Public Hearings Hosted by State Department of Civil Rights
Nearly one - hundred people showed up yesterday when the Michigan Department of Civil Rights hosted two listening sessions with the community — both over community concerns about two of the latest incidents during police stops and other concerns, ranging from parking tickets, to unlawful arrests, to disrespect.
The sessions were held from 1:30pm to 4:30pm and from 5:30pm to 8:00pm at The Center for Community Transformation.
One incident occurred on March 11, 2019 when an officer stopped two Latino teens for walking in the street when the side walk was available. According to GRPD, the teens failed to follow instructions that were given to them. The teens had a gun drawn on them by the officer when they appeared to be reaching behind their backs.
Another incident happened March 17, 2019 that was caught on video of an African American man who was pulled out of his car, held down by six officers, and was punched thirty times by an officer who was placed on paid administrative leave for escalating the situation "beyond what was necessary."
Grand Rapids police have also received backlash for a former Marine who was detained by U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement following his arrest.
Residents were called three at a time as they sat across from State Department of Civil Rights representatives and given 5 minutes to express their concerns about community and police relations and to talk about their person experiences with the GRPD.
It was no holds barred when speakers called out issues with the police — being pulled over for no reason, being racially profiled, having civil rights violated at traffic stops, being physically assaulted by GRPD officers and other scenarios.
"Back in the day when we were slaves, there was a white man who road around on a horse making sure that they were doing their jobs and would even beat or kill slaves in front of the other slaves to strike fear into them. Well now the overseer is riding around our neighborhoods in blue cars instead of riding around on horses," said one community member. "The police are mentally abusing young Black kids. It is sad when you can't let me see the same thing being done to my son that is done to your son. How come I don't see white kids getting guns pulled on them by the police. Is this a city with a Black and a White policy? I am a trucker and even the white truckers have nick named this city Racist Rapids."
Another speaker, a retired district court magistrate in Kentwood, Michigan for twenty - three years said people should not be afraid to walk around the city. "I can tell you that there were several times in Grand Rapids that people were picked up and arrested just for walking down the street," said Deborah Clanton. "I can also tell you that over those twenty - three years, I have never, ever had a white person tell me that they had been picked up for just walking."
One speaker summed up inequities by saying, "Grand Rapids is a beautiful place to live, the city is vibrant, the landscape is constantly changing and it is a wonderful place to raise children, as long as you are not African American or of color."
There were even injustices in the city over parking at Messiah Missionary Baptist Church on Sundays.
"Over the last three weeks, the members of the church have been targeted by the GRPD and have received nearly fifty parking tickets on odd and even days from Sherman and Henry where the other African American Church sits," said Tempy Mann. "I have been a member for thirty years and there has always been a parking allowance because of the large church attendance. If you go three blocks south of us, there is a Christian Reformed church and their members park on both sides of the street just like we do, but there are no tickets ever issued to their members."
The second hearing session drew a larger crowd of community members and lasted beyond the scheduled 8:30pm ending time.
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