Eight years ago, GRIID reported on an MLive story, which announced that MDOT would be contributing nearly half a million dollars for road improvements because of two expanding companies in Kent and Ottawa county.
One of those companies that benefited from MDOT’s road improvements was Pasan North America, which is located at 3195 Wilson Dr NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49534.
According to their website, Plasan North America, “is a Tier One supplier to defense contractors and a leader in composite material technology in the design and development of a variety of military ground vehicles.”
However, Plasan North America is not just any military contractor, they are an Israeli-owned military contractor with facilities in the US, France and Israel. Plasan not only makes weapons, but provides “security resources and solutions” that focus on Border Protection, Special Forces Operations, Intelligence Missions, Disaster Management, and Convoy & VIP Protection. Here is a sample of “services” they offer with the products, which is taken from their own promotional material. Plasan is part of the robust Israeli Military Industrial Complex, which is the subject of a book by journalist Antony Loewenstein, entitled, The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World.
Plasan has a facility just northwest of Walker, Michigan, near the Humane Society of West Michigan. According to Plasan North America, this location is listed at the bottom of the their website. Speaking of that website, checkout the video that plays on the main page, along with the types of military vehicles they make components for, military vehicles that are being used in the current Israeli assault on Gaza.
Now, the only reason that Plasan North America has a facility in the Grand Rapids area is because they were recruited by The Right Place Inc. in 2015. This fits within the larger role of The Right Place, which is to attract businesses to West Michigan, but it is also a reflection of the business agency’s growing relationship with the State of Israel.
This relationship between The Right Place and Israel is directly through the Michigan Israel Business Bridge (MIBB), a Bloomfield Hills-based entity which promotes business relationships between Michigan and Israeli businesses, including the promotion of Israeli products. Brad Comment, Senior Vice President of Investor Relations at the Right Place Inc. sits on the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator Board of Directors, along with another Grand Rapids business person, James Meeks with Rapids Venture.
It seems to me that Plasan North America, The Right Place Inc. and the Michigan Israel Business Accelerator are all entities that we need to know about and potentially organize campaigns against for their role in supporting the current Israeli assault on Gaza and the decades long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
Instead of celebrating those with power and influence, we need to challenge their power and influence: Another list of mostly rich white people
In the past GRIID has critiqued the 200 most powerful business leaders in West Michigan, with an initial article in 2021, entitled, Power Over or Power With: A Power Analysis of the top 200 most powerful business leaders in West Michigan, according to the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
Last year, GRIID once again provided some analysis of the claim from the Grand Rapids Business Journal with our article entitled, The 200 Most Powerful Business Leaders of 2022: Celebrating those who are responsible for making sure that Structural Racism and Economic disparities are normalized.
With Crain’s Detroit taking over the Grand Rapids Business Journal and MiBiz, Crain’s Grand Rapids Business has continued the top 200 tradition, calling this year’s 200, The 200 Most Influential Leaders. The brief text that introduces the top 200 for 2023, reads in part:
Consider the Grand Rapids 200 our “who’s who” of power brokers across the West Michigan region, whether in manufacturing, banking, philanthropy, economic development or a host of other key industries. It’s important to note that the people profiled in the Grand Rapids 200 did not ask to be included. Rather, this is our editorial team naming the 200 most influential business leaders in West Michigan. We based the selections purely on our news judgment.
It seems clear to me that what Crain’s Grand Rapids Business means by influential are those who act as power brokers, an assessment I would not argue with. The only difference is that while Crain’s Grand Rapids Business sees these people as vitally important to their world, I view them as an impediment to real equity and liberation. Consider this, that most of the people listed in the 200 most influential are people who make between 6 and 10 figure salaries. Most of the people on this year’s list do not do anything to disrupt the systems of power and oppression that exist in West Michigan, in fact, most of them seek to maintain the systems of power and oppression, and many of them profit from the oppression and exploitation.
What follows is very limited analysis of each of the categories and the people they include. However, if one reads the GRIID blog enough, one can see that there is substantial analysis of each of these sectors on a regular basis.
Always Follow the Money: Who in Michigan is taking campaign contributions from the cops?
Over the next week or so, GRIID will be posting articles about campaign financing, since the most recent deadline for filing was October 25. Most of the campaign contributions are for the 2024 Elections, but it is never too early to think about which organizations and which members of the Capitalist Class are seeking to influence both the outcome of the 2024 Elections and public policy that will be proposed by those elected.
For several years now, GRIID has been tracking campaign contributions from various police unions and their political action committees (PACs). The focus has mostly been on campaign contributions from the Grand Rapids Police Officers Association, which has been making substantial contributions to local candidates. For example, in 2022, Drew Robbins, who ran as a 1st Ward candidate for City Commission in Grand Rapids, received $10,000.00 from the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association, money that helped him to defeat the incumbent.
In looking at data for the most recent campaign finance filings, the Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association PAC did not make any contributions as of October 25, but they have raised tens of thousands of dollars from 1,292 individual contributions. The Grand Rapids Police Officer’s Association PAC will likely makes campaign contributions to candidates during the 2024 Elections and we will continue to update you on which candidates the GRPD cop union is backing.
There are other notable police unions in Michigan that have contributed to political parties in Michigan, along with individual candidates. The Michigan State Troopers Political Action Committee is one of them. According to data from the Michigan Secretary of State’s campaign finance page, the MI State Troopers PAC has contributed roughly $35,000.00 to candidates and partisan groups. Here is a list of some of the larger contributions:
- MI Senate Democratic Fund $2,500
- MI House Democratic Fund $2,500
- Joe Tate Leadership PAC (D) $2,500
- Kevin Hertel for State Senate (D) $2,000
- House Republican Campaign Committee $1,500
- Jason Morgan for State Rep. (D) $1,500
- Kelly Breen (D) $1,000
- Brinks for Michigan (D) $1,000
- Whitmer Leadership Fund (D) $1,000
- Matt Hall (R) $1,000
- Sarah Lightner (R) $1,000
- Singh for MI (D) $1,000
- Vanderwall Majority Fund (R) $1,000
- Friends of Will Snyder (D) $1,000
- Nesbitt Majority Fund (R) $1,000
- McCann for Michigan (D) $1,000
Candidates/PACs based in West Michigan that have received campaign contributions from the MI State Troopers PAC are:
- Senator Winnie Brinks $1,000
- Nesbitt Majority Fund $1,000
- Senator Mark Huizenga $500
- Roger Victory for State Senate $500
- Rep. John Fitzgerald $500
- PHILPAC (Rep. Skaggs) $500
Police Departments have come under increased scrutiny in recent years, in part because of the high profile cases of cops killing Black people like Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Patrick Lyoya. With the increased number of police murders of BIPOC people, there are more people confronting politicians who are accepting money from police unions. BIPOC-led movements are calling on all people who are able to vote, to consider not supporting candidates who take money from police unions. Candidates who take money from police unions is an indication that they fundamentally support the function that cops play in enforcing state violence, which disproportionately impacts BIPOC communities and their safety.
Movimiento Cosecha occupies Senator Brinks’ office in Lansing: The frightening realities for oppressed people to be told to wait
Editors note: I acted as the police liaison during the Movimiento Cosecha action yesterday, which provided me with a first hand account of what happened.
Yesterday, members of Movimiento Cosecha occupied the offices of Senator Winnie Brinks to demand drivers licenses, something that was promised to them for the past several years.
However, before we talk about the office occupation, it is worth noting that last week Monday, members of Movimiento Cosecha attended a coffee & conversation meeting hosted by Rep. Glanville and Senator Winnie Brinks. Cosecha members asked why the Democrats, who have held the majority control of both of the House and the Senate since January 1st, have not adopted the Drive Safe bills, which would allow undocumented immigrants that right to once again obtain a drivers license in Michigan.
Senator Brinks said two things. First, she said that the did not have the votes to pass such legislation. To be clear, what Brinks actually meant is that there were not enough Democrats who were supporting the Drive Safe bills. Again, the Democrats control the House and the Senate in Michigan, so the only reason they have not passed the Drive Safe bills is because not all Democrats in the House support drivers licenses for the undocumented community.
The other thing that Senator Brinks told members of Cosecha was, “to trust the process.” Brinks said they were working on trying to convince Democratic members of the House who had not yet come out in support of the Drive Safe bills. Trust the process? The Democrats have had 10 months of complete control of the Michigan Legislature, and while they have adopted some progressive legislation, they have failed to adopt the Drive Safe bills.
The Democrats promised the undocumented community that they would pass this legislation, yet they have not. Not only have they not passed the Drive Safe bills, they are now in a precarious position, which members of Movimiento Cosecha recently found out about. There are two Democratic members of the Michigan House who are running for Mayoral seats in their respective communities on November 7. If they win those seats, then they will vacate their position in the Michigan House, which will mean that the Democrats will not control the House.
In addition to this predicament, the word that Movimiento Cosecha members have heard, along with those involved in the Rent is Too Damn High Coalition, is that after November 7, the Michigan Legislature is not likely to pass any more bills for 2023. This means that the Democrats might not have the majority in the Michigan House after the New Year, plus the fact that 2024 is an election year. We all know that during an election year, candidates, specifically incumbents, are less likely to take a stance on potentially more controversial issues like drivers licenses for the undocumented community. What this would mean is that drivers licenses for the undocumented community will probably not be adopted in 2024, which means that those who have been fighting for this issue since 2017, will have to wait until 2025, and that might not even be an option, since the Democrats could lose control of the House in 2024.
Occupying Senator Brinks’ office
Now that we have some context for what took place yesterday at the Lansing State Capitol, it is worth noting that members of Movimiento Cosecha occupied Senator Brinks’ office as a last resort to force the Senate Majority Leader to put the Drive Safe bills to a vote.
In the photo above, you can see the 5 people standing in Senator Brinks’ office, with their shirts demanding drivers licenses. What you can’t see is that they were also wearing masks that had pass the bills written on them. There were a few of us doing crowd safety in the office, to make sure that no harm would come to the 5 who were occupying the space.
There were 6 to 8 members of the State Capitol security personnel that were also in the office with the Cosecha activists, so I was the person tasked to communicate with them throughout the action. Initially they were telling the Cosecha activists that they could not be in that space or they would get arrested. The Capitol building security then came back and said that the Cosecha activists could stay in the office until 5pm, but after that if they didn’t leave they would be arrested or they would be given a ticket to appear before a judge at a future date. In order to just get a ticket, the Cosecha activists would have to provide ID to the Capitol building security, which ironically they could not, since they did not have drivers licenses.
At the same time that this was all happening, there were at least three staffers from Senator Brinks’ office who were unhappy with the activists making noise and disrupting their ability to do their work. I found this claim interesting, since I noticed in the main office space there were at least two posters with the image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At that moment I thought to myself, that what the Cosecha activists were doing is likely the same thing that Dr. King would have done, which was to disrupt business as usual.
“We do not need allies more devoted to order than to justice,” Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in the spring of 1964, refusing calls from moderate Black and White leaders to condemn a planned highway “stall-in” to highlight systemic racism in New York City. “I hear a lot of talk these days about our direct action talk alienating former friends,” he added. “I would rather feel they are bringing to the surface latent prejudices that are already there. If our direct action programs alienate our friends … they never were really our friends.”
A year earlier, while Dr. King sat in a Birmingham jail, he wrote these words to white Clergy who criticized his use of Civil Disobedience, stating in part:
I must confess that over the last few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro’s great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizens Councillor or the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says, “I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I can’t agree with your methods of direct action”; who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom; who lives by the myth of time; and who constantly advises the Negro to wait until a “more convenient season.” Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.
After occupying Senator Brinks’ office for more than an hour, we began to notice that all of the staff members had left, leaving only the Cosecha activists and the Capitol building security personnel. Those who were in the role of Action Logic – making the quick decisions as actions unfold – talked with those who were occupying the office and together they decided that end the office occupation since disrupting business as usual had occurred, and because the risk to those in the undocumented community were potentially too great.
After about 90 minutes, the Cosecha activists who had been occupying Senator Brinks’ office left, a moment that was captured on video, with Movimiento Cosecha members talking about what had happened in Spanish and in English. Here is a link to that video. La Lucha Sigue y Sigue!!!!
Resisting US Complicity in Israel’s assault on Gaza and building a movement of Solidarity with the Palestinian people
On Monday, Electronic Intifada posted a story about the death toll of Palestinians since October 7:
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said on Sunday that more than 8,000 Palestinians in the territory had been killed since 7 October, including more than 3,300 children. The actual death toll is likely much higher as many people remain under the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli strikes.
What is currently happening in Gaza and the other Israeli occupied territories needs to be resisted. These are war crimes, and since the US government is fully endorsing the Israeli assault on Gaza and provides more military aid to Israel than any other country, it means that we are either complicit in the brutalizing of Palestinians or we can chose to be part of the resistance to US Policy.
Resisting with tactics and strategy
The question in anti-war movements, or in this case anti-Imperialist/anti-colonial movements is what does it mean to resist?
Too often people either feel the need to or are encouraged by others to simply communicate how one feels with Elected officials. While this can be a cathartic and instructive exercise, when it comes to US relations with Israel, it is almost unanimously in support of Israel. This is in large part because of the vast amounts of money from Pro-Israeli groups going to candidates at the federal level. According to OpenSecrets.org, since 1990, pro-Israel groups have contributed $227,209,019.00, with more than half of that money going to Democrats.
A more effective strategy is marches and rallies. Marches and rallies can often assist in energizing movements, letting you know that you are not alone in how you feel about US complicity in Israeli war crimes. Marches and rallies can also be ways for people to stay connect toad informed by movements.
However, marches and rallies should not repeat themselves or become predictable, which often can lead to making it easy for state repression. Ultimately marches/rallies need to disrupt business as usual and need to escalate. While Palestinians are being brutally assaulted and killed by the Israeli military (often by weapons provided by the US), we need to be bold, which means that marches should always be public, in the street or in places where we can impact public opinion.
We also need to be creative about marches, like going to malls, to bus stations, the Downtown Market, during other public events, anything that can disrupt and confront the public with how the US government, using our tax dollars are being used to kill Palestinian civilians and children.
Confronting Elected Officials
Once we realize that all the letters in the world will not change where elected officials stand on issues like the Israeli assault on Gaza, we then need to think about other ways to confront those who either initiate policy or give their consent to policies like funding the Israeli military.
We need to confront elected officials in their offices, during town hall meetings, when they are out and about in the district. Sit-ins can be an important escalating tactic, which can also move others to be willing to risk arrest and depending on numbers can create problems for the system. Of course, we always need jail support, legal support, people to post bond, etc, all of which is necessary, and all of which is important for people to participate in, since it exposes how the so-called justice system functions.
Confronting elected officials can also be creative, like making wanted posters, doing street theater, creating digital depictions of Congressional complicity in war crimes and the murder of civilians. There can be die-ins, visiting the homes of elected officials, and threatening to never vote for them again as long as they support war crimes and murder. In fact, anti-war, anti-imperialist/anti-colonialist movements need to leverage these tactics, especially when it comes to elected officials. This could involve getting as many grassroots groups, unions and religious institutions to demand a ceasefire now.
Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions
I have been seeing lots of people posting lists of products that we can boycott, which can be useful. However, boycotts are only effective if they are targeted campaigns. This is why the BDS Campaign is so important, because they have been targeting specific corporations, banks and other financial institutions.
People should check out the Palestinian-led BDS Campaign, which has great information on companies to target, but also lots of strategies that are effective in the effort to pressure companies or other entities to divest funds from the Israeli occupation/Israeli Apartheid policies.
For instance, if you are a member of a union you can investigate where the union has investments and then potentially divest. If you work at a university, the same thing can happen, along with other civic entities that can pressure boycotts and divestment.
There was an effort to get the City of Grand Rapids to Divest from companies profiting off of Israeli Apartheid policies back in late 2015, but the effort to divest lost momentum because of the 2016 election cycle and the eventual election of Donald Trump.
Confronting the Military Industrial Complex in West Michigan
Another strategy would be to expose and resist weapons manufacturers in West Michigan. This would require some research and investigation, but there are definitely weapons manufacturers in the area, even if they are just making components for weapons systems.
Then there are business associations and businesses in West Michigan that are either Israeli or are recruiting Israeli weapons companies. For instance, in 2015, GRIID wrote about the role that the Right Place Inc. played in using public tax dollars to recruit an Israeli military contractor to West Michigan.
Plasan North America, which has a factory in Walker, Michigan. Is a subsidiary of Plasan Sasa Ltd., which is an Israeli corporation. Thus we have military assault vehicles being manufactured right here in West Michigan, vehicles that are integral to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land.
End US Military Aid to Israel, fund our communities community
We should be demanding an end to US Military Aid to Israel, which currently is $3.8 Billion a year. According to the fabulous tool that the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights has created, which allows you to type in your city or state, which provides an amount of the $3.8 billion annually in US military aid to Israel that could stay in your community. On top of that, this tool provides an example of how the money that leaves Michigan or Grand Rapids on an annual basis, how that money could be used in our communities.
Currently, $2,815,720.00 of the $3.8 billion in US military aid to Israel could stay in our community. That is almost 1 million more than is currently being used for the Grand Rapids Participatory Budgeting project ($2 million). Again, this tool provides a breakdown of how $2,815,720.00 could be used in Grand Rapids:
- 334 Households with public housing for a year.
- 979 children could receive free or low-cost healthcare.
- It would cover the salary for 30 elementary school teachers.
- 8,016 households could be powered with solar electricity for a year.
- 74 students could have their loan debt cancelled.
- 2,448,452 N95 respirators masks could be provided for the community.
We can not only make sure that we are not funding Israeli War Crimes in Gaza, we can demand that the money stay in our communities to support real needs here in Grand Rapids.
These are just some of the ways that we can strategically target systems of power and oppression in West Michigan, systems that are directly involved in and/or complicit in the current Israeli assault on Gaza and the larger Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. We need to build this movement!!!
Independent news and analysis on Israeli oppression, US complicity and the Palestinian liberation struggle
A large part information battle is the fact that US commercial news media tends to adopt and repeat back the US Government’s position on Israel and Palestine.
The national media watchdog group, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), has been documenting this dynamic since they were founded in the early 1980s. For example, last week FAIR posted an article entitled, In Hours of Israel/Gaza Crisis Coverage, a Word You’ll Seldom Hear: ‘Ceasefire’, which documented how little the word ceasefire has been used in the major commercial news sources in the US.
In August, FAIR also published an excellent article that can work as a guide for US news consumers, entitled, Six Tropes to Look Out for That Distort Israel/Palestine Coverage. I highly recommend using this as a guide when consuming US commercial news.
In 2016, the Media Education Foundation produced a powerful documentary, The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States. This documentary, which you can watch online, also provides a detailed analysis of how US commercial media is deeply influenced by Israeli PR, adopting the language and talking points that the Israeli government presents.
Independent News & Analysis
When it comes to independent sources of information, there are numerous. One of the best regular sources of news and analysis is the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Another excellent resource is Electronic Intifada, which was founded by the Palestinian-American journalist, Ali Abunimah.
A few other daily independent news sources are:
- Palestine Chronicle https://www.palestinechronicle.com/
- The Intercept https://theintercept.com/
- CounterPunch https://www.counterpunch.org/
- Truthout https://truthout.org/
- The Jacobin https://jacobin.com/
- Dissident Voice https://dissidentvoice.org/
- Common Dreams https://www.commondreams.org/
- Democracy Now! https://www.democracynow.org/
- Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting www.fair.org
Then there is the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. This site has great information on US Military Aid to Israel, a Palestine 101 section, and a Grassroots Advocacy Toolkit.
Another excellent resource is the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions page https://bdsmovement.net/. I see lots of lists of products to boycott as it relates to Israel, but the BDS campaign has very focused boycott campaigns that move us from individual choices to collective action.
There are also really good human rights monitoring groups, like:
- Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association
- The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
This Wednesday, there will be an excellent online event, Abolition Means No More War: Free Palestine Now! Aiming to contribute to fighting against war-making more broadly, this event will examine the relationship of the PIC with Israel’s apartheid and occupation of Palestine, and why abolitionists must strongly mobilize in this time, by bringing together experts on PIC abolition, solidarity, liberation movements, war and militarism to:
- Unpack the relationship of racist and imperialist structures that support the ongoing Israeli occupation in Palestine
- Expose the Israeli imprisonment system including Gaza’s forced configuration into an open air prison
- Disrupt Israel’s role in worldwide repression of marginalized peoples and revolutionary struggle
- And interrupt the media’s role in criminalization, inciting more violence, and maintaining systems of oppression by empowering colonial ideology through Islamaphobia, Anti-Arab racism, and anti-semitism
To register for this event go to this link.
Right now, Verso Books is providing free e-books on Solidarity with Palestine.
Lastly, stay plugged in to the local Palestinian Solidarity Movement, which has a rally at the Federal Building this Thursday from 4 – 6pm.
Always Follow the Money: Contributions for the Grand Rapids Public Schools Bond Vote Campaign
In our last post, GRIID spoke with Kyle Lim from the Urban Core Collective about the November 7th GRPS Bond Vote.
Now, I want to look at the entity that did fundraising for the GRPS Bond Vote, known as Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee.
The funds raised through the Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee can be found on the Kent County Clerk’s Campaign Finances page. There was a small amount raised $945, along with some in kind contributions valued at $1,245 for the July campaign finances deadline, linked here.
However, the bulk of the money raised and spent took place over the past few months, which you can read at this link. According to the campaign finance data filed with the Kent County Clerk, there was $28,200.00 raised and $20,561.96 spent.
Here is a list of the largest contributors to the Yes GR for Kids campaign, which was the only group organizing for the November 7th GRPS Bond Vote. I include, when relevant, a contextual identifier to make a point about who might benefit from the Bond vote passing.
- Kellie Dean – President Dean Transportation $10,000
- Rockford Construction $5000
- Gordon Foods $1000
- Dave Shaffer – CEO Interphase Interiors $1000
- Rob Westdrop – CEO Moss Audio Corp. $1000
- Katherine Lewis $800
- Triangle & Associates $500
- Kate Wolters $500
- Leadriane Roby – GRPS Superintendent $500
- Milt Rohwer $500
- McAlvery Merchant & Associates – Lobby Firm $500
- Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts $500
- Tommy Brann $500
- Anna Lusk – Assistance Superintendent GRPS $300
- Rhonda Kribs – CFO for the GRPS $250
- David Smart – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Karl Nelson – GRPS $250
- Leon Hendrix – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Mathew Beresford – Executive Director GRPS $250
- John Harmsen – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Kurt Johnson – Executive Director GRPS $250
- Joe Jones $250
- Rukshana Ilahi – Executive Director GRPS $200
Some observations from this list are:
The largest campaign donor, Kellie Dean ($10,000) runs the company that has a contract with the GRPS to provide transportation for students. Dean Transportation is the privatized busing company that took over busing for the GRPS after the school district discontinued their own busing service. GRIID wrote a bit about Dean Transportation, which was also a co-sponsor of a Bond Vote kickoff event in September.
Rockford Construction and Triangle & Associates could benefit from facilities construction contracts with the GRPS.
McAlvery Merchant & Associates does lobby work for the GRPS in Lansing.
There are no less than 10 contributors who work for the Grand Rapids Public School system.
Lastly, there are not that many small donations to the Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee, meaning that those who would really benefit from the bond vote for the GRPS – parents, students, teachers and grassroots community members. Is this because that class of people were not courted by the Yes GR for Kids Ballot Committee or that their involvement isn’t relevant to the outcome?
Kyle Lim, who works with the Urban Core Collective, is part of a community-based effort in Grand Rapids that seeks to have more input on how money is allocated in the Grand Rapids Public School’s budget.
In September, we reported on an action taken by the Education Justice movement that the Urban Core Collective is involved in, where students, parents, teachers and community members have been working on a list of demands on how GRPS money should be used for essentially needs. During that action in September, we wrote: One parent, Marta Johnson, who has been working with the Urban Core Collective, came out last night to say:
“Our house is on fire and we can’t just watch it burn. We cannot wait for bond dollars or a Facilities Master Plan to begin effecting change. We need GRPS administration to take immediate action on issues of air quality, transportation, teacher compensation, school food and mental health services.”
This list of demands can be viewed in more detail at this link, demands that were presented to the Grand Rapids Public School Board back in June, when the Urban Core Collective hosted a rally/march to the School Board meeting and presented these same demands to school officials.
In my interview with Kyle Lim, we talked about why the Urban Core Collective is encouraging people to vote for the GRPS Bond on November 7, what demands the Education Justice group has presented to the GRPS, and the importance of community input on how public money is spent on public education. The interview is 33 minutes long.
Always Follow the Money: Campaign contributions from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce PAC
Over the next week or so, GRIID will be posting articles about campaign financing, since the most recent deadline for filing was October 25. Most of the campaign contributions are for the 2024 Elections, but it is never too early to think about which organizations and which members of the Capitalist Class are seeking to influence both the outcome of the 2024 Elections and public policy that will be proposed by those elected.
Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce PAC
The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Political Action Committee, also known as Friends of West Michigan Business, is one of the most influential groups in Michigan, in terms of electoral and policy influence.
Their campaign contributions based on the most recent quarterly reports can be found here. There are only 13 listings for payouts from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce during this most recent campaign finance reporting, with 2 fees, which leaves 11 different contributions. Those contributions are, in order of amount given:
- Victory Values Fund $2,000
- Committee to Elect David Moore II $1,000
- Senate Republican Campaign Committee $1,000
- House Republican Campaign Committee $1,000
- Huizenga for Michigan Leadership $500
- VanWoerkom Solutions PAC $500
- Committee to Elect Maurice Groce $500
- Grant Leadership Fund $250
- House Republican Campaign Committee $250
- Gina Johnson $150
- Meerman Majority Fund $150
For the partisan races, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce has contributed to all Republicans except for the Grant Leadership Fund, which is named after State Representative Kristian Grant. The Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce has historically given the bulk of campaign contributions to the GOP, but they sometimes contribute to Democrats, such as Kristian Grant this campaign finance reporting session or Carol Glanville, whose they contributed to in the previous campaign finance session.
I always find it puzzling why the Democratic Party or Democratic candidates would accept funds from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, which is not only pro-business, they are against anything that gets in the ways of profit making. For example, right now, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is part of an alliance called the Great Lakes Growth Coalition, which is opposing even the most modest economic policies that the Whitmer Administration is putting forward. And since the Democratic Party deeply relies on campaign contributions from organized labor, why in the world would they accept money from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce or any business association?
The other two contributions are for candidates running for Kentwood City Commission seats, David Moore II and Maurice Groce. Groce is running against Lily Cheng-Schulting, who has run as a Democrat in multiple state races previously. Groce is also the current academy liaison officer for the West Michigan Aviation Academy, a charter school founded by Dick DeVos. David Moore is a freelance writer and holds a degree in biblical studies. Like we saw in the Grand Rapids City Commission race in 2022, the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce is backing pro-business candidates in non-partisan races.
Please watch the AIPAC-produced videos with Rep. Scholten, which promotes Israeli propaganda
GRIID has been writing about Rep. Hillary Scholten’s unconditional support for Israel ever since the Hamas attacks in early October.
On October 17, I posted an article entitled, Rep. Scholten endorses Israeli War Crimes in Gaza, which focused on her endorsement of increased US military funding for Israel, while Israel was carpet bombing Gaza.
This past Tuesday, I posted another article with the headline, Rep. Hillary Scholten continues to perpetuate misinformation about Israel/Palestine, along with refusing to acknowledge the decades long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
Earlier this summer, Rep. Scholten voted for a Congressional Resolution, stating that Israel is not an Apartheid state. I wrote about that vote, along with a note about Rep. Scholten’s upcoming visit to Israel.
What I didn’t know at the time of the 3rd Congressional District Representative, is that her trip was sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation, which is a funding source for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the largest pro-Israel lobby in the US.
Here is a video produced by AIPAC about the trip that Rep. Scholten took this summer. The video is clearly a propaganda piece, which not only is designed to further the mission of AIPAC, but it also feeds into the Far Right Christian belief that the State of Israel can do no wrong.
In a second AIPAC-produced video, Rep. Scholten gushes about being in the same physical space where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount. Rep. Scholten talks about reading the Beatitudes to her classmates, those who were on the same AIPAC constructed trip.
The question I have for Rep. Scholten and her supporters is, if you are a believer in the Beatitudes, then how do you justify the decades long US support for the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and the decades-long US military funding of Israeli, funding that results in the murder of countless civilians, like what we are currently seeing in Gaza?
The Christian Beatitudes speak of those who mourn, show mercy and practice peacemaking, so how the hell can anyone who embraces these values be ok with the brutal Israeli assault on Gaza, where Amnesty International says there is damning evidence of Israeli War Crimes and a death toll of 6,500.
If this sort of hypocrisy pisses you off, then you might consider participating in the rally/march this Saturday, beginning at 2pm in downtown Grand Rapids, where people are calling for an end to US Military Aid for Israel and an end to the Genocide in Gaza.
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Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 