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.
Community shows up to defend immigrants from ICE arrests in Grand Rapids, while GRPD cooperates with ICE
Editor’s note – as a matter of transparency, I am part of GR Rapid Response to ICE, which means I was a direct participant in the defensive work to protect immigrants coming to the ICE check-in appointments.
It is difficult for those of us who consume news media to not know that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been arresting and detaining immigrants all across the country. Wednesday was one of the larger ICE apprehensions that we have seen in Grand Rapids since the beginning of the year.
People may not know, but there is an office building behind the Omelette Shop on Michigan St. near the Medical Mile, where people who have been release from immigration detention must check-in regularly with ICE. The office I am referring to is the ISAP (Intensive Supervision Appearance Program) office, an office that is well hidden and not on people’s radar.
On Wednesday, GR Rapid Response to ICE received a call from someone who was accompanying an immigrant to their ICE check-in appointment, only to find out that ICE had arrested the person.
People who attended a GR Rapid Response to ICE training began arriving around noon. There were people standing outside the building to let people who were coming for an appointment know what was happening, plus several people went inside the building and into the ISAP office to alert those waiting that ICE was taking people.
An ISAP staff person told those of us with GR Rapid Response to ICE that we could not be there, but people resisted the command to leave and continued to talk with those who had ICE check-in appointments. While looking at the person who was asking everyone to leave, I noticed a door that was open behind them, with 2 men standing in the doorway. These two men were dressed the same, but without any markings or insignia that communicated they were ICE.
Because GR Rapid Response to ICE members refused to leave, the ISAP office manager then said that everyone needed to leave. In this instance people complied and they promptly locked the door behind us. This provided those with GR Rapid Response to ICE an opportunity to speak with those who came for appointments, provide them with out ICE Alert phone number and other ways we could support those who were being threatened by ICE.
After about 20 minutes, Grand Rapids cops showed up in the building asking what we were doing and who was “in charge.” The GRPD cops then were invited into the ISAP office and talk with the office manager. Two minutes later the GRPD came back out of the office and then instructed people to leave, as we were all on private property. After some conversation, everyone left the building to meet up with those who were outside, when the GRPD made it known that people could stand there either.
At this point there were more GR Rapid Response to ICE volunteers on the scene numbering roughly 25. At the same time, several more GRPD cruisers arrived, making it a total of 6.
No sooner had we all moved to the sidewalk, that the two men who were in the back area of the ISAP office, slipped out another door, this time with masks on. Several people followed them and tried to engage them verbally about what they were doing, while simultaneously filming them.
For the next 2 hours the community that had shown up to the call to defend members of the immigrant community, continued to be vigilant and see if any of the people who had earlier appoints in the ISAP office would be released. One by one people who had earlier appointments walked out the front door, where they were greeted with applause and hugs. Several of the people who were released felt that their release was due to the fact that GR Rapid Response to ICE was present with numbers.
Not everyone was fortunate on this day. We found out that on Wednesday morning, people who had earlier appointments were taken by ICE, most likely to the Calhoun County Jail in Battle Creek. You can see video here of ICE agents taking someone just as GR Rapid Response to ICE was arriving.
I also spoke with a woman who was in tears because her husband had a deportation order and he did not come out of the ISAP office the whole time people were there. People were offering comfort for this woman, plus they let her know that GR Rapid Response to ICE can also offer financial support, transportation, other forms of material support, and even Sanctuary, if she and her family no longer felt safe where they were living.
Movimiento Cosecha was present the entire time to offer support, to engage those from the affected community, plus they were livestreaming what was happening on Facebook.
GR Rapids Response to ICE and Movimiento Cosecha organizers also used the time to talk about how to respond to this new tactic that ICE was using. This is what they came up with:
- For anyone who has a future appointment at the ISAP office and wants someone to accompany them, GR Rapid Response can provide that kind of support.
- For anyone who does not want to risk being taken by ICE while attending their ISAP appointment, GR Rapid Response to ICE can offer Sanctuary for them and their family members. For those who want support they can call 616-238-0081 or send an Email to info@grrapidresponsetoice.org.
Also, GR Rapid Response to ICE is asking people to show up anytime between 9am and 3pm today – Thursday, June 5th.
Lastly, as Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE continue to pressure the City of Grand Rapids to adopt a Sanctuary policy, remember that Mayor LaGrand and Chief Winston continue to claims that the GRPD does not cooperate with ICE. What we all witnessed on Wednesday was a very clear example of how the cops collaborated with ICE at the ISAP office, where ICE agents were present. Once again, we are being lied to by the GRPD and Grand Rapids elected officials.
Every year at the beginning of the summer, the Detroit Chamber of Commerce holds their annual Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island.
According to the Detroit Chamber, the four-day conference is to discuss key issues facing the state. However, for anyone who has attended this annual event or taken a close look at the conference website you can see that what is really being discussed are concerns for the business community and members of the Capitalist Class.
First, let’s look at the sponsors of the four-day conference. Sponsors include Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Ford, GR, DTE, Consumer Energy, Enbridge, Amazon, Rocket Mortgage, Bank of America, Trinity Health, Comcast, Airbnb and Meta, just to name a few. These are all businesses that put profits over people.
Second, those who are part of the Capitalist Class always use the Mackinac Conference as a platform to make announcements about how they want to influence public policy. Here are just a few examples:
- The DeVos family announces that they will spend millions in the 2026 Election to solidify Michigan as a Republican stronghold.
- At the end of the conference former Gov. Rick Snyder is working on what he hopes will be a $20-$30 million campaign to make 2026 the education election. There were no hard specifics, but Snyder did allude to possibly doing a ballot initiative.
Third, you can look at the conference agenda to get a good idea of what was discussed and who was invited. For example, on the first day there was a session of the State of Housing, which featured only politicians and business people, like Josh Lunger, who is the Political Affairs person at the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. Lunger crafted the GR Chamber’s proposal to criminalize the unhoused and then championed the version that the City of Grand Rapids adopted.
Another example was from May 29th, where one could have attended a session entitled, Michigan’s Role in America’s Defense. This panel feature military industry reps, plus Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin. Senator Slotkin was on the panel, not only because of her being a former CIA staffer, but because she announced a new Military plan for Michigan, which is to say she wants to channel more taxpayers money to the Michigan Military Industry. You can read her plans for more militarism at this link.
Fourth, there were numerous candidate debates being held during the Mackinac Policy Conference, specifically for Detroit Mayor, the Michigan Senate Race and the Michigan Gubernatorial race, all of which will happen in 2026. So, you have candidates running for significant seats in Michigan and these candidate were speaking primarily to members of the business community and the Capitalist Class. Any candidate with a real conscience would have boycotted the Mackinac Policy Conference.
The Mackinac Policy Conference is an event put on by the business class, in order to cater to the Capitalist Class, while inviting the political class to make sure they do what those with economic power really want to see happen in Michigan.
State of Emergency Town Hall held last night, asking the question, where do we go from here?
Kent County Commissioner Robert Womack made some opening remarks, with vague language and no condemnation of systems of power and oppression. This sort of set the tone for the 3 hour meeting held at the Wealthy Theater.
An estimated 200 people were in attendance to hear from some 20 panelists, which included lawyers, civil rights groups, activists and family members of several of the recent police killings in Kent County. What follows are comments made by the panelists, most of whom were responding to the questions that Commissioner Womack had asked.
Ven Johnson, the lawyer representing the Lyoya family was asked to speak first. Johnson made some useful remarks about the power of police unions and how they have deep pockets to pay lawyers to delay court proceedings, like in the case of Chris Schurr. Johnson said of the police unions, “they are well organized, so it is time that we are too!”
Question #1 – Why do you believe the trial of officer Schurr ended in a mistrial.
Erykai, who is a relative of Samuel Sterling said, “Activists have spent more time in jail than these murders have. The murderers work inside a system, so they are supported. We need support too”
Cle Jackson with the NAACP responded to the question by saying, “Let’s call it what it is, racism. Specifically in regards to the jury selection.” Jackson went on to say that we need actionable steps. Like another traffic stop study. He also said we need policies, enforcement of those polciies and transparency. “The NAACP is going to file a FOIA for the Internal Affairs complaints against Schurr.”
Eric Brown with the Grand Rapids Urban League stated that it was a mistake that Chris Becker tried the case and that it should have been Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Commissioner Womack also criticizes the jury selection, but then stated. “I’m not going to criticize our system, but we got work to do to change our system. I want to thank the GRPD for setting me straight when I was younger.”
Aly The Activist stated that the GRPD has beat activists who have spoken out against the GRPD. She also said that the GRPD has killed more than Patrick Lyoya, with the example of Hank Wymer, a person the GRPD shot 7 times, even though he was unarmed and seeking mental health assistance.
Eduardo Montiel, who is an organizer with the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression, said that the mistrial sends a message that they (the cops) get to do what they want. He also stated that the policing system is designed this way, since it was born out of the slave patrols in the US.
Question #2 – what would you say to the Lyoya family, who are struggling to understand this justice system.
Rodney Brown stated that there are no words to say to the Lyoya family. Brown also talked about managerial racism, which is the name that Todd Robinson gives to Grand Rapids in his book, A City within a City: The Black Freedom Struggle in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Brown said that this system is not playing with the community and that as a Black man he feels that he is in a perpetual sense of grief over how Black people are treated in this city.
Erykai made the observation that when Chris Schurr came and went from the courthouse, he had a whole contingent of cops escorting him, but the Lyoya family only had 2 officers.
Question #3 – why were trials of Schurr and Keeley happening at the same time?
Jermar Sterling simply stated that it was meant to divide the community.
Question #4 – What message does it send with all of the court proceedings, mistrials or judges dropping charges against cops?
An African American lawyer made the claim that the Obama Administration had done more on policing than any other president, specifically though his 21st Century Police Task Force. This claim was not challenged and the lawyer did not provide clear evidence of the claim. The question I would ask is, why did the Movement for Black Lives, the movement that made police violence against Black people an issue, why did it happen during the Obama Administration?
Question #5 – After watching the video of Keeling running over Sterling, Doggett and the Lyoya case, as a former cop.
A former cop named Maurice stated that Officer Schurr had other weapons to use and didn’t use them. He also said that the System isn’t broken or flawed, but that we should be able to see a copy of the GRPD training manual. Maurice made the point that the GRPD training manual was never presented by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker. The former cop called for Mass boycotts targeting the GR Chamber of Commerce, the tourism, sports and entertainment industries in Grand Rapids.
Question #6 – Why didn’t any charges come in the Doggett case regarding the car?
Ven Johnson stated that the police can do whatever they want and can get away with it. The people on top cover this shit up. They don’t want to pay up for what happened. Kent County juries have always been this way with stacked juries. He suggested that we submit a FOIA as to why so few people of color are not on these juries. He also made the point that the white jurors who are selected have never had an issue with a cop.
Question #7 – What else can we do so that what happened to Doggett in the future?
Cle Jackson responded by saying, “I don’t really know what to do.” Jackson then went on to talk about how so few politicians ever talk about this stuff, that they should be voted out and that activists should be put into a position of running as candidates.
All of this lasted until 8pm and since there was little to no real analysis or plan of action to respond to the question – where do we go from here – I decided to leave. You can watch the entire 3 hours and 20 minutes and draw your own conclusions, but here are a few of my responses.
- Why do these town hall meetings involve panelists? Why can’t we just have an open forum, where everyone can make comments, instead of being talked at? If you are asked to be a panelist in future town halls, tell those who are hosting that you will not participate unless it is an open forum from the get go.
- During the 2 hours that I was there, no one suggested that the GRPD should be defunded or abolished. The GRPD does not really prevent crime or reduce violence, they primarily show up after something has happened. When communities have their needs met, there is no real need for cops.
- The Black Lives Matter movement was born out of responding to policing and police violence. In 2020, they created a toolkit on how to Defund the Police, yet we act like these ideas are ridiculous or we won’t call for defunding the GRPD because I won’t get re-elected or I won’t get funding for the non-profit I work for.
- No one talked about the $69.1 million that was unanimously approved by the Grand Rapids City Commission for the GRPD two weeks ago. There there are all the other tens of millions that that is being allocated for the carceral system – the courts, new toys for the GRPD, and other entities that provide support to the cops. Imagine how that amount of money could be used to benefit the community for jobs, housing, healthy food and other basic needs that so many people don’t have.
As a long-time community organizer I grow tired of attending events that do not develop strategies and tactics to address issues like police violence and a legal system that is designed to benefit those with political and economic power. If any more of these emergency meetings are to be planned, we need to demand that they are structured differently and that by the end of the meeting we will have a plan of action.
Photo credit in this post goes to John Rothwell.
In late May, the US Army Corps of Engineers released a report about the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline and their proposed tunnel that would run under the Great Lakes.
Locally, channel’s 13 and 17 ran stories about the report. The headlines for the online versions of those stories are instructive, since they present how headlines can be misleading. It’s also interesting, because both WZZM 13 and WXMI 17 used the same Associated Press (AP) article.
The AP article emphasizes that the construction of a pipeline tunnel by the Enbridge Corporation would do lots of environmental damage to ecosystems where the construction would take place. Some of the environmental impacts would be the loss of an estimated 300 trees, a serious impact on aquatic life, cause significant soil erosion, the vibrations from the drilling would have geological consequences, loss of wetlands, vegetation, the harm of construction equipment, the trucks hauling soil and the possible destruction of archaeological sites.
The AP story does quote the Sierra Club and a spokesperson for the group Earthjustice, which stated: “My key takeaways are the Army corps has put blinders are in service to Enbridge and President Trump’s fossil fuel agenda.”
The Michigan-based environmental group Oil & Water Don’t Mix, are a bit more to the point on what the Enbridge Line 5 tunnel would mean, stating:
The construction of a new pipeline tunnel would massively disrupt the ecosystem, destroy wetlands, and contaminate the Great Lakes. Moreover, under a backroom deal struck by Enbridge and former Gov. Rick Snyder, Michigan taxpayers would be stuck for 100 years with owning a risky underwater tunnel and the financial costs of any failure. The oil tunnel would also extend the life of dangerous polluting fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when urgent climate action is needed.
Unfortunately, the AP article does not link to the US Army Corps of Engineer’s report, which you can find here. The AP story also omits a response from the Enbridge Corporation, which has the usual propaganda message from a company that makes massive profits from moving fossil fuels from point A to point B, without any real concern for the consequences of such activities.
Lastly, it is worth noting that in 2018, Gov. Whitmer campaigned on the promise that the Enbridge Line 5 would be shut down. This has yet to happen and it is unlikely to happen, especially if we put our trust in the political process. What I want to know, is why don’t we have a Standing Rock for Line 5?
For several years, the Kent County Sheriff’s Department has been using 25 cameras that are spread around Kent County, cameras that relay information about vehicles and license plate numbers.
According to a recent article on 404 Media, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now using what are called Flock cameras to obtain license plate numbers to track down undocumented immigrants. The 404 Media article states:
Data from a license plate-scanning tool that is primarily marketed as a surveillance solution for small towns to combat crimes like car jackings or finding missing people is being used by ICE, according to data reviewed by 404 Media. Local police around the country are performing lookups in Flock’s AI-powered automatic license plate reader (ALPR) system for “immigration” related searches and as part of other ICE investigations, giving federal law enforcement side-door access to a tool that it currently does not have a formal contract for.
The massive trove of lookup data was obtained by researchers who asked to remain anonymous to avoid potential retaliation and shared with 404 Media. It shows more than 4,000 nation and statewide lookups by local and state police done either at the behest of the federal government or as an “informal” favor to federal law enforcement, or with a potential immigration focus, according to statements from police departments and sheriff offices collected by 404 Media. It shows that, while Flock does not have a contract with ICE, the agency sources data from Flock’s cameras by making requests to local law enforcement.
While state and local law enforcement agencies normally lack the authority to enforce federal immigration laws, the Trump administration has encouraged them to participate in a program called 287(g), a provision of the the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorizes DHS agencies including ICE to delegate certain immigration enforcement actions to state and municipal police.
Using the Flock technology provides an additional tool to be used by the Kent County Sheriff’s Department, the GRPD and other local law enforcement agencies to assist ICE in hunting down those who are undocumented and those that the administration are targeting, regardless of immigration status.
In addition, if the GOP-introduced legislation from April, House Bills 4336 & 4337, would create criminal penalties for individuals and organizations who knowingly assist or encourage immigrants without legal status in entering, residing, or being transported within the United States. This kind of information could also be obtained through the Flock camera systems being used right here in Kent County. The Michigan House Bills are currently in committee.
One other important point about the use of Flock cameras to obtain information for ICE and local law enforcement was made in a recent article on Common Dreams, stating:
Responding to the 404 Media report, journalist Krishna Sai Andavolu asked, “If ICE can use a nationwide network of license place readers for its purposes, what’s stopping the government from using it for whatever purposes they want?”
Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response to ICE has been pushing the City of Grand Rapids and Kent County to both adopt Sanctuary policies, which involve numerous points such as:
– policies restricting the ability of state and local police to make arrests for federal immigration violations, or to detain individuals on civil immigration warrants;
– policies restricting the police or other city workers from asking about immigration status;
– policies prohibiting “287(g)” agreements through which ICE deputizes local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration law;
– policies that prevent local governments from entering into a contract with the federal government to hold immigrants in detention;
– policies preventing immigration detention centers in Grand Rapids.
It could be that these campaigns to pressure both local governing bodies to adopt Sanctuary policies might consider adding that to Flock technology currently being used in Grand Rapids and Kent County could be used to share license plate information with ICE. Regardless, people who live in Kent County should be concerned with the increased surveillance technology being used, technology that will no doubt be used to suppress popular movements, and target vulnerable communities.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 