Equity Service Policy passed without new measures for GRPD

On Tuesday, October 24, 2017 over 50 men, women, and children spoke before the City Commission asking that an Equal Service Policy be passed to protect the immigrant community from potential fear, intimidation, and harassment by City staff and employees. At that meeting, Commissioners Joe Jones and David Allen assured those in attendance a policy was being finalized by the Community Relations Commission (CRC) and was scheduled for a vote on Tuesday, November 14.

On this past Tuesday, many of these same citizens again packed the City Commission Meeting waiting their turn to discuss the newly passed policy. While most voiced their support for the measure as being a step in the right direction, many also expressed their concern over the Grand Rapids Police Department being left largely outside the purview of the new Equal Protection Policy.  

“It’s not addressing the fear,” Gema Lowe of The Workers Center of West Michigan said. “Like you said this morning ‘words matter.' And if there’s still distrust between our community and the police then there’s still fear.” Adding later, “You said ‘no policy is perfect’ but I think we can do better. I think that we can do more. . . . I think we can work together, community and city, to make meaningful change so our community is not in fear.”

The traditional protocol of City Commission meetings is that during public comment periods none of the members of the Commission will directly respond to the questions, comments, or concerns brought before them. However Tuesday evening Mayor Bliss broke from this tradition allowing City Attorney Anita Hitchcock to address concerns regarding the GRPD and the new Equal Service Policy.

Attorney Hitchcock clarified that the first section of the policy prohibits threats made by city employees or staff based on national origin or immigration status. And that this applies to both police and non-police alike. That portion of the policy reads:

No public servant shall coerce, including making improper or unlawful threats of deportation, or engage in verbal abuse of any person based upon the person’s or the person’s family members’ actual or perceived immigration status or national origin.

However she went on to say, “We have to keep in mind that we can’t restrict police to an absolute restriction. There are some reasons in which they do have to find out (immigration) status.” Adding later, “They will not ask unless there is a legal reason to ask. We’ve made that commitment as a city.” Attorney Hitchcock went on to say that while the policy doesn’t get into the specifics of what police can and cannot ask it does “….refer you to what to what we believe is a good policy. And that’s their (GRPD) impartial bias policy. If you read the two together I think you’ll look at this from a different perspective.”

• Grand Rapids Equal Service Policy

• Grand Rapids Police Departments Impartial Policing Policy (implemented July 2017)

This explanation didn’t quell the concerns of citizens as they continued to speak before the commission.

Martha Cooper expressed her displeasure that the city didn’t make readily available information regarding the GPRD’s Impartial Policing Policy and its impact on the content and scope of the Equal Service Policy.  

Marie-Claire Camp spoke about how the policy was passed during the morning Committee of the Whole meeting without any opportunity for public comment. She pointed out that the new Equal Service Policy, “Does not include police as public servants in the description," suggesting this could exempt the GRPD from being held accountable by its provisions.

Camp continued noting that the Impartial Policing Policy touted earlier by City Attorney Hitchcock, “….does not include anything about asking for immigration status. And we know you’ve said if anyone has been harassed to come forward and contact you directly. But I don’t think you’re going to get those calls. I don’t think you’re going to get them because people are scared. People are hiding in their homes. They’re afraid to drive or go to work. Parents are afraid to send their kids to school.”

She closed her comments by saying, “…what I am going to do is something I’ve been asked to do on behalf of those who cannot speak due to fear. I’m giving the rest of my time to them and standing in silence to represent their silence.”

And so she did. For 1 minute and 42 seconds she, and the room, stood in silence.

This act of solidarity was repeated throughout the public comment period. Citizens continued to voice their concerns about the GRPD being excluded from the Equal Service Policy, they asked the Commission to be bold and move forward in making Grand Rapids a truly welcoming city, and then gave the rest of their allotted time to those living in fear, and stood in silence.

For a schedule of City Commission meetings click here.
For a schedule of Committee of the Whole meetings click here.
For video/audio of meetings click here.