On the front page of the July 24th print edition of Crain’s Grand Rapids Business, one headline reads, Tighter public nuisance rules create tension, with a subheading that said, Business, civic leaders torn on latest proposals to curb downtown panhandling.
The article, written by Kate Carlson, was in response to the July 11th Public Hearing on the two proposed ordinances from the City of Grand Rapids, ordinances that target the unhoused. The Crain’s article states early on, “Public hearings on the proposals drew a mix of opinions from residents, business owners and local advocates on how the city should proceed in addressing a rise in claims about aggressive panhandling and public clutter caused by the unhoused population.”
The Carin’s article is framed in such a ay as to suggest that there were equal amounts of people in favor of the ordinance proposals and those against. However, the fact was that there were at least a 5 to 1 ratio against the two proposals. Unfortunately, the business press didn’t communicate that reality. Instead, the Crain’s writer interviewed several business owners to get their take on the ordinance proposals, beginning with Rockford Construction CEO Mike VanGessel, who said, “Our city is at a critical point. As chair of the municipal council, which represents 130 businesses downtown, I’m concerned about our future. Businesses and residents are now considering the value of our city as a proposition where they relocate. This is not a simple issue with the unhoused. … The challenges are complex so the solutions are not simple.”
The article does cite one business owner who opposes the ordinance proposals, but it was the owner of Lantern Coffee Bar and Lounge, which doesn’t have anywhere near the leverage that people like VanGessel or CWD Real Estate Investment LLC partner, Sam Cummings. “This isn’t about where people live,” Cummings said in an interview. “It’s about how people behave. We have a group of folks that are making it difficult for everybody to use public infrastructure because they’re making people feel unsafe, they are threatening and overtaking public infrastructure by camping on it.”
While highly privileged people like Cummings complain about a group of people they can’t even name, the unhoused, the poor, they not only don’t offer any real solution to dealing with the root causes of the issues that the unhoused face, they fail to see that their lust for wealth and their financial backing of local and state policies have actually contributed to the current housing crisis.
Of course, none of these systemic issues are explored in the Crain’s article, because the journalist does not and will not question the interests and the actions of the business class in Grand Rapids, nor will they try to make sense of why Grand Rapids has the largest wealth gap in the state. What the debate around the ordinances has exposed is the fact that there is a class war going on in Grand Rapids and the Capitalist Class is winning.
In May, GRIID posted an article about the Billionaire class, their use of private jets and the impact it is having on Climate Change. The article included information about the DeVos/Amway private jets, which are numerous.
The Institute for Policy Studies had released a new study entitled, High Flyers 2023: How the Ultra-Rich Private Jet travel costs the rest of us and burns up the planet. Here are some of the major findings in that report:
- Private jets emit at least 10 times more pollutants than commercial planes per passenger.
- Thousands of municipal airports in the U.S. are funded by the public, but many primarily serve private and corporate jets.
- Since the start of the pandemic, private jet use has increased by about a fifth and private jet emissions have increased more than 23 percent, according to a recent study.
Last week, the Institute for Policy Studies were inviting people to send an Action Alert to members of Congress, specifically to the people who represent Michigan. The Action Alert stated:
This month, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced legislation that would raise the tax on private jet fuel, generating $1.3 billion a year to fund sustainable transit for the rest of us. Ask your representatives to sign on to sponsor this legislation. Click ‘START WRITING’ to send a direct message to your representatives now. We provide a message you can customize, and we’ll deliver it once you’re done! You can also read more about the bill here.
I signed the Action Alert on July 20th, and then received a response from Senator Stabenow on July 21st. Here is Senator Stabenow’s response:
Thank you for contacting me to express your support for policies that advance clean energy, promote conservation, and address the climate crisis. I share your commitment to protecting our environment, and I am grateful for your strong advocacy.
The science is clear: Global climate change poses a real threat to Michigan and our world. That’s why I proudly supported the Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), the strongest federal climate legislation in U.S. history. This historic legislation puts the country on track to reduce emissions by about 40% over the next 8 years. Paired with funding from the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), this legislation will lower energy costs, create good-paying jobs, and invest in our nation’s most vulnerable communities.
As a member of the Senate Finance and Environment and Public Works Committees, I have authored legislation to bring clean-energy vehicles to market, spur investments in renewable energy sources, and ensure our nation leads in clean energy technology manufacturing. I remain laser-focused on advancing these policies, and will continue to lead efforts to eliminate taxpayer subsidies for the oil and gas industry.
You can count on me to keep fighting for climate policies that combat harmful emissions, create good-paying American jobs, and ensure an equitable transition to a clean economy.
While the response from Senator Stabenow affirms my stance and has all the right rhetoric, she never acknowledges, nor commits to supporting the “FATCAT Act” (standing for Fueling Alternative Transportation with a Carbon Aviation Tax), which would hike fuel taxes on private jets from the current 22 cents a gallon to $1.95 per gallon. This would effectively increase the cost to $200 per metric ton of private jet CO2 emissions.
Senator Stabenow is term limited, so she has nothing to lose by supporting legislation that would tax the Billionaire Class that has their own private jets. Instead she spends most of her Email response by telling me what she has done, which has nothing to do with the Action Alert I sent her. I shouldn’t be surprised, since the response I received was probably a pre-written response to people writing about Climate Change issues. Reason number 57 for why I don’t put my faith in electoral politics.
This Tuesday makes it two weeks after the Public Hearing the Grand Rapids City Commission held on July 11th regarding the proposed ordinances that many people, community-based groups and the ACLU believe would further criminalize the unhoused.
At the upcoming Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, Grand Rapids City officials will be discussing some slight revisions to the language of the proposed ordinances. According to the Committee of the Whole Agenda Packet – page 7 – the language now reads:
Note that the wording changes are both the result of push back from the community, but these ordinances will still negatively impact the unhoused who are not welcome in downtown Grand Rapids.
Grand Rapids Capitalist Class endorses the proposed ordinances – Profits over People
Included in the Agenda Packet for the July 25th Grand Rapids City Commission meeting, are numerous communications both for and against the proposed ordinances in question. As we reported during the July 11th Public Hearing, the overwhelming majority of those who spoke were opposed to the two ordinances.
In the July 25th Agenda Packet (beginning on page 59) there are several letters from those who support the two proposed ordinances. Not surprising, those who endorse the ordinances are either members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure or representatives of this elitist group. Here is a list of those elitists:
- Nick Wasmiller – RDV Corp, which is a DeVos-owned company.
- Michael Nelson – Chief Operating Officer for the Amway Corporation
- Robb Mungerm – CEO of the Exodus Place, which we wrote about last week.
- Michael Ellis – President of Ellis Parking, which has made millions from the public and has significantly benefitted from the ongoing transformation of the Grand Rapids downtown to a tourist destination.
- Thomas Tooley – Ghafari Associates is a global architecture, engineering, and consulting firm that only moved into Grand Rapids in 2018, when they acquired Concept Design Group.
- Paul W. Boehms – Executive Director for Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, which is the preferred law firm for the rich and powerful in Grand Rapids.
- Paulus C. Heule – CEO Eenhoorn, LLC, which is a Property Management Company that owns Real Estate in 6 states, including Michigan.
- Greg Schierbeek – President/CEO of Eikenhout Inc., a building materials supplier with 10 locations in Michigan, including Grand Rapids.
- Jerry Kooiman – who works for Michigan State University’s Grand Rapids location, also a former GOP State Legislator, GOP Kent County Commissioner and former staff worker for Rep. Pete Hoekstra and Rep. Paul Henry.
It should also be noted that most of the people on the list above or the organization(s) they represent, also signed onto the letter in support of the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce cruel and criminalizing ordinance proposal presented last December.
There were also several letters opposing the two proposed ordinances, along with a list of names (118) that sent digital letters to Grand Rapids City Officials on pages 98 – 101 of the July 25th City Commission Meeting Agenda Packet.
Grand Rapids City Commissioners WILL Vote on the two proposed ordinances endorsed by local elites and opposed by working class people
In looking through the Grand Rapids City Commission Meeting Agenda Packet for July 25, it seems pretty clear that there will be a vote on the two proposed ordinances. 0n page 4 of the Agenda Packet it states clearly – Ordinances to be Adopted, which include the two that were part of the July 11 Public Hearing, identified here with Red Stars.
What seems pretty damn clear from the information that the City has sent out before the Tuesday, July 25th Grand Rapids Commission Meeting, is that not only are they going to adopt these ordinances that will further criminalize the unhoused, they are doing so at the behest of the members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure and members of the Capitalist Class, who in no uncertain terms do not want their ability to make money threatened by people who are unhoused and those who are the victims of Capitalism.
In Howard Zinn’s monumental book, A People’s History of the United States, he constantly juxtaposes the amazing things that people did to fight for liberation and the people behind the systems of oppression that social movements were fighting against.
This is exactly why I have spent years monitoring, investigating and critiquing the DeVos Family. They are the most recognizable and powerful manifestation of the systems of power and oppression in West Michigan. Now, I know there are plenty of people who share the belief that without the DeVos Family, Grand Rapids wouldn’t be where it is today. I fully agree with that belief, but for reasons that are the exact opposite of those who hold the most powerful family in West Michigan in high regard.
Three times a year we try to update our DeVos Family Reader, a collection of articles that looks at the family’s history, the influence on election & public policy, their foundations, how they are reported on in the news media, ArtPrize and the section entitled Betsy DeVos Watch.
This updated version of the DeVos Family Reader includes information and analysis on a variety of topics, since our last update, which was 5 months ago. There have been a total of 11 new articles included in the DeVos Family Reader, including pieces on the outdoor amphitheater, DeVos foundations, their wealth expansion, and an article on what Presidential candidate that the DeVos family might be endorsing.
The DeVos Family Reader is now up to 725 pages of history, analysis and information about the most powerful family in West Michigan.
The 1967 riots in Grand Rapids were a response to police violence, poverty, poor housing and other systems of oppression
July 25th – 27th will mark the 56 anniversary of the riots in Grand Rapids. I know that GRIID has posted about the 67 riots on previous occasions, but it vitally important that we never forget what happened, nor the larger socio-economic context in which the riots took place in this city.
Last year GRIID posted a 5 part series on the 1967 riots, which is covered in my book, A People’s History of Grand Rapids. In today’s post we provide a summary of the 5 part series, with links to the entire article.
Remembering the 1967 Riot in Grand Rapids: What is past is present – Part I. In the first part in the series we discuss what sparked the riot, along with how the Grand Rapids Press reported on it.
Remembering the 1967 Riot in Grand Rapids: What is past is present – Part II. In Part II, we look at how the local TV news reported on the riots and how Mayor and the Grand Rapids Police Chief framed the riots.
Remembering the 1967 Riot in Grand Rapids: What is past is present – Part III. In Part III, we showed several 
photos that were taken during the riots, photos that some media scholars would refer to as the “white gaze,” since the images were all taken by white people and were primarily consumed by white people.
Remembering the 1967 Riot in Grand Rapids: What is past is present – Part IV. In Part IV, we look at the arrest data during those three days of rioting in Grand Rapids (see map on right), along with a report that was produced months later by a City appointed committee. The report was called Anatomy of a Riot.
Remembering the 1967 Riot in Grand Rapids: What is past is present – Part V. In the last part in the series, we look at a series of articles posted on MLive for the 50th anniversary of the riot in Grand Rapids, plus we challenge the claims about how Grand Rapids is doing so much better now to address racial inequities.
Lastly, we provide some comparisons to the 2020 riot/uprising and how the same dynamics exit now that existed in 1967 – police abuse, poor housing, low paying jobs, a lack of investment in Black neighborhoods and the structural racism that exists in this city.
The Political function of Philanthropy: DeVos Family Foundations – The Jerry & Marcia Tubergen Foundation
“In any case, the hidden hand of of foundations can control the course of social change and deflect anger to targets other than elite power.”
– Joan Roelofs, Foundations and Public Policy
For the past 10 years, GRIID has been monitoring foundations in West Michigan, particularly the large family foundations that those who are part of the Grand Rapids Power Structure have created. Our monitoring of local foundations has been part of our larger critique of the Non-Profit Industrial complex in Grand Rapids.
GRIID has been providing information and analysis on the various DeVos Family Foundations, using the most recent 990 documents that foundations are legally required to submit. These 990 documents must be submitted within a three-year period, which is why the 990s that we will be examining are from 2020, since most foundations prefer to submit their 990 documents at the last minute, thus minimizing public scrutiny. So far we have posted articles about the Richard and Helen DeVos Foundation, the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation, the Doug and Maria DeVos Foundation, the Dan and Pamela DeVos Foundation and the Cheri DeVos Foundation.
The Jerry & Marcia Tubergen Foundation
GRIID has always begun our Foundation Watch work by looking at the foundations associated with the most powerful family in West Michigan, the DeVos family. Now, Jerry and Marcia Tubergen are not directly DeVos Family members, but they have a long and deep connection to the most powerful family in. West Michigan. The Jerry and Marcia Tubergen was founded in 1998. According to GuideStar, in 2020, the Jerry and Marcia Tubergen Foundation contributed $3,418,635, leaving them with $14,695,875 of funds left in their foundation. To see the 990 document for 2020 from the Jerry and Marcia Tubergen Foundation, go here.
The long standing connection that Jerry and Marica Tubergen have with the DeVos family are as follows. Jerry Tubergen is the CEO of one of the largest components of the DeVos empire, the RDV Corporation. Jerry is also runs the DeVos investment firm, called Ottawa Private Capital LLC. It is also important to point out that Jerry Tubergen is listed as a trustee for every DeVos family foundation, according to the 990 reports.
The Jerry and Marcia Tubergen Foundation made contributions to dozens of entities in 2020, but there are some clear categories of groups they contributed to, such as the Religious Right, Education-centered groups and DeVos created/connected entities. The Jerry and Marcia Tubergen Foundation has a smaller foundation compared to the DeVos family members, but there is some similarities in the groups they fund. Below is a listing of each from these categories, with a dollar amount and a brief analysis.
We also include groups that are DeVos owned or created, along with liberal non-profits. With the liberal non-profits, we believe that funding from foundations like the DeVos family foundations is a form of hush money. When we say hush money, we mean that these entities will not publicly challenge the system of Capitalism, the wealth gap, structural racism and other systems of oppression, which the DeVos family benefits from and perpetuates through their own political funding.
Religious Right
- Center for Faith Sexuality and Gender – $50,000
- Cure International – $1,250,000
- Mel Trotter Ministries – $525,000
- Museum of the Bible – $100,000
- The Colson Center for Christian Worldview. – $25,000
- Young Life – $20,000
Jerry Tubergen sits on the board of Cure International, which is a christian ministry that provides health services for people living in countries in the Global South. Cure International does not challenge or question the political or economic conditions in the Global South and should be viewed a an organization that engages in a form of Saviorism. Mel Trotter Ministries also practices a brand of Saviorism, plus are not interested in solving the root causes of homelessness.
Education-centered groups
- Cornerstone University $205,000
- NorthPointe Christian Schools – $30,000
- Potters House – $30,000
DeVos-owned, created or connected groups
- ArtPrize – $5000
- West Michigan Aviation Academy – $5,000
Groups receiving Hush $
- Heart of West MI United Way – $30,000
- Kids Food Basket – $27,500
- Wedgewood Christian Services – $150,000
Exodus Place ad is not only ignorant of Constitutional Rights, it demonstrates their ideological commitment to Capitalism
Over the past several days, the Grand Rapids-based Christian group known as Exodus Place, has been running an ad on social media (seen here on the right), with a cruel and reactionary message. The text for the ad reads:
The ACLU’s opposition to proposed amendments targeting Panhandling and Loitering in the Grand Rapids City Code is misguided.
“…..allowing people to panhandle & loiter removed the motivation to find a lasting solution.” Exodus Place President and CEO Robb Munger
Ironically, the Exodus Place ad has a Donate Now button at the bottom, which means they are hypocrites, since they too are asking for money for their programing, which is charity based.
The President and CEO of Exodus Place, Rob Munger, founded the organization in 2009. Prior to founding the Exodus Place, Munger was the interim Executive Director at Guiding Light Mission, but before that he was a broker for 20 years.
Like many people who work with programs that try to deal with those who are unhoused, Munger has no lived experience of what it means to not have a place to live and he believes that jog training and entrepreneurism are the path to fighting homelessness. This makes the Exodus Place part of what GRIID has identified as the Homelessness Industrial Complex, which consists of primarily faith-based non-profits that rarely address the root causes of people ending up on the street, plus they tend to practice a form of saviorism. Saviorism consists of people with privilege thinking they know what those most affected need. On top of that, Saviorism avoids addressing systemic or structural injustices, like poverty and racism.
Deconstructing the Ad
As I stated earlier, the ad run by the Exodus Place is cruel and reactionary. I believe it is cruel because it fails to acknowledge and empathize with people who are asking for money.
The ad is reactionary, because it attempts to call out the ACLU. However, if the Exodus Place people bothered to read the 9 page letter from the ACLU, they would know that the ACLU is not encouraging panhandling and loitering, they are merely pointing out the unconstitutional nature of passing laws or ordinances that prevent people from asking for money or from being in public spaces.
In addition, the comment in the ad that says, “allowing people to panhandle & loiter removed the motivation to find a lasting solution.” First, apparently the CEO of Exodus Place doesn’t understand that if people are hurting, there is nothing wrong with providing some immediate relief, like food, water, shelter, and health care. Second, what Exodus Place does is not a lasting solution. Sure, there might be some people who go through their program, are able to find work that pays enough to support themselves and their families, but such notions of “pulling oneself up by their bootstraps” is part of the mythology of American rugged individualism. (See the book, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream, by Alissa Quart) Most people are poor because so few are so damn wealthy. Those who are wealthy became rich because they exploited workers and communities, often demanding subsidies and tax breaks.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning that in 2011, when the Occupy Wall Street movement was in full swing across the US and in Grand Rapids, there was a pro-Capitalism rally held in December of 2011, a rally that was a direct response to the Occupy Wall Street Movement in Grand Rapids. The call was designed to promote free market capitalism and that is where I met several men who were staying at Exodus Place, because the CEO brought them there to indoctrinate them to lie of Capitalism.
The Exodus Place ad makes complete since, especially since the CEO is a firm ideological believe in Capitalism, and anything that challenges or threats this ideology is seen as an evil that must be squashed.
A Radical Walking Tour of Grand Rapids: An invitation
It has been 4 months since I released my book, A People’s History of Grand Rapids, and the response has been tremendous. I have done several talks, book signings, plus the book is being used as part of a class at WMU this summer. I have a few other invites to speak and sign books, along with doing a session at the Great Lakes History Conference in October.
Part of my excitement around sharing the book is introducing people to the rich history of radical organizing in Grand Rapids, the people involved and the movements that challenged systems of oppression. However, I have been thinking about other ways of sharing some of this history, so I am excited to announce that there will be a Radical Walking Tour of Grand Rapids on Saturday, September 23rd in downtown Grand Rapids. (start time to be determined)
The idea is modeled on what other cities have done, particularly in New York City, which you can read about in Bruce Kayton’s book, Radical Walking Tours of New York City.
What we want to do is organize a Radical Walking Tour of Grand Rapids, where we will visit roughly 32 sites and learn about people, protests and social movements that reflect the rich history of radical organizing in this city. What might make this event even more interesting is the fact that on Saturday, September 23rd, ArtPrize will also be happening at the same time. Doing a Radical Walking Tour of Grand Rapids seems like an interesting thing to do right in the midst of the annual monied spectacle that was originally created by DeVos money and will now be run by the City of Grand Rapids, DGRI and Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University.
An Invitation to help create a Radical Walking Tour of Grand Rapids
In order to make this event happen, we need people who are interested in doing any of the following things:
- Do a short public reading for each of the 33 stops along the radical walking tour. It would be great to have 33 different people do these readings.
- We need to blow up images for each of the stops along the radical walking tour, so if someone has access to places that do this, or we generate a little bit of money to cover the cost of making large images for each stop.
- Someone who can help create a map with all of the locations listed for the Radical Walking Tour.
- Create a Flyer to promote the event, both electronic and paper.
- People to document the event, in pictures, video and possibly live streaming it.
- People to pull carts along the route, with water and snacks to that people can stay hydrated and have something to eat along the way.
- People to play music along the Radical Walking Tour route.
- People to do Crowd Safety, making sure people are safe, especially when we cross intersections along the route.
- Anyone who has experience creating apps, so that we can have the Radical Walking Tour accessible for anyone who can’t attend the in person tour.
- People who will mark the Radical Walking Tour with sidewalk chalk ahead of time, so we can easily find the spots along the tour on Saturday, September 23rd.
- Someone who can follow along the Radical Walking Tour with a vehicle, in case someone needs to take a break or turns an ankle.
- Bullhorns or electronic speaker and mic
We estimate that the Radical Walking Tour of Grand Rapids will take an estimated 3 hours to do, so bring comfortable shoes and plan on setting aside that amount of time. The Radical Walking Tour of Grand Rapids will begin at Ah Nab Awen Park and end up at Heartside Park.
If you are interested in participating in this event and/or helping to organize it, please send an Email to sjeff987@gmail.com. Lets celebrate a People’s History of Grand Rapids!
Proposed Radical Walking Tour locations:
- Ah-Nab-Awen Park – Settler Colonialism
- Gerald R. Ford – The Real story
- Monument to the 1911 Furniture Workers Strike
- 1925 Klan parade on Monroe
- 1995 Klan Rally protest in front of old Hall of Justice
- 1991 Gulf War Protest July 4th
- Gerald R Ford Federal building – 1986 anti-Contra Aid Protest
- Gerald R Ford Federal building – 1989 action against Salvadoran priests who were murdered
- Protest at Rep. Ehlers office 2003 against Iraq war/Trial of Vern Ehlers
- Grand Rapids City Hall – Divests from South African Apartheid 1982
- Kent County building – End the Contract Campaign 2018
- Calder Plaza – 2000 anti-Globalization protest
- Calder Plaza – immigrant justice march 10,000 people 2006
- Ottawa & Lyon – GRPD tries to stop 2003 anti-Iraq War march when Bush was in GR
- Lyon & Monroe – DeVos headquarters
- Monroe Amphitheater/Rosa Parks Circle – 1988 1st Pride Celebration
- Monroe Mall protest in the 1980s – Street theater
- Wolverine Gas & Oil – 2012 anti-fracking protest
- Van Andel Statue in front of Arena
- Corner of Fulton and Commerce – 1995 Grand Prix
- GRPD headquarters – 2020 BLM protest
- Weather Ball Black Nuclear Attack – 1985 anti-nuclear actions
- Veterans Park – 2003 Critical Mass, No Blood for Oil ride
- Fountain Street Church – 1962 Malcolm X speaks
- Park Congregational church – anti-Vietnam speakers
- Acton Institute – Far Right Think Tank
- Bishop Baraga Statue
- Koinonia House – Central American Sanctuary 1980’s
- 1963 – 3,000 people silent march in solidarity with the Birmingham Church bombing victims
- 1967 Riot – Wealthy & Division
- May 10,1891 cable and horse car workers strike
- Heartside Park Eviction 2020
(Images used above were produced by GVSU students from a printmaking class, which you can read about at this link.)
Michigan Democrats make cocktails to go a priority, while immigrant demands for driver’s licenses are ignored
Last week, the Michigan Legislature went on summer recess and won’t be back until after Labor Day.
MLive reported that in the final days before going on summer break, Michigan legislators sent several pieces of legislation to the Governor’s desk. Some of those pieces of legislation have to do with teacher unions and sexual abuse protections, but one piece of legislation caught my eye – legislation that would allow for permanent sale of cocktails to go.
During the height of the COVID pandemic, bars and restaurants were able to get Michigan legislators to allow for cocktails to be sold in to go containers, allowing for alcohol sales when the industry was struggling because of the stay at home orders.
However, being that the bar and restaurant association is fairly powerful, they were able to get State Legislators to propose a permanent allowance for cocktails to be sold in to go containers, because, well, people need their alcohol. The legislation that was passed and is headed to the Governor’s desk is Senate Bill 141.
What I find instructive about this legislation is that it was given priority over numerous other critical issues that the Democratic Party majority claimed to support when they took power in January. Amongst those priorities were granting driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, which groups like Movimiento Cosecha have been fighting for since 2018.
Allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses is an extremely urgent matter, since driving without a license can get undocumented immigrants thrown in detention or worse, deported back to their country of origin.
Senator Winnie Brinks voted for the cocktails to go bill and did the majority of those in the Michigan House and Senate. So why haven’t State Legislators passed a Driver’s Licenses for All bill? Why haven’t the Democrats in Michigan made Driver’s Licenses for All a priority for people who are at risk of arrest, detention and deportation? There is no way the people like Senator Brinks are not aware of what the undocumented immigrant community thinks about such issues, especially since they have come to her office several times since the beginning of 2023, such as the time they came to her office in late March.
In late June, 20 members of Movimiento Cosecha went to the home of Rep. Liberati to communicate the urgency of passing the proposed Driver’s Licenses for All bill, especially before the Michigan Legislature went on summer recess.
How can politicians, especially Democrats claim to represent the most marginalized in our state, communities that have urgent needs, to only turn around and vote to pass cocktails to go legislation that is only a benefit to the bar and restaurant industry? I am hard pressed to see how the Democratic majority in Lansing can claim to really give a shit about those who live in constant fear of detention and deportation.
It was pretty clear to most people that the overwhelming message sent to the Grand Rapids City Commission was to vote no on the proposed ordnances that would further criminalize the unhoused in this city.
MLive put the number of those who spoke out against the proposed ordinances at 50. If you watch the video from yesterday’s Grand Rapids City Commission meeting, the Public Hearing position begins at 1 hour and 12 minutes in and goes for about three and a half hours.
Just prior to the Public Hearing portion of yesterday’s meeting, City staff provided an “overview” of the proposed ordinances. The language that was being used was rather vague, plus one staffer kept saying that these ordinances would not criminalize the unhoused. I overheard someone say that the pre-public hearing commentary was a masterclass in the art of bullshit.
Fortunately, people were not buying the rhetoric from City staff and presented a whole range of reasons and talking points for why the proposed ordinances should be voted down. There were numerous people who challenged the commissioners around the whole principle of what public space means, especially since City staff kept saying that people needed a reason to be in public space. This claim was dismantled by several people, who countered with the belief that no one needs a reason to be in public spaces, especially those who are unhoused.
A representative with the ACLU spoke and pointed out that the City’s proposed ordinances would violate people’s Constitutional rights, and were very similar to the anti-panhandling argument the City used in 2012, which the ACLU defeated. One of the proposed ordinances emphasized the view that people who were asking for money from those who were downtown are now seen as accosting the public. The ACLU had sent a 9 page letter earlier in the week, a letter which is well worth reading.
However, maybe the best statement against the whole “accosting people for money” framing that City staff used was from someone who does political fundraising for candidates. This person stated that the commissioners should be familiar with the notion of asking people for money, since they all ran for public office, essentially making them nothing more than glorified panhandlers.
Another major theme for those opposing the proposed ordinances was around economic realities. Several people pointed out how those who supported the ordinances were not only business people, but those who are members of the Capitalist Class in Grand Rapids. The Capitalist Class wants the downtown of Grand Rapids to be their person play area, which will attract tourists and other consumers to spend time making more money for them. The last thing these people want are unhoused people people who are in public spaces and asking for money.
There were a few of the members of the Capitalist Class who spoke up at the public hearing, along with a few that work on behalf of the Capitalist Class. A few notables were the Executive Director of the Right Place Inc., which is an entity that seeks to attract businesses to the Grand Rapids area. The Right Place Board of Directors is essentially a who’s who of the Grand Rapids Power Structure.
Another member of the Capitalist Class that spoke in favor of the proposed ordinances was the CEO of Rockford Construction, Mike VanGessel. Rockford Construction is the DeVos-preferred developer in this city, especially with their role in the RDV Corp land grab in the Boston Square area working in collaboration with the DeVos-created AmplifyGR group.
There were also several minions from the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce who spoke in favor of the ordinance, especially since they were the ones who crafted the horrendous proposed ordinance last December, which deeply influenced the current ordinance proposals from the City of Grand Rapids. Then there was John Helmholt, who works for a company that represents the Capitalist Class, Seyferth PR. Seyferth PR is the preferred PR agency of the Grand Rapids Power Structure and has denied access to GRIID for years in our attempt to report on the Biannual Conference of the West Michigan Policy Forum.
However, maybe my favorite Capitalist to speak was Sam Cummings, with CWD Real Estate. What was almost comical was that Cummings stated, “up until recently he was referred to as one of this city’s greatest champions. Now I’m greedy, cruel, mean spirited, I’m a looter.” Sam went out of his way to say hi to me during the Public Hearing, no doubt because I am the person who named him as a looter, especially after he made some ridiculous claims after the 2020 uprising in downtown Grand Rapids.
Such absurdities from members of the Grand Rapids Power Structure were clearly met with impassioned arguments about why these ordinances should be voted down. A statement from the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union was read during the Public Hearing, a statement that was signed by 86 people, many representing groups such as the Urban Core Collective, the Grand Rapids Red Project, the Comrades Collective, along with several faith-based groups. In addition, the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union has created an electronic Action Alert, which has already sent 1200 letters to City officials telling them to vote no on these proposed ordinances. And since the Grand Rapids City Commission did not vote on the proposed ordinances last night, we encourage you to send more messages to City officials by going to this link.
Lastly, since the Grand Rapids City Commission did not vote on the ordinances that would further criminalize the unhoused, we encourage people to follow the Grand Rapids Area Tenant Union on Facebook for updates and future actions that will be necessary to defeat these proposed ordinances.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 