether it’s local police, we have to resist this, because in Los Angeles, we clearly understand what’s happening. The Trump administration is trying to make an example of Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the heart of the Mexican and Central American community here in the United States. And so, they think that if they can break us, they can break anyone in the country. And so, we understand that, and that’s what we know. We cannot afford to fail. The resistance will continue. Whether they keep threatening us or not, we will continue. We will be peaceful every time that we can. But if we face violence, where we have to defend ourselves, we have every human right to do so, as well.
Again, it is an arrogant and elitist stance to take when those of use with lots of privilege demand that marginalized communities remain “peaceful.” Calling a protest peaceful, when protests are anything but peaceful, is a way for the system(s) to dictate the narrative about what is happening. When the police say a protest was peaceful, they mean that those protesting obey their orders, did nothing to disrupt business as usual and often it means that protest organizers cooperate and even collaborate with the police. In fact, one could argue that if this happens, then it is not really a protest, instead it becomes a performance. Such forms of “protests” are almost always organized by white liberals to make other white people feel good about themselves, without having to interrogate systems of power and oppression.
Lastly, it is important that we not demonize those who use force or engage in property destruction to achieve liberation. Too often, those who only engage in non-violence, risk-free protests will demonize people/organizations and movements that utilize disruptive tactics, property destruction or those who engage in armed resistance. Historically, non-violence, property destruction, community self-defense and forms of armed resistance have been successful against tyrants, dictators, totalitarian and fascist governments. Demonizing those who do not always practice non-violence only benefits the state and their ability to engage in repression.
On Thursday, Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE sent out a Press Release to alert the news media about what happened at the ISAP office on Wednesday.
It is worth noting that WXMI 17 did send a reporter to the ISAP office on Wednesday and they interviewed an organizer with Movimiento Cosecha. Unfortunately, channel 17 never aired the story, nor did they post it on their website.
Channel 3 out of Kalamazoo did air a story as a result of the Press Release, but they were the only one to actually do a story about the fact that ICE had taken several people who were coming to their appointments at the ISAP office on Wednesday.
There was an additional response from WZZM 13. The Dayside Executive Producer, Christopher Fleszar wrote:
Based on the video you provided, there was not much we could witness. Two officers showed up. In the video you provided they were polite and not hostile. It does not appear to be ‘in force’ I saw someone come out to cheers, but it is not clear to us what was actually happening. What we would need to move forward is a person or people who say their loved one went into the office and were detained. Do you have examples like this? Understandably, this is a very emotional issue but we want to make sure we are accurate in our reporting because if we are not, it will negatively impact your credibility as an organization and ours as journalists. We can’t report ‘what appears’ to be happening. We need facts. Number of people detained and interviews with families and loved ones. Please let me know if you have this.
These comments deserve a little deconstruction. First, the GRPD cops were not polite, since they threatened to arrest people who were in the hallway, after the ISAP office manager kicked people out. Threatening to arrest people who are trying to keep people safe is most definitely hostile. Second, the video that was included with the Press Release was designed to provide some details as to what had happened, where as the video only shows what was happening after the GRPD threatened to arrest people if they didn’t leave the building. The Press Release itself provides a more concise narrative about what happened.
Third, and probably the most offensive comments from the WZZM 13 staff person, was them wanting to get comments/interviews with people who had family members taken on Wednesday. Why it is that media people don’t understand that for people to re-tell a traumatic experience, like being taken by ICE, is a traumatizing experience itself. In addition, it puts family members at risk to publicly make any statements about how their loved ones were taken by ICE. ICE has demonstrated since it was founded in 2003, that they will come after you if you are vocal and have the “appearance of being an immigrant.”
Fourth, the channel 13 news producer says, “we want to make sure we are accurate in our reporting because if we are not, it will negatively impact your credibility as an organization and ours as journalists.” The Press Release from Movimiento Cosecha is accurate, as I was an eye witness to what happened on Wednesday I can confirm what happened, along with two dozen other people who showed up to protect community members. It seems that channel 13 has a double standard, since they repeatedly run media releases from the GRPD without having interviews with crimes victims and they take the GRPD and other systems of power and oppression at their word. Fifth, they insult Movimiento Cosecha organizers by questioning their credibility. Really? WZZM 13 is questioning the credibility of a community-based organization that is led by immigrants and fights for immigrant justice. Movimiento Cosecha has some of the most courageous and credible people in this community.
A Cosecha organizer responded to the offensive and disrespectful comments from the WZZM 13 producer by saying:
As we stated before in our press release after we showed up to the ISAP office, ICE agents didn’t come back. Here’s another video that we broadcast previously to the livestream where these 3 “agents” were taking one person into their unmarked car. The “agents” didn’t identify themselves and took off abruptly. The way they operated is without transparent. The two other “agents” covered their faces and left while GRPD was interacting and distracting us. You can also see it in our livestream. People affected are afraid to come forward since ICE is clandestinely taking people in unmarked cars, not showing their faces or badges.
People made us aware that about 8-10 people were taken yesterday morning.
You could ask ICE why they are operating without transparency and a kidnapping style…
The WZZM 13 news producer responded by writing:
Can you put us in contact with any of the families of the 8 to 10 people who were taken into custody? Is there anyone who will come forward for the person taken into the unmarked car? Again– I have no way to verify who that person was that was taken away. Again without an actual relative saying they went to an appointment and never came home… we can’t report it. Is it unusual for an ICE agent to be at that location?
I am not trying to be difficult, or say your concerns are invalid, but I need sources to back-up what actually happened. I can’t report something based on observation.
Again, the channel 13 person insists on having family members come forward, thus demonstrating how clueless they are as to how much of a risk it is for family members to speak out about the fact that a government agency took members of their family.
Because of this interaction, we are asking people to call, and/or Email Christopher Fleszar – 616-559-1300, cell : 616-970-1588 or CFLESZAR@13ONYOURSIDE.COM.
Here are some talking points if you need them:
- Why are you questioning the credibility of an organization has been deeply committed to immigrant justice since 2017?
- Why is what those who witnessed what happened during the ICE arrests at the ISAP office on Wednesday not sufficient information for a story?
- Why do you insist on re-traumatizing people who have experienced harm? Is it your practice to interview some who was a victim of rape immediately after it happened, or do you simply report the incident?
- Why did you not contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the ISAP office in Grand Rapids in an attempt to “verify” what 25 community members witnessed?
It has been 20 months since the Israeli government began their most recent assault on Gaza and the West Bank. The retaliation for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel, has escalated to what the international community has called genocide, therefore, GRIID will be providing weekly links to information and analysis that we think can better inform us of what is happening, along with the role that the US government is playing. All of this information is to provide people with the capacity of what Noam Chomsky refers to as, intellectual self-defense.
Information
The Deadliest Period in History for Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Detention
The Genocide in Gaza Isn’t Just Attacking Our Bodies, It’s Erasing Our Memories
‘The Witkoff Massacre’: Hundreds Killed or Wounded as Israeli Forces Open Fire on Gaza Food Aid Site
Ex-Israeli Negotiator Daniel Levy: Netanyahu Wants “Permanent War” in Gaza, Not a New Ceasefire
Gaza’s ‘Humanitarian’ Façade: A Deceptive Ploy Unravels
Israeli Lies and Western Complicity: How Deceit Became a Weapon of War
“It’s an order—destroy the neighborhood so Arabs can’t return”
Gaza First Amendment Alert (6/5/25)
Analysis & History
Genocide (Very) Bad with Sim Kern
Image used in this post is from https://roadtogenocide.law4palestine.org/
Local News Media demonstrates it’s subservience to the GRPD once again regarding the monitoring of immigrants
A week ago, I posted an article entitled, Flock cameras are being used in Kent County and Grand Rapids, but are they being used to get information for Immigration and Customs Enforcement?
The article talks about how Flock cameras are being used gather information in immigrants, specifically taking pictures of license plates. Police Departments are using this technology around the country and sharing the content with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Earlier this week, someone sent GR Rapid Response to ICE research on Flock, demonstrating that the GRPD was also using the technology. They wrote:
These are logs from the Flock License Plate Reader System that I obtained that show the searches that Grand Rapids Police have used on the system. It shows the plate searched, the officer that conducted the search, the reason for the search and the time of the search.
In the image above, you can see the data described in the research, with the reasons listed, many of which were Deportation Warrant. This is certainly alarming information and further demonstrates that the GRPD is cooperating with ICE, like the incident at the IASP office last Wednesday.
Despite the damning evidence, the Grand Rapids Police Department put out a statement denying that they were using said technology to obtain images of license plates of immigrants. Here is that statement:
For Immediate Release
June 6, 2025
Statement on Alleged License Plate Reader Logs
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Please see the following statement from GRPD Chief Eric Winstrom: I want to assure our community that GRPD does not utilize license plate readers (LPRs) to conduct immigration-related investigations. A GRPD officer has been falsely identified on social media as conducting searches related to immigration enforcement actions. We are not the source of this document, and are unable to verify its origin, but can confirm no GRPD officers are using license plate readers to engage in immigration-related activity.
This would be in direct conflict with our policy which states in part: The GRPD is neither responsible for, nor has the authority to, enforce federal civil immigration laws used to detain or remove undocumented immigrants from the United States. This means that the GRPD does not serve as a civil immigration enforcement agency for the federal government. The department does not take on the responsibility of performing immigration functions unrelated to investigating and enforcing criminal violations.
Apparently such a statement was good enough for two local news media outlets, both of which never questioned Chief Winstrom’s statement. MLive and WZZM 13 both ran stories. The channel 13 story was dominated by the GRPD statement, with no verification or challenge to the GRPD narrative. The channel 13 story also included a link to their Foreign National’s Policy, which was developed after the embarrassing incident with Jilmar Ramos Gomez in 2018.
The MLive was a bit more nuanced, with comments from the GRPD and the Kalamazoo Police Department. MLive also included a quote from the person who did the research, stating: “It proves that surveillance technology is prone to abuse without three essential safeguards: stronger privacy protections, complete transparency in its use, and rigorous public oversight.”
So, not only do the news agencies fail to question the validity of the research and data, the continue to trumpet a comment from Chief Winstrom, that the GRPD does not engage in immigration related matters.
Even more disturbing is the fact that the local news agencies that ran stories on this issue didn’t even both to talk to Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE to get their take on this matter. Apparently, Chief Winstrom only speaks truth, so why bother talking to those most impacted by ICE arrests and detentions in Grand Rapids.
Philanthropy is just reputation laundering for the oligarchy.
It is that time of the year again, when GRIID posts about the various West Michigan Foundations from families that make up the Grand Rapids Power Structure. I start with the DeVos family, which has 5 different foundations.
The Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation
GRIID has always begun our Foundation Watch work by looking at the foundations associated with the most powerful family in West Michigan, the DeVos family. Last week I looked at the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, so today I want to share information on the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation. Doug DeVos is currently one of the CEOs of Amway, along with operating Continuum Ventures LLC is their investment management company. According to GuideStar, in 2023, the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation contributed $18,363,810.00 leaving them with $70,633,614.00 of funds left in their foundation account.
The Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation made contributions to dozens of entities in 2023, but there are some clear categories of groups they contributed to, such as the Religious Right, Think Tanks, Education-centered groups, and social service entities, to name a few. Below is a listing of each from these categories, with a dollar amount and a brief analysis.
I also include groups that are DeVos owned or created, along with liberal non-profits. With the liberal non-profits, we believe that funding from foundations like the DeVos family foundations ARE a form of hush money. When I say hush money, I mean that these entities will not publicly challenge the system of Capitalism, the wealth gap, structural racism and other systems of oppression, which the DeVos family benefits from and perpetuates through their own political funding.
Religious Right
- Christian Leaders Ministries Inc. – $100,000
- Help Pregnancy Crisis AID Inc. – $20,000
- Keystone Community Church – $120,000
- Life International Inc. – $30,000
- Luis Palau Association – $150,000
- National Christian Foundation West Michigan – $252,000
- Pregnancy Resource Center – $30,000
These religious groups practice varying degrees of conservative politics, which fit into the ideological framework that the DeVos family is committed to. For instance, Help Pregnancy Crisis AID Inc, Life International and the Pregnancy Resource Center are all anti-abortion groups. The Luis Palau Association grew out of the work of Luis Palau whose activities have been reported in dozens of article in Christianity Today during the past 40 years. During that time Palau was in Somoza’s Nicaragua dictatorship, where, unlike the community of Solentiname, a Nicaraguan Christian based community under persecution, he was welcome with open arms. In 1977, Palau was greeted and accompanied on his crusade by Colombian president Alfonso Michelsen, not particularly known for being a human rights advocate. Also in the 70’s Palau visited Bolivia with the help of an organization known as Food For the Hungry (FFH). According to Sara Diamond’s book Spiritual Warfare, FFH “argues that poverty is rooted in individuals’ belief systems and by extension, in cultures supposedly conducive to underdevelopment and poverty.” (Diamond pg. 226) The founder of FFH, Larry Ward, was also with Palau on that trip. Ward, a former overseas director of World Vision “was known to have a close relationship with South Vietnamese and US military leaders.” In 1982, Palau brought his crusade to Paraguay, under the brutal dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. According to recently declassified documents there was massive execution of civilians during Stroessner’s reign. (see Covert Action Quarterly, Fall 1994). Stroessner’s government gave Palau his approval to distribute 100,000 bibles and study courses to children nationwide. Luis Palau was also a close friend and supporter of the Guatemalan dictator Rios Montt, who engaged in genocidal policies during his 18 months as President.
Far Right Think Tanks and Pro-Capitalism groups
- Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty – $75,000
- American Enterprise Institute – $100,000
- Grand Action Foundation 2.0 – $1,000.000
- Greater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation – $6,244,500
- Mackinac Center for Public Policy – $125,000
- National Constitution Center – $1,550,000
- The Seminar Network Inc. – $1,000,000
These Think Tanks influence public policy in individual states, like the Acton Institute and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy does in Michigan. The American Enterprise Institute does the same thing, but at the federal level, which is why they are based in DC. The Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation also funds Grand Action 2.0 and the Greater Grand Rapids Chamber Foundation, both of which promote policies that use millions in public dollars for private projects that the DeVos family benefits from in Grand Rapids. The Seminar Network Inc. is part of the Koch family ultra-conservative network.
Education-centered groups
- Calvin University – $100,000
- Center for Sound Literacy Foundation – $1,500,000
- First Steps Kent – $150,000
- Grand Rapids Christian Schools – $405,000
- Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation – $135,000
- Living Stones Academy – $500,000
- Potters House – $75,000
- Perdue Research Foundation Inc. – $125,000
- Wake Forest University – $344,000
Half of the Education groups that the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation contribute to are conservative Christian Schools. Some of the other groups are a mechanism to insert influence in the Grand Rapids Public Schools, such as the Grand Rapids Public Schools Foundation, First Steps Kent and the Center for Sound Literacy Foundation, which also brings a religious component into the GRPS.
DeVos-owned, created or connected groups
- Corewell Health Foundation – $270,250
- Grand Action Foundation 2.0 – $1,000,000
- Start Garden LLC – $90,000
- West Michigan Aviation Academy Foundation – $515,050
Of course all these entities that were created by DeVos family members, also promote their ideological religious and capitalist values. On top of that, it also means that DeVos family members are funding their own entities and using their foundation to fund their own pet projects, like Grand Action Foundation 2.0 – which promotes development projects in Grand Rapids that use public funds and expands their wealth – or Start Garden, which promotes entrepreneurialism instead of social equity and people making a living wage.
Groups receiving Hush $
- Bethany Christian Services Inc. – $117,000
- Community Food Clubs – $35,000
- Family Promise of Grand Rapids – $40,000
- ICCF Community Homes – $30,000
- Project Green – $125,000
- Safe Haven Ministries – $70,000
- Urban League of West Michigan – $133,360
These groups all provide some sort of social service – people fleeing domestic violence, those who are housing insecure, people with disabilities, adoption and immigration. There are root causes to all of these issues, but these groups are not likely to address root causes and larger systems of oppression. When the DeVos family foundations make contributions, this will increase the likelihood that systems of oppression will not be addressed by these groups.
Foundations rarely make contributions without strings attached. The Doug and Maria DeVos has a long history of funding far right and religious right groups, which GRIID documented 10 years ago when we started this project. Lastly, it is worth noting that the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, like all of the DeVos family foundations, compliments the campaign contributions they make to further impact public policy and promote their religious and capitalist ideologies.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 