GRIID interview with Indigenous youth organizer on the May 5th Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Rally
Yesterday I had the pleasure of interviewing this amazing Indigenous youth organizer, who spoke with me about the upcoming May 5th Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Rally to be held on the Blue Bridge in downtown Grand Rapids, beginning at 4pm.
The flyer you see here on the right was created by the same young woman who is featured in the interview. Here are the questions I asked her. In this 8 minute interview, I think you will be impressed and inspired by the words this young woman shared.
- Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what the MMIP rally is all about?
- When did you decide that you wanted to be involved in this issue…and why?
- It seems that too often Indigenous issues don’t get the attention that other issues do. Why is it important for the larger community to take action on this issue?
- What do you think are the reasons why some many Indigenous women are are disappearing and how is it related Settler colonialism?
- I understand that you made the flyer for this rally, which will be included in my post, but can you say something about the importance of art in activism?
- What message(s) do you have for the people who will be watching this video?
The growing student-led Palestine solidarity movement is an inspiring thing to see as it unfolds. Along with lots of faculty and staff, college students are showing the rest of us tremendous courage and conviction for their willingness to stand up against US complicity in Israel’s genocide and to the police repression that more and more campuses are experiencing.
Just yesterday, police abused and arrested 40 pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Texas at Austin. After what had happened at Colombia, the students across the country have been mobilizing to engage in their own encampments to not only protest the role that the US government is playing in Israel’s genocide, but in many cases to demand that their university or college divest from the decades-long Israeli occupation and Israeli Apartheid. Students are once again showing the rest of us how to be courageous in the face of US imperialism.
Unfortunately, not everyone is inspired by the courage of college students across the country. West Michigan’s very own Representative Hillary Scholten recently posted on her weekly newsletter the following statement:
“I’m sure many of you have seen the ongoing protests happening on college and university campuses across the country right now. The right to free speech and protest is fundamental, but far too many of these protests have crossed the line into harassment, intimidation, and discriminatory anti-semitism. Colleges and universities do not have enough clear guidance on what does and does not cross the line into antisemitism– which has put Jewish students at risk and at the same time, jeopardizes legitimate free speech. Students have the right to peacefully protest, but antisemitism is never –and never will be– tolerated.
As others rushed to the cameras, I got to work on solutions. This week, my Republican colleague and fellow midwesterner Rep. Rudy Yakym from Indiana and I championed our new bill, the PROTECT Jewish Students and Faculty Act, to require colleges and universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s official working definition of antisemitism in student and faculty codes of conduct as a condition of receiving Title IV federal funds for financial aid. This way, we’re protecting students and faculty and ensuring that institutions of higher education can be safe spaces of learning and free expression for all.”
Rep. Scholten, the so-called liberal, once again is demonstrating her allegiance to US Imperialism, to Zionism and her commitment to the repression of free speech. Notice that the Congresswoman provides no evidence of antisemitism. You just have to invoke it to make it a fact, just like Zionists preach. On top of the unsubstantiated claim of antisemitism, Rep. Scholten takes it one step further by partnering with a Republican from Indiana to introduce legislation that in reality is meant to further silence critics of Israel and US policies that support Israel. However, this might be a good time to point out why Rep. Hillary Scholten is on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of justice.
- US students and faculty are organizing to stand in solidarity with the Palestinians and against the US-funded Israeli genocide that has already killed 35,000 Palestinians.
- Many of the campus protests against the Israeli genocide are being led by Jewish students and faculty.
- US students who are organizing encampments across the country are following in the same tradition as previous movements like the Civil Rights Movement, the anti-Vietnam and anti-Iraq War Movements, the Climate Justice Movement, and the South African anti-Apartheid Movement, just to name a few.
- US students and faculty are exposing the political and economic commitment that Higher Education has to conformity, especially when it comes to US foreign policy and Israel.
- US students and faculty are also exposing how the police state functions in the US, especially when university trustees and university donors are pressuring campuses to actively suppress this movement.
Instead, what Rep. Hillary Scholten is doing is taken right from the Zionist playbook to blame the victim or anybody else, but never Israel. Scholten is 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.
If Rep. Hillary Scholten was on the right side of history, she would recognize a few things about what she is enabling and complicit in:
The McCarthyist Attack on Gaza Protests Threatens Free Thought for All
GAZA WAR, COLLEGE CAMPUSES BECOME FREE SPEECH “TESTING GROUND”
Israel Has Formed a Task Force to Carry Out Covert Campaigns at US Universities
It’s bad enough that Rep. Scholten has consistently voted to send billions of dollars in US military aid to unconditionally support Israel and to participate in an AIPAC funded trip to Israel last year, she now wants to use a right-wing tactic to silence college students across the US for courageously denouncing genocide. Rep. Scholten’s legacy as a member of Congress will be that she defended genocide and the suppression of those who opposed genocide.
Follow the Money: Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce campaign contributions buys political allegiance from both parties in Kent County
It’s no surprise that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce contributes to political candidates, something they have been doing for a very long time.
According to the State of Michigan’s campaign finance records for the most recent quarterly reporting, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee contributed $20,250 to 24 different candidates and political action committees.
The largest recipients in the most recent campaign finance reporting for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce are:
- Kent County Commissioner Stan Stek – $5,000
- Kent County Commissioner Dan Burrill – $5,000
- Posthum Majority Fund – $2,500
- Senate Republican Campaign Committee – $1,000
- MI Forward Fund – $500
- Kent County Commissioner Jennifer Merchant – $500
- House Republican Campaign Committee – $500
- Kent County Commissioner Dave Hildenbrand – $500
- Kent County Commissioner Ben Greene – $500
- Kent County Commissioner Lindsey Thiel – $500
The names on this list are not surprising, considering that they are all Republican, except for the MI Forward Fund, which contributes to both Democrats and Republicans. I say this is not surprising, since the GOP not only loves Capitalism, but hates labor unions.
GR Chamber of Commerce plays both sides of the aisle
However, an equal amount of the rest of the candidates and PACs that received lesser amounts of campaign contributions in the most recent political finance reporting records are Democrats.
- Kent County Commissioner Carol Hennessy – $250 – Democrat
- State Representative Matt Hall – $250 – Republican
- Kent County Commissioner Monica Sparks – $250 – Democrat
- Kent County Commissioner Tony Baker – $250 – Democrat
- Kent County Commissioner Lisa Oliver King – $250 – Democrat
- Kent County Commissioner Michelle McCloud – $250 – Democrat
- VanWoerkom Solutions PAC – $250 – Republican
- State Representative Pat Outman – $250 – Republican
- Victory Values Fund – $250 – Republican
- Kent County Commissioner Melissa LaGrand – $250 – Democrat
- State Representative Luke Meerman – $250 – Republican
- State Representative Bryan Postumus – $250 – Republican
- State Representative Bradley Slagh – $250 – Republican
- State Representative Kristian Grant – $250 – Democrat
So, why would the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce make campaign contributions to Democrats? It could be that Democrats are also committed to the economic system of Capitalism, or it could be that these Democrats represent urban districts, which in Kent County are generally held by Democrats. What is clear is the fact that the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce likes to hedge their bets and fund both sides, since it means they will have access and likely political allegiance from candidates they contribute to.
The bigger question is why would Democrats take money from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce? The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce supports all the so-called Transformational Projects in downtown GR – the Amphitheater, the Soccer Stadium, the proposed Aquarium, etc – all of which rely on lots of public funding and only lines the pockets of the Capitalist Class in this city. The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce got the City of Grand Rapids to adopt ordinances that essentially criminalized the unhoused last year. Plus, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce gives the bulk of their campaign contributions to Republicans, which are the sworn enemy of the Democrats, right?
I think the Democrats should return the campaign contributions from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, and send it with a note saying, “we don’t take money from organizations that oppose raising the minimum wage, deny climate change, always work to undermine organized labor and promotes neoliberal economic policies.”
There is no fair housing in Grand Rapids, because there is no fair judicial system: Housing Justice was the focus of Sunday’s events
On Sunday, April 28th, there were two events in Grand Rapids that centered on Housing Justice. There was a rally organized by the group Nation Outside that was pushing legislation that would not create barriers for the formerly incarcerated to access housing, which was followed by a Michigan Civil Right Commission public hearing on housing discrimination.
What was billed as a rally was more of a Press Conference hosted by Nation Outside, which calls itself the voice of the formerly incarcerated. There were a few politicians that spoke, but the most impactful comments came from two members of Nation Outside, pictured here above. Both spoke about their experience of being discriminated against by landlords and property management companies, despite the fact that they served time. They presented those at the Press Conference with information about HB 4878, which would prohibit landlords from asking people about their criminal history. HB 4878 was introduced last year, but it needs to get passed this year before the Democrats could possibly lose control of the State Legislature.
The second event, which was held at the Community Transformation Center, was organized by the Michigan Civil Right Commission. Their event was a public hearing that allowed people to talk about their experience of being discriminated against while seeking or staying in housing. Unfortunately, this event was sparsely attended, as you can see in the picture here below, with lots of empty seats.
There were a number of people representing housing organizations that spoke to the panel of Michigan Civil Rights Commissioners, groups such as the NAACP, the FAIR Housing Center of West MI, Farmworker Legal Services, Linc Up, Nation Outside and the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union. All of those groups spoke about the work they do around housing justice along with providing concrete examples of the struggles that people have to access fair housing.
However, the most powerful testimony came from people who are currently being discriminated against around housing, along with some powerful analysis of why there is limited or little housing justice in the Grand Rapids area.
There was a man who lives in a mobil park home with his elderly mother who stated that they were facing eviction from the mobil home park. The company that bought the mobil home park in recent years had jacked up the cost of renting space in the mobil home park. Another man who took a bus from Flint, Michigan to speak at the hearing, talked about how he has experienced numerous types of discrimination, but the housing discrimination has been the worst, because he has a criminal background and because he is a Black man.
Then there was testimony from an older African American woman who had stayed in one of Degage’s shelter’s and how difficult it was for her with a fixed income to access housing. She said she has been in a fight for the past 2 years just to be able to stay in the place she now lives. There was also a woman who was hearing impaired who communicated how she could not get her landlord to provide basic services to make it easier to communicate with the landlord or receive messages from anyone who wanted to visit or companies that wanted to make a delivery to her apartment.
There were several other area residents who spoke about the fact that the cost of rent in this city is unattainable for most people. Class and income discrimination were the most dominant theme regarding housing discrimination.
Another African American woman began her comments by asking the Michigan Civil Rights Commissioners, “what have they done lately,” referring to whether or not the commission has actually changed policies that would benefit the most vulnerable in this city and across Michigan.
Maybe the most powerful testimony came from an African America man who was born and raised in Grand Rapids. He said, “There is no fair housing in GR, because there is no fair judicial system.” He was kicked out of where he was living and then took the case to court, but the courts dismissed the case, partly because he believed that the landlord at a friendly relationship with the judge who presided over his case.
A coupe of final observations were that not one single politician bothered to come to the public hearing to listen to people talk about being discriminated against, about not being able to afford rental costs, along with the constant threat of eviction. There was one staff person representing State Rep. Glandville, but refusal to make the public hearing a priority speaks volume about what politicians value, which is not really listening to the struggles of people who are constantly housing insecure. There was also no representation from groups like Housing Next, the GR Chamber of Commerce created group, which is the current media darling. Their absence is instructive, since it demonstrates their commitment to a market-driven housing system as opposed to housing justice.
As we have been documenting in recent years, the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association, the GRPD union, doesn’t shy away from making campaign contributions to candidates that take a very strong pro-police stance.
In 2020, I posted an article looking at how many different local politicians had received funding from the GRPD union up until that point, with campaign contributions ranging from $200 – $5,000.
However, beginning in 2022, the amount of funding that the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association was providing to candidates increased. The increase was no doubt a direct response to the increasing calls to defund the GRPD and hold them more accountable. In the 2022 election cycle, the GRPD union made $10,000 contributions to Drew Robbins, who was running for a seat in the 1st Ward. Robbins won that election because of the campaign contributions from the GRPD union and contributions from members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
So far in the 2024 election cycle, the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association has made significant contributions to three candidates, according to State Campaign Finance records:
- $15,000 – Michael Maycroft for Sheriff in Ottawa County
- $12,500 – Dean Pacific for 1st Ward Grand Rapids City Commission
- $12,500 – John Krajewski for 3rd Ward Grand Rapids City Commission
These amounts are the largest for local candidates in the history of the Grand Rapids police union. If you are wondering why they did not contribute money to 2nd Ward candidates, it is partly because Mindy Ysasi is running uncontested and because Ysasi considered voting to reduce funding for the GRPD in 2020, even though she has approved the ever growing GRPD budget in each of the years she has served as the 2nd Ward City Commissioner.
For those who don’t support the GRPD and their continued repression against BIPOC people, immigrants, the poor and political dissidents, you might want to avoid voting for these candidates in 2024.
Palestine Solidarity Information, Analysis, Local Actions and Events for the week of April 28th
It has been more than 6 months since the Israeli government began their most recent assault on Gaza and the West Bank. The retaliation for the October 7 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
Solidarity from Global North requires understanding
The McCarthyist Attack on Gaza Protests Threatens Free Thought for All
Leaked USAID Document Concludes Israel Impeded Gaza Aid
UN Rights Chief Demands International Probe of Mass Graves Near Gaza Hospitals
“Deadliest days” in the West Bank
Manipulation Politics: Israeli Gaslighting in the United States
“TELL THE WORLD WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE,” SAY PATIENTS IN GAZA
Analysis & History
BIDEN’S INDIFFERENCE TO PALESTINIAN LIVES IS SENDING THE MIDDLE EAST INTO THE ABYSS
Manufacturing Famine: Israel is Committing the War Crime of Starvation in the Gaza Strip
Local Events and Actions
Power the Palestine: Weekly Protest in Grand Rapids
Wednesday, May 1 from 6 – 7pm, Monument Park
Graphic used in this post is from https://visualizingpalestine.org/#visuals
On Tuesday, Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow voted to spend $95 billion of US taxpayers money to fund war and militarism, providing funding to Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.
It is disconcerting that both Democratic Senators from Michigan voted for more bloodshed, particularly regarding the money being allocated to Israel. Israel has killed roughly 34,000 Palestinians since early October of 2023, with 14,500 of that total being Palestinian children. Both Peters and Stabenow released statements on why they voted for the $95 billion to go towards militarism, war and genocide.
Here is what Senator Peters statement says:
“This legislation is vital, not only to U.S. national security, but to democracy and the future of the free world. As we speak, the people of Ukraine are fighting for their lives with dwindling supplies against Putin’s relentless, brutal war on their country. Israel is facing attacks from Iran and its proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah who seek to destroy it. Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party continues its aggression toward Taiwan, one of our key economic allies. This is a critical moment that history will remember, and I voted to stand with our allies.”
It is interesting that Senator Peters uses words like democracy, and free world. All buzz words, which Peters never clarifies or substantiates. Also, how is the funding war and genocide provide security to the US?
Senator Stabenow’s statement isn’t much different:
“Today’s vote sends a message at a critical time in our history about America’s standing in the world – that we are still a beacon of democracy for nations everywhere, that our country remains grounded in our American values of freedom, that our allies can continue to count on our leadership, and that our enemies know our resolve. Although the path to final passage was painstaking, today’s vote is a victory for our national security and democracy across the globe.”
Both Michigan Senators use the same bullshit buzz words, words that are directed at voters here in Michigan. People here still believe that the US is still a beacon of democracy for nations everywhere. However, if you ask people in the Global South they all have a different take on what the US means to them. For people in Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, East Timor, the Congo, Sudan, the Philippines, and many other countries, the US is an imperialist nation that backs dictators and corrupt government, that is the largest weapons trafficker on the planet, that destroys local economies and extracts oil and precious minerals. Check out how many times the US has militarily invaded another country since 1890, as documented by Professor Zoltan Grossman.
I do agree with one phrase that Senator Peters and Senator Stabenow used in their statements, that we are in a “critical moment that history.” We are in a critical moment in history, where the US is providing weapons, billions in other forms of military aid, place diplomatic cover to Israel so they can brutalize a civilian population in Palestine, in what the international community identifies as genocide. This will be the legacy of both Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow, since they have both voted to provide billions in US military aid and weapons to Israel as it prosecutes a genocidal occupation of Palestine. Shame on the both of them!
Rep. Kristian Grant wants to make it easier for developers, but says nothing about tenants in her interview on WOODTV8
One of the most pressing issues facing thousands of people in the Greater Grand Rapids area is housing. Rep. Kristian Grant is the Chair of the Housing subcommittee and she was recently interviewed by Rick Albin for his show on WOODTV8, To the Point.
In many ways the interview with Rep. Grant was rushed and Rick Albin talked entirely too much. The first issue they talked about was housing, but instead of talking about the current crisis in housing, Rep. Grant chose to frame the issue as a shortage of housing.
A couple of other key points that were discussed by Rep. Grant were:
- The need to cut the red tape around new housing and zoning
- Planning Commissions should have people who have experience with housing
- Relax regulations to benefit builders, developers and non-profits
In other words, the perspective that Rep. Grant chose to focus on was the perspective of those who build houses, particularly developers. Rep. Grant suggested if there was less red tape there would be fewer costs to developers and that cost would then not be added to the cost of housing.
What I found somewhat astounding is that this narrative is rather marginal in the larger scheme of things. What Rep. Grant did not talk about were things like:
- How families are being priced out of the housing market, because housing is a commodity and not a human right.
- How being are being displaced because of the market driven housing market or because of gentrification.
- The cost of rent has also skyrocketed, making it impossible for many people to be able to afford even the average rent.
- How the issue is not so much affordability, but the fact that the cost of housing has drastically increased while the income of most people has been fairly stagnant.
There is a statewide movement in Michigan that is being lead by tenants. Tenants are organizing and creating tenant unions to challenge the power of developers, landlords, property management companies and Rental Property Owners Associations. Two weeks ago, there was the first ever Tenant Assembly held in Grand Rapids, an event hosted by the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union and the Community Owned Safety Coalition.
This statewide tenant movement is organizing under the slogan, The Rent is Too Damn High. This coalition of renters from across the state has a very robust list of demands, which are listed below.
Rent Control – Remove the state-wide ban on rent control so municipalities can take action to stabilize rents and protect tenants. Rent control is any policy that directly regulates or limits landlords’ ability to raise rents on an annual basis. For instance, a city may limit increases to a certain percentage, or according to some other formula. Rent control provides tenants with the security of knowing they won’t be priced out due to arbitrary and excessive increases in rent. These types of local policies were banned by the state legislature in 1988. We support a repeal of this ban on rent control.
Social Housing – $4 billion for social housing in FY25 state budget. “Social housing is a public option for housing that is permanently affordable, protected from the private market, and publicly owned by the government or under democratic community control by non-profit and cooperative entities. Around the world, robust social housing programs have ended affordable housing shortages; expanded democratic accountability and equitable housing access; and raised populations out of poverty and into prosperity.” Social housing is built to house people well, rather than deliver a profit to developers & managers. States and municipalities in the US are initiating social housing programs anchored by a new generation of public-sector housing development agencies. We support a $4 billion state infusion into social housing, to be administered regionally by public developers. This amount could directly support approximately 40-50,000 new social housing units, which would make significant progress towards the state-established goal of building 75,000 total new homes over the next 5 years.
Housing First – $1 billion for people experiencing and at risk of homelessness in FY25 state budget. Housing First is a successful and evidence-based approach to reducing homelessness that focuses on providing housing to people, rather than criminalizing or pathologizing them. We support a $1 billion state infusion into programs of direct service, rapid rehousing, and permanent supportive housing, with a housing first lens. These funds should be distributed and administered regionally.
A Renter’s Bill of Rights – Renters around the country are insisting on more protections against landlord abuse and empowerment of renters as a class. Michigan renters need these rights and protections as much as any. A Renters Bill of Rights may include fair chance housing for returning citizens, tenants’ right to organize and have counsel, relocation assistance in case of red tagging, increased safety inspection standards, legal protection against discrimination based on housing status, just cause eviction, renter agency for repairs, a ban on hidden rental fees, and other such policies.
These are the issues that politicians like Rep. Grant need to be talking about. However, we know that most politicians would prefer to avoid these types of discussions and demands coming from renters working in coalition with The Rent is Too Damn High. The only way that politicians will talk about these issues and take action is if we pressure them to do so.
Rep. Kristian Grant is having a “community conversation” this coming Monday, April 29th from 9 – 10am at the Last Mile Cafe. Details are in the image here below. If you want to see housing be de-commodified and embraced as a human right, then this is an excellent opportunity to engage Rep. Grant. You could also ask her about the rental properties that she owns and why she takes money from the Realtor industry and the Rental Property Owners Association.
Look at how Grand Rapids is prioritizing public money: More cops and entertainment venues
Within the past 48 hours, the City of Grand Rapids has announced how they are going to use public tax dollars, both in the proposed 2025 City budget and the massive subsidies and tax breaks for developers involved in the Amphitheater and Soccer Stadium projects.
The Grand Rapids City Commission introduced the proposed 2025 City budget during the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday. You can access a draft of the 2025 City budget at this link. The proposed 2025 budget for the City of Grand Rapids is 532 pages long and it is not an easy document to read. This of course is intentional on the part of the City, both to make it so long and to make it difficult to understand.
The local news coverage of the proposed 2025 City budget provides a summary, but still leaves gaps. For instance, the article that appeared on MLive, uses the headline, More firefighters, 911 dispatchers included in Grand Rapids’ proposed $690M spending plan. Interestingly enough, the headline does not reflect issues like policing, development projects or the current housing crisis.
The MLive article does provide some numbers around policing, despite its absence from the headline. The MLive reporter writes:
As for public safety, the spending plan maintains the police department’s budgeted staffing at 304 sworn officers, with the department receiving about $64.8 million from the general fund. That’s an increase of about 3.3% from the approved $62.7 million general fund allocation in the current fiscal year.
To see more details of the 2025 proposed budget for the GRPD go to page 441, which you can access here. The screenshot above shows the dollar amount going to the GRPD and the expected amounts through 2029, which on average is about a $3 million increase every year. Based on these numbers, the MLive article only includes the money from the general fund and not the money from other sources that will end up in the hands of the GRPD.
As someone who comes from an abolitionist perspective, I would argue that the GRPD fundamentally don’t keep people safe, nor do they prevent crime. In the bulk of cases, the GRPD shows up after the fact, whether we are talking about violence crime, theft or other petty offenses. Despite this reality, the GRPD has convinced Grand Rapids City officials that the millions going to their department is necessary.
Bread and Circuses
The other example of how the City of Grand Rapids is spending public money has to do with the so-called transformational projects – the Amphitheater, the soccer stadium and what MLive is calling the “two housing towers” that will be adjacent to the Amphitheater and soccer stadium.
The MLive article states, “The vast majority of the $318 million subsidy comes from the Transformational Brownfield program.” The article goes on to say, “In addition to the Transformational Brownfield program, the projects are also seeking a $30.8 million tax cut through the city’s Neighborhood Enterprise Zone exemption.”
So, a $318 million subsidy for entertainment projects. Imagine if $318 million was spent on social housing, on public education or health care for those most in need? To address the housing crisis, imagine if $318 million were spent on new housing, say at $250,000 each. For $318 million 1272 houses could be built. If we are talking about renters, with say an average $1500 a month for rent, 17,666 people could have their rent covered for an entire year, all for the cost of providing subsidies to entertainment venues.
Once again, the City of Grand Rapids is demonstrating what they are prioritizing. Entertainment venues have a priority over the current housing crisis or addressing the fact that there are thousands of families in this city who are subjected to poverty. In many ways the police funding and the subsidies for the transformational projects make complete sense. Those who run this city want to entertain (pacify) us, plus they then get to use the cops to police the unhoused, BIPOC people and dissidents who would dare to question or resist the use of public money for private gain.
If you object to this funding there is a public hearing on the budget during the city commission’s 7 p.m. May 14 meeting. People can also submit comments in writing to cityclerk@grcity.us. Or people could skip this process – which is generally useless, since GR City officials have already made up their minds – and organize people to actively resist the use of public money for private gain.
In today’s edition of West Michigan Far Right Watch, I want to share with you information about a group known as Forest Hills for JUST Education.
Don’t let the name fool you, because Forest Hills for JUST Education is a Political Action Committee (PAC), which embraces far right principles, specifically as it relates to Forest Hills Public School District. Forest Hills for JUST Education was formed in 2021 as a direct response to the COVID crisis and how it impacted public education.
Some of the people involved with Forest Hills for JUST Education were part of the effort to target the Kent County Health Department in 2021, which was timed with a far right conference held in Grand Rapids and a Press Conference held by the group Moms for America.
Forest Hills for JUST Education has a website that is worth looking at, which includes information on some of their organizing work, along with their core principles. Not surprising some of their core values are opposition to Critical Race Theory and DEI practices, along with support for parental choice to oppose student masking and support for censorship of educational material that their ideology deems inappropriate.
Campaign Financing for Far Right Candidates
The primary work of Forest Hills for JUST Education of course has been to raise money to support candidates for school board, candidates that they have vetted so as to embrace their organization values.
If you look at the Kent County Clerk’s election page, specifically around campaign financing, you can see that beginning in 2021 they filed asa Political Action Committee. You can also see that they raised over $28,000 for candidates during the 2022 Election cycle. If you look at the 10/26 campaign finance filing for the group, you will see that a Trinity Health Medical Group physician named Vinayak Manohar contributed the bulk of the money they raised, by contributing $20,248.01.
A great deal of the money the group raised in 2022 went to support four candidates – Cribbs, DeBoer, Lee and Donovan, but only DeBoer won a seat on the Board of Education in 2022. Forest Hills for JUST Education is continuing to raise money for the upcoming 2024 Election cycle and will be backing Robert Cribbs, who ran in 2022 as well.
The treasurer for Forest Hills for JUST Education is Thomas R. Nemcek. Interestingly enough, Nemcek is also listed as the treasurer for the GOP’s Kent County Executive Committee. This connection seems to make it more likely that the Forest Hills for JUST Education is not a rogue group within the local GOP, but integral to their mission.
Far Right Fundraising
Lastly, it is worth noting that the group Forest Hills for JUST Education is hosting a fundraising event this Saturday, April 27th, at Notos in Cascade. According to the group’s Facebook page, the fundraising event will feature 3 speakers, all of which were accused of being part of the plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer. The Facebook event description says:
You are invited to hear the shocking firsthand account of 3 men wrongfully accused in the Whitmer kidnapping hoax of 2020. Learn about what concerned parents of school children and these 3 men have in common. And be a part of the solution!
It is rather instructive to see that the group Forest Hills for JUST Education is hosting a fundraiser featuring Michael Null, William Null and Eric Molitor. Now, to be clear, all 3 of these men were cleared in the charges of attempted kidnapping of Gov. Whitmer, but the the Null brothers were part of the far right protests at the Lansing State Capitol in 2020, one of them was at the American Patriot Council anti-lockdown protest in Grand Rapids in May of 2020, plus they were at the protests to defend the racist Civil War statue in Allendale that took place in the summer and fall of 2020.
The fact that the group Forest Hills for JUST Education are hosting Michael Null, William Null and Eric Molitor should make it clear that they embrace the the far right ideology of armed insurgency to defend White Supremacy, which challenges government policies that they don’t agree with. GRIID will be following this group leading up to the 2024 Election to see what other activities they are involved in, who is contributing to their Political Action Committee and which candidates they are backing.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 