Perpetuating violence and genocide: Both Michigan Senators vote against resolutions to block the sale of weapons to Israel
On Thursday, both Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin voted no on two separate resolutions put forth by Sen. Bernie Sanders to block the US from selling more deadly weapons to Israel.
The first resolution was to block the sale of 35,000 two thousand-pound bombs to Israel, which was defeated by a vote of 15 for blocking the weapons and 82 against blocking the US sale of 2,000 pound bombs.
The second resolution to block the sale of US weaponry to Israel was defeated by a vote of 15 for blocking the sale of US weapons and 83 voting against. The US weapons included in the second resolution are: two thousand one hundred sixty-six (2,166) GBU–39/B Small Diameter Bombs Increment 1 (SDB–I); two thousand eight hundred (2,800) MK 82 General Purpose, 500-pound bomb bodies; thirteen thousand (13,000) KMU–556E/B, or KMU–556H/B with SABR–Y, KMU–556F/B, or KMU–556J/B Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Guidance Kits for the MK–84 bomb body; three thousand four hundred seventy-five (3,475) KMU–557E/B, or KMU–557F/B, or KMU–557H/B with SABR–Y, or KMU–557J/B JDAM Guidance Kits for the BLU–109 bomb body; one thousand four (1,004) KMU–572E/B, or KMU–572F/B, KMU–572H/B with SABR–Y, or KMU–572J/B JDAM Guidance Kits for GBU–38v1; and seventeen thousand four hundred seventy-five (17,475) FMU–152A/B fuzes. The following non-MDE items will also be included: FMU–139 fuzes; bomb components; munitions support and support equipment; spare parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, logistics, and technical support services and other related elements of logistics and program support.
So why did the majority of the US Senate vote against preventing the US from selling more deadly weapons to Israel? Why would they vote against resolutions that would reduce the harm to Palestinians, reduce war crimes and potentially prevent the continued genocide that is taking place in Gaza?
Senator Gary Peters voted against blocking the continued sale of US weapons to Israel and has done so during his time in the US Senate. In 2016, I wrote a piece about how Peters was following in the footsteps of Michigan Senator Carl Levin, who also was a loyal defender of Israel and Zionism.
In February of 2024, many Michiganders called on Sen. Peters to end US military aid and support for Israel. I received a response from Sen. Peters, which I wrote about, and ended my article by saying:
In the final analysis, Senator Peters, who has been the recipient lots of pro-Israel PAC money, completely ignores Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians and will not support any efforts to reduced US military aid to Israel thus making the US complicit in, along with Senator Peters, Israeli war crimes.
The same is true with Sen. Slotkin, who not only opposed these two resolutions, but as a member of the House of Representatives, she consistently voted for the unconditional US support of Israel and providing billions in US weapons sales to Israel while it has been committing genocide against the Palestinians.
Both Michigan Senators voted to continue the sale of US weapons to Israel, regardless of who is in the White House and regardless of the fact that most of the international community opposes the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, the system of racial apartheid that Israel imposes on the Palestinians, and the ongoing crime of genocide.
Image at the top is taken from a March 18, 2025 photo from AlJazeera.
Palestine Solidarity Information, Analysis, Local Actions and Events for the week of April 6th
It has been 18 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. We will also provide information on local events and actions that people can get involved in. All of this information is to provide people with the capacity of what Noam Chomsky refers to as, intellectual self-defense.
Information
Netanyahu Promises the “Final Stage” of Gaza Genocide Will Lead to Implementation of “Trump’s Plan”
War, Doublethink, and the Struggle for Survival: Geopolitics of the Gaza Genocide
Marked for Assassination: Gaza Journalists on Israeli Hit List Refuse to Stop Reporting
Why “Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace” Advocates Cling to Genocide Denial
Bread Lines, Empty Shelves, Bombed Farms — This Is How Starvation Feels in Gaza
Major Gaza Land Grab Underway as Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing Escalates
Google is Acquiring Tech Firm Founded by Ex-Israeli Intelligence Officers for Record $32 Billion
BDS calls for Boycott of Microsoft Game Pass, Minecraft, New Xbox Consoles
Analysis & History
Michael Arria on Gaza Pushback
Gaza First Amendment Alert (April 04, 2025)
Image used in this post is from https://visualizingpalestine.org/visual/zero-accountability-march-2025/
Today is the 3 years since GRPD officer Christopher Schurr stopped Patrick Lyoya for a traffic violation and ended up sitting on top of him and shooting Patrick in the back of the head.
GRIID has written 56 articles about the GRPD killing of Patrick Lyoya, all of which are included below in chronological order. There have been few issues that I have written about so frequently since I began blogging in 2009, but the GRPD killing of Patrick Lyoya is a matter that we all need to think about and act on.
Some of the main issues I have addressed over the past 3 years are:
- The City of Grand Rapids and the GRPD have attempted to control the narrative about what happened to Patrick Lyoya, often wanting to blame Lyoya for not “cooperating with the cop who shot him in the back of the head. From the first Press Conference the City had, to the release of the body cam footage , to the City’s attempt to silence those demanding Justice for Patrick, over the past 3 years the City officials and the Chief Winstrom have not been willing to take responsibility for Patrick Lyoya’s death.
- The local news media has demonstrated a clear bias in reporting on what happened, the public response and the ongoing legal case of Christopher Schurr. There has been a concerted effort to sanitize who Christopher Schurr is. There have also been local news stories that center the voices of GR City officials at an event organized by the African Diaspora community. Then there are stories that provide favorable coverage of the cop who shot Patrick Lyoya.
- There have also been several FOIA requests related to the GRPD murder of Patrick Lyoya and how the GRPD has responded to those organizing to demand justice for Patrick Lyoya. In both cases, there were large sections of the FOIA documents redacted.
- There have been very few commercial media stories that center those demanding justice for Patrick Lyoya. GRIID has done more stories with organizers than what the local news agencies have. Such as:
- One issue that has been completely absent from the local news coverage is what I wrote earlier on in this case. My article, US State-sponsored violence caused Patrick Lyoya’s family to flee the Congo, then it murdered him on the streets of Grand Rapids, was a story that the commercial media should have told.
- Another important aspect of the public response to what happened Patrick Lyoya is a lack of conversation about possible legal outcome(s) regarding the trial of Christopher Schurr, along with developing plans for how the movement might respond. In June of 2022, I wrote an article entitled, We need to think about and develop strategies in the event that Officer Schurr is not charged or found guilty of killing Patrick Lyoya.
Lastly, I think it is worth pointing out that the police murder of civilians is so normalized in the US, especially when Black and Brown people are murdered. According to mapping violence, since 2022, the year that Patrick Lyoya was killed by the GRPD, there has been an average of 1300 civilians per year killed by cops, with a disproportionate number of those being Black and Brown civilians. While people are up in arms about what the Trump Administration is doing, we have to come to terms with the fact that for marginalized communities it is a shit show regardless of who sits in the White House. Why are there thousands of white people at rallies in Grand Rapids when their social security is being threatened, but cops killing Black people doesn’t get them to leave their homes?
Patrick Lyoya stories in chronological order:
GRPD shoots and kills 26 year old Black man: Deconstructing the PR Spin, also known as a Press Conference https://griid.org/2022/04/05/grpd-shoots-and-kills-26-year-old-black-man-deconstructing-the-pr-spin-also-known-as-a-press-conference/
US State-sponsored violence caused Patrick Lyoya’s family to flee the Congo, then it murdered him on the streets of Grand Rapids https://griid.org/2022/04/10/us-state-sponsored-violence-caused-patrick-lyoyas-family-to-flee-the-congo-then-it-murdered-him-on-the-streets-of-grand-rapids/
Government Officials have been overwhelmingly silent after a GRPD officer shot and killed Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids https://griid.org/2022/04/11/government-officials-have-been-overwhelmingly-silent-after-a-grpd-officer-shot-and-killed-patrick-lyoya-in-grand-rapids/
Managing Public Dissent: Grand Rapids City Officials continue to practice a Managerial form of racism on display during the City Commission meeting https://griid.org/2022/04/13/managing-public-dissent-grand-rapids-city-officials-continue-to-practice-a-managerial-form-of-racism-on-display-during-the-city-commission-meeting/
Sanitized language and deflection were the dominant themes of the Grand Rapids Release the Video Press Conference https://griid.org/2022/04/14/sanitized-language-and-deflection-were-the-dominant-themes-of-the-grand-rapids-release-the-video-press-conference/
Thoughts & Prayers: Don’t be fooled by safe responses from Elected Officials on the GRPD murder of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/04/14/thoughts-prayers-dont-be-fooled-by-safe-responses-from-elected-officials-on-the-grpd-murder-of-patrick-lyoya/
Deconstructing another statement from an elected official regarding Patrick Lyoya, who is also running as a State Representative later this year https://griid.org/2022/04/15/deconstructing-another-statement-from-an-elected-official-regarding-patrick-lyoya-who-is-also-running-as-a-state-representative-later-this-year/
Don’t be seduced by proposals to reform the GRPD: Now is the time to work towards Defunding the GRPD and the Abolition of Policing in Grand Rapids https://griid.org/2022/04/17/dont-be-seduced-by-proposals-to-reform-the-grpd-now-is-the-time-to-work-towards-defunding-the-grpd-and-the-abolition-of-policing-in-grand-rapids/
Don’t let GR City Officials dictate the terms of our resistance: Peaceful protest is code for non-disruptive actions https://griid.org/2022/04/18/dont-let-gr-city-officials-dictate-the-terms-of-our-resistance-peaceful-protest-is-code-for-non-disruptive-actions/
Politicians using the police shooting of Patrick Lyoya during an election year: Part III https://griid.org/2022/04/19/politicians-using-the-police-shooting-of-patrick-lyoya-during-an-election-year-part-iii/
A member of the Grand Rapids Public Safety Committee says that the Cop who killed Patrick Lyoya is also a victim https://griid.org/2022/04/21/a-member-of-the-grand-rapids-public-safety-committee-says-that-the-cop-who-killed-patrick-lyoya-is-also-a-victim/
Police Reforms will never stop the cops from murdering people in Grand Rapids https://griid.org/2022/04/25/police-reforms-will-never-stop-the-cops-from-murdering-people-in-grand-rapids/
Countering the narratives that are being created to defend Chris Schurr, the cop who killed Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/04/26/countering-the-narratives-that-are-being-created-to-defend-chris-schurr-the-cop-who-killed-patrick-lyoya/
Body Cameras did not prevent Patrick Lyoya from being killed and Body Camera Training legislation will not keep any of us safe https://griid.org/2022/04/29/body-cameras-did-not-prevent-patrick-lyoya-from-being-killed-and-body-camera-training-legislation-will-not-keep-any-of-us-safe/
We don’t need to hear the opinions of people who are responsible for the death of Patrick Lyoya: WOODTV8 story should have centered the voices of the African Diaspora Community https://griid.org/2022/05/02/we-dont-need-to-hear-the-opinions-of-people-who-are-responsible-for-the-death-of-patrick-lyoya-woodtv8-story-should-have-centered-the-voices-of-the-african-diaspora-community/
Half of the GRPD FOIA documents are redacted, others reveal that the police viewed Patrick Lyoya as dangerous even after he was shot https://griid.org/2022/05/05/half-of-the-grpd-foia-documents-are-redacted-others-reveal-that-the-police-viewed-patrick-lyoya-as-dangerous-even-after-he-was-shot/
City Manager Mark Washington says No interruptions to normal operations will be tolerated in the City of Grand Rapids, even when the GRPD killed Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/05/09/city-manager-mark-washington-says-no-interruptions-to-normal-operations-will-be-tolerated-in-the-city-of-grand-rapids-even-when-the-grpd-killed-patrick-lyoya/
While Grand Rapids City Commission meeting is shut down again, local commercial news media fail to center the demands of those who are protesting the GRPD killing of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/05/11/while-grand-rapids-city-commission-meeting-is-shut-down-again-local-commercial-news-media-fail-to-center-the-demands-of-those-who-are-protesting-the-grpd-killing-of-patrick-lyoya/
Mayor Bliss threatens to change public meeting rules, previous commission meeting disruptions, and the Justice for Patrick Lyoya Movement https://griid.org/2022/05/12/mayor-bliss-threatens-to-change-public-meeting-rules-previous-commission-meeting-disruptions-and-the-justice-for-patrick-lyoya-movement/
Perpetuating biased narratives about the murder of Patrick Lyoya and centering the voices of City Officials: Local Commercial News Coverage of graffiti at City Commissioner homes https://griid.org/2022/05/17/perpetuating-biased-narratives-about-the-murder-of-patrick-lyoya-and-centering-the-voices-of-city-officials-local-commercial-news-coverage-of-graffiti-at-city-commissioner-homes/
Voice for the Badge finally breaks their silence over the GRPD murder of Patrick Lyoya with the One Bad Apple Theory https://griid.org/2022/05/18/voice-for-the-badge-finally-breaks-their-silence-over-the-grpd-murder-of-patrick-lyoya-with-the-one-bad-apple-theory/
There is more than one reason why the Kent County Prosecutor should recuse himself in the case of the GRPD killing of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/05/22/there-is-more-than-one-reason-why-the-kent-county-prosecutor-should-recuse-himself-in-the-case-of-the-grpd-killing-of-patrick-lyoya/
MLive article on Officer Christopher Schurr normalizes White Supremacy and White Saviorism https://griid.org/2022/05/23/mlive-article-on-officer-christopher-schurr-normalizes-white-supremacy-and-white-saviorism/
The Grand Rapids Office of Oversight and Public Accountability is receiving $750,000 from the Kellogg Foundation despite their ongoing complicity in the GRPD murder of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/05/24/the-grand-rapids-office-of-oversight-and-public-accountability-is-receiving-750000-from-the-kellogg-foundation-despite-their-ongoing-complicity-in-the-grpd-murder-of-patrick-lyoya/
Is the family of Patrick Lyoya being used for political purposes again? https://griid.org/2022/05/26/is-the-family-patrick-lyoya-being-used-for-political-purposes-again/
What I learned at the Press Conference hosted by the Grand Rapids Association of Pastors, speaking out on the GRPD killing of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/06/01/what-i-learned-at-the-press-conference-hosted-by-the-grand-rapids-association-of-pastors-speaking-out-on-the-grpd-killing-of-patrick-lyoya/
We need to think about and develop strategies in the event that Officer Schurr is not charged or found guilty of killing Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/06/07/we-need-to-think-about-and-develop-strategies-in-the-event-that-officer-schurr-is-not-charged-or-found-guilty-of-killing-patrick-lyoya/
Reactions and responses to the news that GRPD cop Christopher Schurr is being charged with second-degree murder https://griid.org/2022/06/10/reactions-and-responses-to-the-news-that-grpd-cop-christopher-schurr-is-being-charged-with-second-degree-murder/
The Grand Rapids lawyers defending the killer cop, Christopher Schurr, already want to control the narrative about the murder of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/06/12/the-grand-rapids-lawyers-defending-the-killer-cop-christopher-schurr-already-want-to-control-the-narrative-about-the-murder-of-patrick-lyoya/
Once again the Grand Rapids commercial news media presents a narrative that favors the ex-GRPD cop who killed Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/06/22/once-again-the-grand-rapids-commercial-news-media-presents-a-narrative-that-favors-the-ex-grpd-cop-who-killed-patrick-lyoya/
The Ferguson Effect, handling protesters and other fallacies at the GRPD Press Conference on Friday https://griid.org/2022/06/26/the-ferguson-effect-handling-protesters-and-other-fallacies-at-the-grpd-press-conference-on-friday/
While well intentioned, MLive editorial is decades late and still relies heavily on the GRPD for reporting on Public Safety https://griid.org/2022/07/25/while-well-intentioned-mlive-editorial-is-decades-late-and-still-relies-heavily-on-the-grpd-for-reporting-on-public-safety/
Deconstructing the new sanctity of life policy from the GRPD https://griid.org/2022/07/27/deconstructing-the-new-sanctity-of-life-policy-from-the-grpd/
The awful response I received from Sen. Peters about the GRPD murder of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/08/22/the-awful-response-i-received-from-sen-peters-about-the-grpd-murder-of-patrick-lyoya/
Free Speech, Hate Speech and the attempt by the Grand Rapids City Government to silence dissent https://griid.org/2022/08/25/free-speech-hate-speech-and-the-attempt-by-the-grand-rapids-city-government-to-silence-dissent/
According to the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association, it is a waste of tax payer money for a Black person to seek justice in this city https://griid.org/2022/09/06/according-to-the-grand-rapids-police-officers-association-it-is-a-waste-of-tax-payer-money-for-a-black-person-to-seek-justice-in-this-city/
The Black Freedom Struggle and the Justice4Patrick Movement in Grand Rapids https://griid.org/2022/09/19/the-black-freedom-struggle-and-the-justice4patrick-movement-in-grand-rapids/
The ongoing court case and Grand Rapids news media coverage of the ex-cop who murdered Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/09/25/the-ongoing-court-case-and-grand-rapids-news-media-coverage-of-the-ex-cop-who-murdered-patrick-lyoya/
While hearing began today in the case against the GRPD cop who murdered Patrick Lyoya, a public protest was held outside the court house demanding justice https://griid.org/2022/10/27/while-hearing-began-today-in-the-case-against-the-grpd-cop-who-murdered-patrick-lyoya-a-public-protest-was-held-outside-the-court-house-demanding-justice/
Witness testimony and character assassination: Local news coverage of the court hearing of Chris Schurr, the man who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2022/10/28/witness-testimony-and-character-assassination-local-news-coverage-of-the-court-hearing-of-chris-schurr-the-man-who-shot-and-killed-patrick-lyoya/
Solidarity for a Murderer: Thoughts and Prayers from the Grand Rapids Cop Union https://griid.org/2022/11/01/solidarity-for-a-murderer-thoughts-and-prayers-from-the-grand-rapids-cop-union/
GRPD Podcast is the latest tool in an ongoing effort to control the narrative around policing in Grand Rapids https://griid.org/2022/12/01/grpd-podcast-is-the-latest-tool-in-an-ongoing-effort-to-control-the-narrative-around-policing-in-grand-rapids/
Grabbing a cop’s taser is becoming a popular legal justification for police shooting of Black people https://griid.org/2022/12/05/grabbing-a-cops-taser-is-becoming-a-popular-legal-justification-for-police-shooting-of-black-people/
Patrick Lyoya was one of 1,181 civilians that were killed by cops in the US in 2022 https://griid.org/2023/01/08/patrick-lyoya-was-one-of-1181-civilians-that-were-killed-by-cops-in-the-us-in-2022/
Legal briefs, the use of force laws, the function of policing, and media framing in the ongoing case of an ex-cop who murdered Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2023/01/12/legal-briefs-the-use-of-force-laws-the-function-of-policing-and-media-framing-in-the-ongoing-case-of-an-ex-cop-who-murdered-patrick-lyoya/
The audacity of lawyers: Postponing the trial for the cop that murdered Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2023/02/12/the-audacity-of-lawyers-postponing-the-trial-for-the-cop-that-murdered-patrick-lyoya/
On the one year anniversary of the GRPD killing of Patrick Lyoya: GRIID Interview with a member of the Comrades Collective https://griid.org/2023/03/29/on-the-one-year-anniversary-of-the-grpd-killing-of-patrick-lyoya-griid-interview-with-a-member-of-the-comrades-collective/
“It was like a funeral procession”: Comrades Collective organized a Justice4Patrick caravan in the neighborhood where the GRPD killed the Congolese immigrant https://griid.org/2023/04/03/it-was-like-a-funeral-procession-comrades-collective-organized-a-justice4patrick-caravan-in-the-neighborhood-where-the-grpd-killed-the-congolese-immigrant/
Those in power have been telling us behind closed doors not make any noise about the murder of Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2023/09/01/those-in-power-have-been-telling-us-behind-closed-doors-not-make-any-noise-about-the-murder-of-patrick-lyoya/
Organizers hold space for Patrick Lyoya during candlelight vigil on the 2nd anniversary of his murder https://griid.org/2024/04/05/organizers-hold-space-for-patrick-lyoya-during-candlelight-vigil-on-the-2nd-anniversary-of-his-murder/
The GRPD detained one, arrested a second person, then disrupted traffic for more than 30 minutes in order to prevent a march demanding justice for Patrick Lyoya https://griid.org/2024/04/07/the-grpd-detained-one-arrested-a-second-person-then-disrupted-traffic-for-more-than-30-minutes-in-order-to-prevent-a-march-demanding-justice-for-patrick-lyoya/
Local commercial news coverage of the 2nd anniversary of Patrick Lyoya’s murder and the organized events by grassroots activists https://griid.org/2024/04/08/local-commercial-news-coverage-of-the-2nd-anniversary-of-patrick-lyoyas-murder-and-the-organized-events-by-grassroots-activists-is-superficial-at-best/
GRIID Interview with Jose Rodriguez: Police repression happens when activists want to hold the GRPD accountable https://griid.org/2024/05/06/griid-interview-with-jose-rodriguez-police-repression-happens-when-activists-want-to-hold-the-grpd-accountable/
GRIID Interview with Ky: Police repression happens especially when activists want to hold the GRPD accountable https://griid.org/2024/05/20/griid-interview-with-ky-police-repression-happens-especially-when-activists-want-to-hold-the-grpd-accountable/
GRPD Chief Winstrom just lied to a reporter from MLive https://griid.org/2024/05/24/grpd-chief-winstrom-just-lied-to-a-reporter-from-mlive/
FOIA request took more than a year to get regarding GRPD surveillance and arrests of those protesting Patrick Lyoya’s murder https://griid.org/2024/09/10/foia-request-took-more-than-a-year-to-get-regarding-grpd-surveillance-and-arrests-of-those-protesting-patrick-lyoyas-murder/
Movimiento Cosecha GR is inviting people to participate in several upcoming actions to send a message about resisting mass deportation and to promote what the undocumented immigrant community is demanding.
Cosecha GR is asking people over a 4 day period to join their actions and to not work, to not send your kids to school and to not shop.
The four days of action will kick off with their annual May 1st march, which will be on Thursday, May 1st. People are invited to gather at Clemente Park in Grand Rapids at 4pm, and the march will begin from there.
On Friday, May 2nd, there will be a community solidarity gathering, a time to share food, hear music and build community. The location for the March 2nd event is SECOM, located at 1545 Buchanan Ave SW in Grand Rapids.
On Saturday, May 3rd, Cosecha will be doing a Salsa Shutdown, but the location will not be posted, since they want to have the element of surprise.
GR Rapid Response to ICE is hosting two events in April, in preparation for the Cosecha GR May Day actions. On Monday, April 14th, there will be a Crowd Safety Training from 6 – 8pm at Oakdale Park Church, located at 961 Temple St. SE in Grand Rapids, with details here. We need people to attend this training for Crowd Safety in order to have lots of people keep immigrants safe for the May 1 – May 4th actions that Cosecha GR has planned.
Then on Monday, April 21st, GR Rapid Response to ICE will be hosting another training for those who want to be involved directly in the work they do, both to mobilize people to directly intervene to prevent ICE from apprehending people and the Mutual Aid work, which provides a whole ranges of ways to practice solidarity with immigrants that have been impacted by ICE violence. The April 21st training with be held at SECOM, located at 1545 Buchanan Ave SW in Grand Rapids, with details here. You must register for the April 21st training, since there is only room for 50 people.
Lastly, Movimiento Cosecha and GR Rapid Response is working with No Detention Centers Michigan for an action on Thursday, April 17th, for a Community Not Cages action. The action will likely take place at one of the ICE offices in Grand Rapids to talk about the campaign of resistance against the newly acquired prison in Baldwin, Michigan, which was purchased by the GEO Group corporation. Check the GR Rapid Response to ICE Facebook page for upcoming details.
Countering the GRPD narrative: An eyewitness account of what the GRPD did in downtown Grand Rapids on March 15th
On March 18, I posted a piece regarding the GRPD controlled narrative about what happened in downtown Grand Rapids, where cops were use pepper ball guns to break up crowds after an event.
In that post I wrote:
In the end, the GRPD used this incident as an opportunity to both control and re-direct the narrative about what happened, taking no responsibility for their use of force, all the while claiming that they have regained the community’s trust. This is yet another example of how Police Chief Eric Winstrom deliberately lies about how the GRPD functions, especially in Black and Brown communities.
Since then, someone has reached out to me with their own narrative and videos, which I want to share here. In a time when the GRPD is claiming that they have the trust of the community, it is vitally important that we provide a counter-narrative to these claims.
“Around 10pm I noticed more activity than usual on the corner of Commerce and Oakes while looking out my window. I’m used to living downtown, and there’s concerts, events, etc. on the weekends, so I assumed there was a concert or event. Around 11pm, I went to bed. I woke up around 1:30am and noticed a huge crowd outside. I stayed awake until 2:00am scrolling on my phone and noticed loud music and a bigger crowd outside when I looked out my window, I saw tons of people on the sidewalks, and a lot of cool cars coming and going. I’ve seen car shows downtown before, where people would peel our or do donuts in fast sports cars, this was not the case tonight. The cars would just pull to a curb and leave answer a few minutes.
I became curious and went outside to grab my e-cig from my car in a parking lot across from my apartment building, I stood outside for a bit to take in all the social activity. I saw some pushing and shoving on the northwest corner of Commerce and Oakes, people remained calm and slowly left that area, cars started leaving the area as well.
I went back up to my apartment to observe from my window which was facing Eastward of Commerce Street south of Oakes and noticed a single cop car with its lights on only driving southbound on commerce, north of Oakes. I didn’t see the interaction between that car and the fight, during that time I went to take up my partner to witness with me. I came back to the window and saw cop cars in a V formation driving northbound up commerce, South of Oakes St. Within seconds cop cars came from east and west of Oakes and southbound on commerce, blocking the intersection. Again the crowd remained calm but people slowly fled the intersection. A cop SUV car advanced into the intersection, simultaneously I noticed cops walking and running to the intersection. A man was arrested by a cop and shoved into that same SUV cop car, the cops then dispersed down each street from the center of the intersection, again, everyone was leaving calmly and peacefully.
I then witnessed a few cops walking south down commerce of Oakes with what appeared to be weapons, people were calmly leaving the area still, what I witness next was and sort of weapon discharging towards the crowd that was walking southbound down commerce.
All in all it was a peaceful gathering with a single fight that broke out that most people ignored and fled from. The police came in slowly on the gathering from all streets to box in the intersection and then began aggressing the crowd, it was very distressing to watch the GRPD violently aggress a peaceful gathering. I recorded as much as I could to support this narrative.
In one video you can hear me telling my partner to keep the camera on the cops when I noticed they had weapons, and the videos clearly show people dispersing peacefully, and the cops aggressing random ass people for no reason at all.”
Lessons on the history of US Immigration Policy #7: Trump and the use of the Alien Enemies Act
So far in this series on lessons on the history of US Immigration Policy, I have looked at the question – Is the US a Nation of Immigrants in Part I; how anti-immigration policies in the US are bipartisan in Part II; the dominant narrative around how we talk about immigrants in Part III; and an investigation into the root causes of people migrating to the US, especially those coming from Latin America, in Part IV. In Part V, I looked at false narratives about immigrants and the importance of creating counter-narrative. In Part VI, I want to look at how US immigration policy has historically been grounded in a white supremacy framework.
In today’s post, I want to look at President Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act and what people are being targeted by ICE with the 227 year old policy. In 1798, Hamilton joined other Federalists in supporting the very first anti-immigration laws, the Alien and Sedition Acts, promulgated by President John Adams. These statutes increased from five to fourteen the years of residency required for new immigrants to become eligible for citizenship and empowered the president to deport or detain anyone deemed “dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States.”
Radical historian Howard Zinn says that part of the reason why the US government adopted the Alien Enemies Act and the Sedition Act was related to the French Revolution (1789 – 1799). Zinn says that French immigrants to the US were suspected of being sympathizers of their revolution back home and spreading revolutionary ideas here.
The Brennen Center says that the Alien Enemies Act has been invoked three times, each time during a major conflict: the War of 1812, World War I, and World War II. In World Wars I and II, the law was a key authority behind detentions, expulsions, and restrictions targeting German, Austro-Hungarian, Japanese, and Italian immigrants based solely on their ancestry.
However, there have been other instances when the Alien Enemy Act has been used to justify targeting people who questioned the US government. During WWI, there was a crackdown against political dissidents, especially those that were critical of the US involvement in that war. As I wrote in my book, A People’s History of Grand Rapids:
The Espionage Act was passed in 1917 as a means to silence and punish those who spoke out against the US entry into World War I. However, as radical historian Howard Zinn points out, these laws were not applied equally and were meant to target dissidents during WWI, particularly radical labor organizers, socialists and anarchists. Some of those arrested for opposing the US entry into WWI were arrested and jailed, while others were arrested and deported.
The level of contempt that the US government held against radicals involved in labor organizing and anti-WWI activities eventually led to the Palmer Raids (1919-1920) as a justification for “cleansing” the US of radical leftists, socialists and anarchists.
According to Christopher Finan’s book, From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act, there were over 6,000 people arrested across 36 cities during the Palmer Raids. Finan also states that there were 556 foreign citizens were deported, including a number of prominent leftist leaders.
The other major omission from the Brennen Center regarding the use of the Alien Enemies Act, has to do with the US government’s response to September 11, 2001. The US Patriot Act is one of the most repressive acts adopted, which was supported by both Republicans and Democrats. The Patriot Act was an extension of the Alien Enemies Act, in that it provided the US government a pretext to arrest, detain and deport people suspected as terrorism. Thousands of Arab and Muslim residents in the US were rounded up, questioned and many of them were held for long periods of time without being charged with any crimes.
This brings us to the present, where the Trump Administration is invoking the Alien Enemies Act as a justification for targeting people who are critical of US policy and using Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to make the arrests. It is important that we come to terms with this history and avoid claims that the Trump Administration is the most repressive, when in fact, the Trump Administration is just the latest to use repressive measures against US citizens and foreign nationals residing in the US.
If your organization is interested in a presentation on the History of US Immigration Policy, please contact me at sjeff987@gmail.com.
Pure Copaganda: New Trailer for GRPD TV series and local news coverage about All Access PD Grand Rapids Part II
A little over a week ago, I posted an initial article regarding the local commercial news media coverage of the upcoming HBO/MAX TV series on the Grand Rapids Police Department. In that post I wrote:
The All Access PD Grand Rapids TV series should be seen for exactly for what it is, pure Copaganda. Regardless of what the TV show producer has to say about the GRPD, Black, Brown, immigrant and activists communities know better about how the GRPD really operates. These communities know that there is no real transparency or accountability since Winstrom arrived. The news coverage of the upcoming TV series provides no critique of the GRPD, nor do they include critical community perspectives.
Since the post from last week, the local commercial news media have continued to not so much as report on the GRPD-centered TV show, but hyped it. All three Grand Rapids-based TV stations reported on All Access PD Grand Rapids TV series which begins April 8.
In the WOODTV8 story the reporter and the news readers frame the issue using the GRPD’s perspective. What they had to say is followed by Chief Winstrom, who creates his own narrative around the issue of trust in the community. There is one critical voice, the President of the local NAACP chapter, Cle Jackson, but his comments to provide clear reasons for why he doesn’t think the TV series help build community trust. The channel 8 reporter also spoke with Marian Barrera-Young, executive director of the Baxter Neighborhood Association, who thought that the TV series could be beneficial. It should be noted, that the Baxter Neighborhood Association, receives CDBG funding and Barrera-Young is also the crime prevention coordinator, which means she works directly with the GRPD. The GRPD also has a cop who works out of the Baxter Neighborhood Association, so it is unlikely that there would be any critique of the GRPD coming from this source.
The WXMI 17 story from last week has no critical perspectives and the only source cited in the story is Chief Winstrom. In fact, the channel 17 story is mostly about the fact that Winstrom showed the trailer for the upcoming TV series at the Public Safety Committee last Tuesday and then Winstrom telling the reporter that the show is not scripted and “it just makes us look human.” Of course the TV show about the GRPD is scripted, just like how all TV shows are scripted. The only way for any media to not be scripted is if it is live and unedited. All media is constructed, which is one of the basic principles of Media Literacy.
The WZZM 13 story did not address the HBO/MAX show that will air next week, but it included the same talking points from Chief Winstrom about how crime is down in Grand Rapids, specifically shootings. Unfortunately, the WZZM 13 reporter doesn’t question the data nor does the reporter ask basic questions about why shootings have decreased. The Channel 13 reporter simply takes the GRPD Chief at his word, without seeking out other sources or opinions.
These three stories are consistent with my news monitoring report from 2024, where the local news media rarely questioned the GRPD and often used the GRPD-created narrative about what was happening in this community. It is also worth pointing out that in all of the 673 policing/public safety stories over the past 12 months, there have only been 16 stories about community-based groups doing crime prevention work. Lastly, of all these 673 stories that centered around crime, there were only 11 stories about the GRPD actually preventing crime, which means in most of the stories the GRPD showed up after a crime had been committed. This should tell us something about the real function of the GRPD.
As I noted in Part I, beginning on April 8th, GRIID will watch each of the 8 shows about the GRPD, provide a critique of the series and juxtapose concrete examples and data on how the GRPD operates and functions in the service of power.
This Isn’t Working film festival and community discussion in Grand Rapids – Saturday, April 5th
Whether we are talking about capitalism, the prison industrial complex of the political system in the US, those systems don’t work for most of us. Those systems do work for the most politically and economically powerful in this country and in Grand Rapids, because those systems were designed that way.
The organizers of the film festival in Grand Rapids this Saturday write:
You know you’ve been meaning to end that toxic relationship with the state for a while … Tell the system “We need to talk” and come join us to dream and co-create new worlds together. The creators of two of two of the films will be there! All donations go to the family of Patrick Lyoya!
Here is the line up for the 3 films, along with discussion times:
Opening and Mingling 12PM to 12:30PM
Reimagining Safety Documentary: 12:30 – 2PM
Reimagining Safety Discussion with the Filmmaker: 2 – 2:30PM
The Elements of Mutual Aid Documentary: 2:30 – 3PM
Mutual Aid Discussion with the Filmmakers: 3 – 3:30PM
Break: 3:30 – 4PM
The Feminist on Cell Block Y Documentary: 4 – 5:30PM
Final Discussion and Closing: 5:30-6PM
The film festival is being hosted at Fountain Street Church 24 Fountain Street Northeast Grand Rapids, MI 49503. There is no cost for the event, but you can make a donation, which will go directly to the family of Patrick Lyoya.
I finally had a chance to sit down and watch the Grand Rapids Town Hall meeting hosted by Rep. Hillary Scholten. I didn’t attend the meeting, because I was at a training with GR Rapid Response to ICE. You can watch the entire town hall with Scholten at this link.
Like most town hall meetings that are held by politicians, it was a managed and performative event. Rep. Scholten made everything about Trump and Musk, but didn’t really talk about what Democrats were doing or not doing. Scholten said things like, “I could be watching March Madness with my children but I am here.” It’s your job, so don’t make it sound like you are sacrificing your time to be with the public.
Scholten also repeatedly said that there are things that she can’t discuss in public. What the hell does that mean? If the Democrats have a plan or a strategy, why wouldn’t she share that? Scholten said she has introduced bills, but these are pretty meaningless actions, since the Democrats don’t have a majority in Congress, but it makes them look progressive. Scholten also repeatedly pointed out that she is the only person in West MI holding in person town hall meetings. While this is true, for the first two years in Congress Scholten only held call in town halls, so it is a bit disingenuous to try to appear as a populist, when she hasn’t made this a priority in the past.
Questions with few real answers
After 10 minutes of fake populist rhetoric the Q & A portion began. The first questions was about students being hauled off by ICE agents. To be clear those that have been targeted so far are Pro-Palestinian people who have been picked up by ICE. Scholten made a claim about everyone having the right to free speech, but she failed to acknowledge her own role in attacked the pro-Palestine campus movement, which I have documented.
Last April, Scholten introduced legislation, co-sponsored by a Republican, that was essentially attacking the pro-Palestine campus movements. Scholten was one of 9 co-sponsors of H.R. 7478, which was introduced by Rep. Rudy Yakym from Indiana. Scholten is only one of two Democrats who cosponsored this shitty piece of legislation that includes the likes of Rep. Elise Stefanik from New York. Stefanik has been the person leading the charge to discredit universities who allow Palestine Solidarity actions or Middle East Studies that question Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land. Scholten can claim that people have the right to protest, but she voted for legislation to undermine people’s right to protest.
There were several questions asked about how the public can resist what the Trump administration is doing. Scholten’s response to those questions was to engage in rhetoric critical of Trump and Musk – which people cheered – without talking about actual ways that people can resist beyond voting in the next election. People also asked questions about what the Democrats are doing. Scholten took the opportunity to highlight that she attended the 60th anniversary of what is often referred to as Bloody Sunday, where police beat Civil Rights activists during a march through Selma across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Not only was her presence simply a photo op, there was no accountability around Scholten’s betrayal of the Civil Rights Movement, which I also wrote about.
Someone then asked Rep. Scholten, “How do you get people to vote in their interest?” Her answer was that she would host more Town halls and people should subscribe to her newsletter. These are the same, tired answers that do little or nothing to actually benefit people who are struggling to survive.
There was a Pastor who works with refugees and asked what is Congress doing to protect immigrants and green card holders. Scholten gave a canned response, by saying she has spent last 20 years working on immigration. Schoten pointed to the child immigrant labor abuses and her co-sponsoring the Dignity Act, but failed to acknowledge her push to further militarize the US/Mexican border and that she has voted 3 times this year with Republicans to pass anti-immigration legislation, all of which will further criminalize undocumented people.
There were also questions about the US Budget, about school shootings, about the threats against Medicare and Social Security. Scholten’s answers were always the same, where she tried to make herself look good, without really making any real changes. The only answers that Scholten could give were for people to speak out, and the best way to do that was to vote.
What Rep. Scholten did was standard for what the Democratic Party has done for decades, which is to blame Republicans, but to not actually fight for people. When are we going to realize that throughout US history, the most effective way to fight for change is through organized, grassroots movements. We need to learn from the abolitionists, the worker-led struggles for economic justice and workplace democracy, the feminist fight for liberation from patriarchy, queer and trans movements, the anti-war/anti-imperialism movements and the movements for environmental and climate justice. Change always comes from the ground up and politicians only do the right thing when people force them to do so.
Palestine Solidarity Information, Analysis, Local Actions and Events for the week of March 30th
It has been almost 18 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. We will also provide information on local events and actions that people can get involved in. All of this information is to provide people with the capacity of what Noam Chomsky refers to as, intellectual self-defense.
Information
“The Target is Unmistakable”: The Shooting of Gaza’s Children
Israel Bombs Gaza’s Only Cancer Hospital as Genocide Continues to Escalate
Death Toll in Gaza Surpasses 50,000 as Israeli Strikes Persist
Reclaiming the Palestinian Narrative
ISRAEL LEVELED GAZA — THEN KILLED THE DRONE JOURNALISTS WHO SHOWED IT TO THE WORLD
Inside Israel’s brutal offensive on Jenin
Rabbis for Justice in Palestine
The Last Chapter of the Genocide
In Gaza, We Now Ask: Will It Be the Cold, Hunger or Airstrikes That Kill Us?
L3Harris: Convert to Peace Work or We Will Shut You Down
Analysis & History
“Striking Hard at Civilians”: A Supremacist Ideology Underlies Israeli Policy
Sanitizing Resumption of Genocide as ‘Pressure on Hamas’
Image used in this post is from https://visualizingpalestine.org/visual/buying-time-for-genocide/
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 