[1. Briefing on the FY25 Cure Violence Annual Report]
[00:00:11]
IS A BRIEFING ON THE CURE VIOLENCE ANNUAL REPORT. AND I SEE WE HAVE FOR MR. DAVIS UP TO TALK TO US. WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR, COMMISSIONERS AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE THIS UPDATE ON THE CURE VIOLENCE ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2025. TODAY, WE'LL DO A COUPLE OF THINGS. WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW THE CURE VIOLENCE MODEL WORKS FOR THOSE WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH IT. THEN WE'LL ALSO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TO DIG INTO THE 2025 ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WHICH ARE VAST. THERE IS DATA TO TALK ABOUT, SO WE'LL TALK THROUGH SOME OF THOSE DATA, SOME OF THAT DATA. WE'LL TALK ABOUT GOALS AND NEXT STEPS. AND THEN THERE'LL BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR QUESTIONS. I AM JOINED TODAY BY MR. ERIC BROWN FROM THE URBAN LEAGUE AND MEMBERS OF HIS TEAM, INCLUDING JEFF RIDGEWAY AND DOCTOR STEVEN. WORSE, THEY ARE ALL A PART OF THE CURE VIOLENCE WORK, AND WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH THE GRAND RAPIDS URBAN LEAGUE, WHICH ALLOW WHICH SERVES AS THE IMPLEMENTING AGENCY FOR CURE VIOLENCE AND HAS BEEN DOING THAT WORK SINCE ITS START. MAYOR, JUST AS A MATTER OF PROTOCOL, HOW MUCH TIME SINCE WE STARTED LATE DO WE HAVE THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS HERE FOR? DOES ANYBODY HAVE A OKAY ONE? ANYONE ELSE GOT OFF? OKAY, SO I WOULD ASK THE PRESENTERS TO KEEP IN MIND WE HAVE THREE TOPICS TO GET THROUGH AN HOUR, MAYBE 20 MINUTES. I WILL DO MY SLIDES VERY FAST OKAY. ALL RIGHT. SO WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT CURE VIOLENCE IN GRAND RAPIDS, WE THINK ABOUT THIS PHRASE.
IMAGINE OUR CITY WITHOUT VIOLENCE. AND REALLY THE ANSWER THAT CURE VIOLENCE BRINGS FORTH IS YES, WE CAN HAVE A CITY WITHOUT VIOLENCE. SO HOW DOES THE MODEL WORK? WELL, THE MODEL IS BASED ON A HEALTH APPROACH. REALLY WHAT THIS MODEL LOOKS AT IS THE ROOT CAUSES OF VIOLENCE, AS OPPOSED TO JUST LOOKING AT THE SYMPTOMS OF THAT VIOLENCE. THE MODEL LOOKS AT THREE MAJOR AREAS. SO THERE'S THE INTERRUPTION AND TRANSMISSION OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR REDUCING THE HIGHEST RISK AND ALSO CHANGING COMMUNITY NORMS. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DETECTING AND INTERRUPTING POTENTIALLY VIOLENT CONFLICTS, THAT'S THE DAY TO DAY WORK THAT OUR VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS DO WHEN THEY'RE ON THE GROUND. THEY ALSO WORK TO IDENTIFY AND TREAT THE INDIVIDUALS WITH THE HIGHEST RISK, AT HIGHEST RISK FOR EITHER EXPERIENCING THE VIOLENCE OR PERPETRATING THE VIOLENCE, AND ALSO RECOGNIZE THE LANGUAGE, THEIR TREAT, THE HIGHEST RISK INDIVIDUALS. THE GOAL THERE IS TO HELP THEM STOP, AS OPPOSED TO ONLY LOOKING AT IT FROM A PENAL PERSPECTIVE. WE RECOGNIZE THAT, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT VIOLENCE REDUCTION IS A COMMUNITY APPROACH. IT'S NOT JUST THE WORK THAT'S DONE BY CURE VIOLENCE. THERE'S ALSO THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER PARTNERS, BUT EACH OF US PLAY DIFFERENT ROLES IN THE WAY THAT THAT'S DONE. SO FROM A BALANCE PERSPECTIVE, IT'S NOT ABOUT PUNITIVE ACTION. IT'S ABOUT TREATING THE INDIVIDUALS TO HELP THEM CHANGE THOSE NORMS, WHICH IS THE NEXT PART OF THAT, WHICH IS MOBILIZING THE COMMUNITY TO CHANGE NORMS. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO THE COLLECTION OF EVIDENCE BASED DATA, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE REASONS WE CHOSE THE CURE VIOLENCE MODEL IN THE FIRST PLACE. SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. BROWN. OH, ACTUALLY, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR. BROWN, WHO WILL INTRODUCE HIS TEAM FROM HERE. ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. DAVIS. AS MR. DAVIS SAID, I HAVE WITH ME DOCTOR WURST, WHO DOES OUR DATA ANALYTICS SINCE IT'S A VERY MUCH A DATABASE, EVIDENCE BASED DRIVEN PROGRAM. AND THEN JUST A SLIDE BE TURNING IT OVER TO JEFF RIDGEWAY, OUR PROGRAM MANAGER, INSIGHT DIRECTOR FOR CURE VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS. THEY THEY PERFORMED THE INTERVENTION SERVICES. THEY DO THEY HELP THEY THESE ARE CREDIBLE MESSENGERS THAT ARE FOR THOSE THAT MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THE MODEL. BRIEFLY, CREDIBLE MEASURES ARE MESSENGERS. ARE THOSE PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY WHO HAVE VOICE IN THE COMMUNITY THEY HAVE RESPECTED IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY CAN BE ABLE TO SPEAK INTO PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO MAKE CHANGES. AND IN MOST INSTANCES, BECAUSE THEY CAN SHOW FROM THEIR OWN LIVES THAT THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO COME OUT OF THOSE ENVIRONMENTS AND MAKE THEIR VERY EXACT SAME CHANGES THAT THEY'RE THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO MAKE. AND WE WE SEEK OUT THE IN IN THE INTERVENTION. WE LIKE TO REFER TO IT MORE AS INTERRUPTION. WE SEEK OUT THE HIGHEST RISK INDIVIDUALS. WE'RE SEEKING OUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE CARRYING GUNS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO GUN VIOLENCE. AND QUITE FRANKLY, IN MANY INSTANCES, OUR STREET TEAM, AS THE INTERRUPTERS AND OUTREACH SPECIALISTS, ARE REFERRED TO OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS THAT ARE CARRYING GUNS AT THE TIME. I MEAN, YOU CAN'T GET TO THE HIGHEST NEED IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO DO THAT. SO WE KNOW THAT. AND BUT WE WE HAVE TO, AGAIN, KEEP OUR ARMS DISTANCE FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT TRUST WITH THE YOUNG PEOPLE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO REACH. AND I'LL SAY WHEN I WHEN I SAY YOUNG PEOPLE, OUR TARGET AGE GROUP, I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THAT. OUR TARGET AGE GROUP IS 14 TO 25, 26, 14 TO 26 IS OUR TARGET AGE GROUP. AND THEN AFTER THESE INTERRUPTERS ARE ABLE TO REACH THESE FOLKS THAT
[00:05:02]
ARE IN THESE AREAS AND TO GET THEM TO PUT DOWN WEAPONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THEY TURN THEM OVER TO OUTREACH SPECIALISTS. AND OUTREACH SPECIALISTS ARE ABLE TO CONNECT THEM TO THE OTHER RESOURCES THAT THEY NEED WITHIN THE COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO MOVE AWAY FROM THESE, THE PATH THAT THEY'RE ON, AND MORE POSITIVE PATHS TO BE ABLE TO FIND THEIR PURPOSE. AGAIN, A LOT OF TIME, WE'RE REFERRING THEM IN-HOUSE. URBAN LEAGUE ARREST MICHIGAN.WE HAVE WRAPAROUND SERVICES, HOUSING, EDUCATION, HEALTH AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. EMPLOYMENT SO THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HELP THEM FIND SOME OF THESE OTHER RESOURCES. AND MR. RIDGEWAY MAY BE ABLE TO GET A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO HOW WE'RE ABLE TO DO THAT WITH OUR, OUR AND OURS, BUT WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE THEM IF WE DON'T HAVE THE IN-HOUSE RESOURCES. WE HAVE CONNECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY TO HELP THEM HAVE FIND WHAT THEY NEED. AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MR. RIDGEWAY FOR A SECOND TIME. GOOD AFTERNOON. SO, JEFF RIDGEWAY, AS WE SEE THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS HERE, CHAIR VIOLENCE AND GRAND RAPIDS HAS ENGAGED IN 4266 INTERACTIONS.
THAT'S OVER 20 INTERACTIONS PER DAY THAT THEY'VE WORKED OVER THE FISCAL YEAR 2025. OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS THERE ARE 127 INTERRUPTIONS. THAT MEANS THAT THEY HAVE ACTUALLY STOPPED A VIOLENCE PARTICIPATION OR PEOPLE PARTICIPATING IN VIOLENCE OF OF HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE'S 28, 288 INTERACTIONS WHERE THE COMMUNITY WAS MOBILIZED AND MEDIATIONS OCCURRED. NOW, THAT NUMBER TOTALS 415 INTERACTIONS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025. WHY IS THAT SIGNIFICANT? BECAUSE THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM HAS INDICATED THAT WHEN A FATALITY OCCURRED DOESN'T OCCUR. THAT SAVES THE COMMUNITY $1.6 MILLION. WHEN A GUNSHOT WOUND, SOMEONE GOES TO THE HOSPITAL A GUNSHOT WOUND AND DOESN'T DIE FROM THAT. IT'S A SAVING OF 1.1 MILLION TO THE COMMUNITY. AND THE THING THAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THAT, THESE ARE THE UNSEEN THINGS THAT WE DON'T KNOW. YOU JUST DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT IF IT DOESN'T HAPPEN. AND I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THAT PART. IN ADDITION TO THAT, SOME OF THE COMMUNITY EVENTS WE'VE DONE, WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT COMMUNITY EVENTS, CITY VIBES THAT WE PUT ON WITH THE THE CITY WITH OPA OFFICE.
WE JUST COMPLETED FLAG FOOTBALL. ALL OF THESE THINGS HELP TO CHANGE NORMS WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION TO THAT, AS YOU HEARD MR. BROWN SAY, WE HAVE A REFERRAL SERVICE. SO OUTREACH SPECIALIST AND OUR VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS REFER INDIVIDUALS TO DIFFERENT SERVICES SO THAT THEY CAN REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL SO THAT THEY CAN REACH THEIR OWN GOALS THAT THEY SET FOR THEMSELVES. WE USE THE WRAPAROUND SERVICES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT THERE AT THE URBAN LEAGUE PRIMARILY, BUT WE ALSO REACH OUT TO OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ACCOMPLISH THAT. SO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT JUST TWO PARTICULAR SUCCESS STORIES. ONE IS A PARTICIPANT WHO COMPLETED OUR PROGRAM, AND WHAT WE CALL THAT IS ACTUALLY CALLED A SUCCESS STORY. AND THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS A HIGH RISK INDIVIDUAL, HAD A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ISSUES AND PROBLEMS. BUT HIS ONE TALENT, WHAT HE REALLY ENJOYED DOING WAS ART. HE DID ART SO WELL THAT HIS ART HAS BEEN DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT GRAND RAPIDS, AND HE ACTUALLY DID AN ART GALLERY EXHIBIT AT UCR AND THE URBAN LEAGUE ALSO HELPED HIM START HIS OWN BUSINESS. SO HERE'S A CHANCE WHERE A PERSON, A HIGH RISK INDIVIDUAL, IS NOW ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY AS A BUSINESS OWNER. THE NEXT ONE IS HIGH RISK HONOR ROLL. OUR OUTREACH SPECIALISTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN A NUMBER OF OUR HIGH SCHOOLS, ONE IN PARTICULAR, WHERE THEY HAD 20 HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS AS OF THIS LAST CAR MARKING SIX HAS MADE HONOR ROLL. AS WE KNOW, EDUCATION IS AS A GATEWAY TO FURTHER IMPROVEMENT IN ONE'S LIFE, AND THIS IS A WAY THAT WE'RE SHOWING IT. AND I'LL ASK DOCTOR TO COME UP. GOOD AFTERNOON. ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THESE ANECDOTAL EXAMPLES IS THAT IT'S PART OF OUR DATA THAT WE COLLECT, AND THAT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN HOW HOW WE GO FORWARD. THE PART OF THE DATA THAT I'M GOING TO SPEND JUST A VERY FEW MINUTES BRINGING YOU UP TO DATE ON IS MORE QUALITATIVE OR QUANTITATIVE, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH THE TARGET AREAS. THESE ARE THE THREE TARGET AREAS, AS YOU KNOW, THAT CURE VIOLENCE. GRAND RAPIDS HAS IDENTIFIED. ALL OF THEM ARE ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER, AND THEY FALL WITHIN EACH ONE OF THE PRIMARILY FALLEN WITHIN EACH ONE OF THE THREE WARDS OF GRAND RAPIDS. WE HAVE FULLER AVENUE TO THE EAST. WE HAVE MICHIGAN
[00:10:08]
STREET TO THE NORTH, HALL STREET TO THE SOUTH, AND GODFREY MARKET AND MONROE TO THE WEST. OVER THE PAST 54 MONTHS, GOING UP THROUGH THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE THIRD WARD TARGET AREA SAW A 50% DECREASE IN MURDERS. IT SAW A 40. POINT 1% IN REDUCTION OF AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS. THE THIRD WARD OR THE FIRST WARD TARGET AREA SAW A 19.9% DECREASE IN AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS AND A 66.7% DECREASE IN MURDERS OVER THOSE 54 MONTHS. THE SECOND WARD SAW ALSO SAW A 50% DECREASE IN MURDERS, BUT IN THAT PARTICULAR TARGET AREA, WE CONTINUE TO SEE AN INCREASE IN AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS, A 14.73% INCREASE OVER THOSE 54 MONTHS, AND JEFF OR CAN CAN COMMENT A LITTLE BIT ON PERHAPS THE REASON FOR THAT. JUST TO BREAK THAT DOWN, THIS IS A LOOK AT THE FIRST WARD TARGET AREA OVER THE PAST 54 MONTHS, UP THROUGH THE END OF JUNE 2025, AND YOU SEE THAT THE THE DECREASE IN AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS IS IS SIGNIFICANT MURDERS THERE HAVE DECREASED, AS I SAID BEFORE, BY 66.7%. IT'S THE SECOND WARD. THERE'S BEEN A SLIGHT INCREASE. BUT THE ONE ENCOURAGING THING IS MURDERS IN THE SECOND WARD TARGET AREA HAVE DECREASED BY 50% OVER THOSE 54 MONTHS. THE INCREASE IS SOMETIMES WHERE TO MAKE SENSE OF. THAT IS DUE TO A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHIC IN THE SECOND WARD.AND LARGELY IT'S A DEMOGRAPHIC THAT INVOLVES PERSONS INVOLVED IN CRIME THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR TARGET AGE GROUP. THE THIRD WARD TARGET AREA HAS SEEN SINCE IT BEGAN IN THE 54 MONTHS AGO, 40.1% DECREASE IN MURDERS THERE HAVE ALSO DECREASED BY 50% OVER THE SAME PERIOD, UP THROUGH THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 2025. IF WE WERE TO JUST LOOK AT THE LAST THREE FISCAL YEARS, THIS IS WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE. THE DATA ARE MOVING DOWNWARD IN THE FIRST AND AND THIRD WARD TARGET AREAS AND SLIGHTLY UPWARD IN THE SECOND. THE ENCOURAGING PIECE ABOUT THE SECOND WARD IS THAT THE INCREASES HAVE GOTTEN HAVE DECREASED EACH MONTH SINCE MAY OF THIS YEAR. SO THE INCREASE IS A LITTLE DISCOURAGING, BUT THE AMOUNT OF INCREASE DECREASES EVERY MONTH.
YOU KNOW, YOU GOT THIS LAST SLIDE FIRST. THAT'S ONLY OKAY. YEP. SO PRETTY GOOD INFORMATION THAT YOU GUYS WILL SHARE WITH THERE. THANK YOU FOR FOR THE TEAM. THE URBAN LEAGUE IS ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE THE RELATIONSHIP AND THE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY TO HELP BE PART OF THE ANSWER TO DECREASE CRIME IN OUR COMMUNITY. WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO DO IS BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE LONG TERM CHANGE AND FIND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS AS WE'RE ABLE TO HELP MOVE THEM OUT OF THAT HIGH RISK CATEGORY. MODERATE RISK AND LOW RISK IN AND OUT. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY IS AROUND TO HELP SUPPORT AND CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE EMPLOYMENT, CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, HOUSING, STABLE HOMES, ETC. WHICH TALKS ABOUT THE SOCIAL, THE UNDERLYING SOCIO ECONOMIC INEQUALITIES THAT FUEL GUN VIOLENCE, ALL OF THOSE DISPARITIES. RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN INCARCERATED AND HAVE BEEN IN LIVES OF THAT HAVE HAD VIOLENCE AND GUN VIOLENCE. THEY CITE THOSE FACTORS AS CONTRIBUTORS TO THEM BEING GOING DOWN A PATH THAT THAT THAT INVOLVED GUN VIOLENCE. WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO ENGAGE, MOBILIZE, EMPOWER YOUTH IN OUR COMMUNITY. THIS IS THE THIS THESE ARE MY FIVE E'S RIGHT HERE. SO YOU GOT THEM RIGHT THERE. ENTHUSIASM, EFFORT, EXECUTION EXCELLENCE. AND THEN CONTINUING TO EVOLVE. WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY. MR. RIDGEWAY TALKED ABOUT THE YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE.
[00:15:05]
YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE ONE THING I'VE HEARD CONSISTENTLY OVER THE LAST COUPLE THREE YEARS IS WHEN PEOPLE RUN INTO ME AND SAY, OH, YOU'RE THE YOU'RE THE PRESIDENT, CEO OF URBAN LEAGUE.KIDS DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO. KIDS DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO. KIDS DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO.
MY FORMER MY FORMER NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR WHEN I WAS A KID WAS HIS NAME WAS SERGEANT OR I CALLED HIM MR. BOOKER. BUT SERGEANT BOOKER, HE WAS AN EARLY HE WAS AN EARLY PERSON WITHIN THE MINORITY BLACK MAN WITHIN THE POLICE FORCE. THAT WAS A SERGEANT ONE. AND I LEARNED FROM HIS SONS LATER THAT HE WAS VERY INFLUENTIAL BACK IN THE 50S AND 60S OF MAKING SURE THAT KIDS WERE GETTING INTO USING BOXING AS A, AS AN ALTERNATIVE IN VIOLENCE.
AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SO MANY RESOURCES. WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO TALKING WITH SOMEBODY ABOUT A RUGBY LEAGUE, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING CONNECTED BACK TO EDUCATION AND GROWING OUT AND GETTING MORE OF OUR STUDENTS ON THE HONOR ROLL SO THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO HAVE THAT, THEY'RE ABLE TO SEE A PATH OUTSIDE OF GUN VIOLENCE. SO WE'RE THE WORK IS DOING GOING GREAT. WE'RE WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING THAT. AND WE WANT TO EMBRACE THE CONTINUED EMBRACE OF THE CITY, AS WELL AS OTHER PARTNERS AROUND THE CITY THAT NEED TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS WORK. AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANY QUESTIONS? YEAH. MR. YEAH, A BIT OF AN INTRODUCTORY QUESTION, BUT I MEAN, MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS, I THINK THIS IS FANTASTIC THAT WE'RE TAKING A PREVENTION APPROACH TO VIOLENCE. IT'S A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH, WHICH IS FANTASTIC. I ALSO LOVE THAT IT'S DATA DRIVEN. SO WHAT I'M MOST CURIOUS ABOUT IS WHAT IS THE FIRST POINT OF CONTACT FOR CANDIDATES WHO WOULD BE A FIT FOR THIS PROGRAM? HOW ARE YOU REACHING OUT TO THEM? WHAT IS THAT FIRST IMPRESSION LOOK LIKE? SO SOME OF THE FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE REFERRALS FROM OTHER KIDS THAT ARE WITHIN THE WITHIN THE SYSTEM SCHOOL DISTRICTS. WE ALSO HAVE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER, SO WE GET REFERRALS FROM THERE. WE HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PAROLE PROBATION OFFICERS. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE FIRST AREAS THAT PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO. AND THEN THROUGH OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS, WE HAVE MOMS THAT WILL BRING THEIR MOMS THAT WILL BRING THEIR THEIR SONS OR THEIR NEPHEWS UP HERE AND SAY, HEY, YOU GOT CAN YOU GUYS HELP US? SO THEY'RE THEY'RE VERY APPROACHABLE, BUT THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THE MORE INSTITUTIONAL ONES. ONE ADDITIONAL. OUR VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS ARE IN THE COMMUNITY. THEY CANVASS THE STREETS, THEY ARE THERE ENGAGING WITH WHOEVER THEY FEEL FROM THEIR FROM THEIR BASED ON THEIR CREDIBILITY AND THEIR INTEREST IN THOSE COMMUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH THEM, TO STOP VIOLENCE BEFORE IT OCCURS. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THEY DO, ALONG WITH ALL THE THINGS THAT MR. BROWN MENTIONED. SO WE'RE ACTUALLY IN THE COMMUNITY ON THE STREETS EVERY SINGLE DAY THAT THEY WORK. THANK YOU. YOU'RE TAKING A VERY RELATIONAL APPROACH TO IT, AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF CREDIBILITY. AND THAT'S FANTASTIC.
ABSOLUTELY. THANKS, JEFF. JEFF OBVIOUSLY WORKS A LOT MORE CLOSELY. BUT YEAH, THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT. AND I SAY THANK YOU. THAT'S A VERY CRITICAL PART OF IT IS HAVING PEOPLE IN WITHIN THE COMMUNITY. WHEN I ASKED CURE VIOLENCE GLOBAL, HOW DO THEY ESPOUSE THEIR THE VIOLENCE REDUCTIONS? THEY BASICALLY IS WHAT THEY SAID WAS TIME IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO YES. THANKS, JEFF, FOR BRINGING THAT TO OUR ATTENTION. SO I NOTICED THAT YOU SAID YOU GOT ABOUT 300 AND MAYBE YOU DIDN'T. I'M NOT SURE. YOU SAID INTERACTIONS THAT LED TO MEDIATION. SO YOU'RE NOT SAYING YOU DID 300 MEDIATIONS, BUT CAN YOU SPEAK A LITTLE MORE TO THAT? IS THAT A DID YOU USE THE CENTER FOR MEDIATION? LIKE, AND WHEN YOU'RE DOING MEDIATION, WHAT DOES THAT EXACTLY LOOK LIKE. AND THEN ALSO LIKE HOW DID YOU IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE WHO NEEDED MEDIATION? WAS THERE A POLICE REPORT THAT TRIGGERED IT? IN GENERAL? NO, MAYOR, THAT'S NOT IT'S NOT GENERATED BY THE POLICE REPORT. IT'S GENERATED BY THE RELATIONSHIPS. THAT'S ALREADY BEEN BEEN ESTABLISHED. FOR INSTANCE, WHEN WE KNOW SOMEONE'S COMING HOME FROM PRISON, A LOT OF TIMES THERE'S BEEFS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SETTLED YET. WE ARE ENGAGED WITH MEDIATING THAT, MAKING SURE WE SIT DOWN WITH ALL PARTIES TO STOP SOMETHING FROM HAPPENING.
DO WE DO IT? DOES IT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME? NO, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF TIMES THAT WE HAVE AND THAT'S IN THAT NUMBER ANOTHER TIME, OTHER TIMES IS WHEN TWO GAMES, WHEN SOMETHING HAPPENED BETWEEN TWO GROUPS OF PEOPLE ARE UPSET OR IF THEY'RE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEY'RE COMMUNICATING, WE ENGAGE THEM TO SIT DOWN AND MEDIATE ANOTHER WAY TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS OTHER THAN GUN VIOLENCE. SO THAT'S ALSO IN THOSE NUMBERS. AND IT HAPPENS ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE YEAR. AND AGAIN, THESE ARE NUMBERS THAT YOU JUST WON'T SEE. AND HOW THESE NUMBERS REPORTED, THEY REPORTED WITHIN THE CURE VIOLENCE GLOBAL CALM CARE SOFTWARE SYSTEM OKAY. DID THEY GET TRAINED. YES. AND AND OF COURSE THEY GET TRAINED FROM CURE VIOLENCE ON MEDIATION AND ALSO HOW TO REPORT THAT INFORMATION IN THE CARE SYSTEM, IF I CAN ADD ONE THING TO THAT. SO THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND THE CONCEPT OF HOW CURE VIOLENCE
[00:20:01]
WOULD WORK AND WHY WE SELECTED CURE VIOLENCE WAS THAT WE HAD VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS. THESE WERE CREDIBLE MESSENGERS WHO ARE CLOSELY CONNECTED TO COMMUNITY. SO THE WAY THE INFORMATION COMES IN IS THROUGH THOSE CLOSE CONNECTIONS. SO BECAUSE THE VIOLENCE INTERRUPTERS ARE CANVASING ON A REGULAR BASIS, THEY HAVE RELATIONSHIPS WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO ESSENTIALLY GET WORD OF THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AND THEN HAVE THOSE SIT DOWNS TO DO THE MEDIATION. SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS, AND MAYBE THIS IS FOR YOUR STATISTICIAN, BUT WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS A BROAD DROP IN CRIME NATIONWIDE, LIKE EVERY URBAN CORE, HAS HAD A DROP. SO HOW DO THESE PERCENTAGES RELATE TO NATIONAL STATISTICS? I MEAN, I, I JUST PULLED UP NEW YORK AND IT LOOKS LIKE THEY HAD A 50% DROP IN MURDER IN THE LAST YEAR.NOT IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS. SO ARE WE ARE WE BEATING COMPARABLE CITY TRENDS? ARE WE BEHIND COMPARABLE CITY TRENDS FOR THIS, FOR THIS PERIOD, FOR THIS PERIOD OF FISCAL YEAR 2025? I'M JUST HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE GRAND RAPIDS MURDERS FOR THAT PERIOD WERE DOWN 45% OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS. NO, OVER THE LAST FOR THE FOUR YEARS. YES. OKAY. AND THEN AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS WERE DOWN 4.68%. YEAH, I SAW THAT. BUT THE QUESTION IS DO YOU HAVE ANY NATIONAL BENCHMARKING? WE DO, BUT I DON'T HAVE THEM WITH ME NOW. OKAY. THANKS. AND HOW ARE YOU ATTRIBUTING THAT TO THE MEASURES AND QUALITIES OF YOUR PROGRAM. CAN WE SO HOW IS THAT BEING MEASURED IN THAT REGARD. SURE. SO THE THING ABOUT CURE VIOLENCE, IT'S NOT A SINGULAR SOLUTION. WE RECOGNIZE THAT IT IS THE GLOBAL APPROACH OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS THAT COME TOGETHER TO REDUCE VIOLENCE IN COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE WORK THAT'S DONE BY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND NEIGHBORS, INDIVIDUALLY, OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, AND OF COURSE, THE WORK THAT'S DONE BY CURE CURE VIOLENCE AS WELL. SO WE CANNOT SAY VIOLENCE IS ONLY REDUCED BECAUSE OF CURE VIOLENCE. HOWEVER, THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE BY CURE VIOLENCE, IN ADDITION TO WHAT'S HAPPENING ACROSS OTHER AREAS OF COMMUNITY, HELP TO REDUCE THE VIOLENCE. IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN GET A BREAKDOWN OF THOSE OTHER 4000 INTERACTIONS OR WHAT HAVE YOU, BASED UPON EACH EACH WARD, YOU KNOW, JUST TO SEE. OH, AND THEN ALSO, WHAT'S THE CURRENT STAFFING LOOKING LIKE FOR FOR YOUR PARTICULAR PROGRAM? WE CAN GET THE BREAKDOWN BY WARD, I'M SURE. AND THEN STAFFING I'LL TURN YOU OFF STAFFING. CURRENTLY WE HAVE WE HAVE A STAFF OF 11. WHEN WE HAVE FULL FTE. WE HAVE A SITE DIRECTOR, PROGRAM MANAGER, WE HAVE A SITE SUPERVISOR. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE BEEN ADDED AT THE SUPERVISORY LEVEL. WE HAVE A FULL TIME PERSON THAT HAS MENTAL HEALTH BACKGROUND.
THEY'RE TRAINED IN MENTAL HEALTH TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH NOT ONLY WITH OUR STAFF, BECAUSE WITH CREDIBLE MESSENGERS THEY NEED TO BE THEY NEED TO BE HEALTHY, MENTALLY BE ABLE TO WORK WITH FOLKS THAT COME OUT OF SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS. AND THEN WE HAVE A STREET TEAM OF EIGHT. SO FIVE, EXCUSE ME, FOUR INTERRUPTERS AND THEN FOUR OUTREACH SPECIALIST. SO YEAH, THAT'S THAT. THAT'S WHAT THE CURRENT STAFFING LOOKS LIKE RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. AND WE DEFINITELY WILL GET THAT OTHER INFORMATION BROKEN DOWN BY WARD. THE ONE ONE THING I DO WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS THAT SOME OF WE HAVE WE WE WE TALK ABOUT THE TARGET AREAS BECAUSE WE CAN LOOK AT HOW CRIME HAS DECREASED ACROSS THE CITY IN ENTIRETY, AND THEN WE CAN COMPARE THAT TO OTHERS, BUT SPECIFICALLY WITH THOSE DEEP DIVES BEING GO INTO THOSE TARGET AREAS. WE STARTED OFF IN THIRD WARD, DOUBLE DIGIT SUCCESS OUT THE GATE. WE'RE ASKED TO EXPAND TO THE SECOND AND THIRD WARD BECAUSE THAT THAT WAS WE WAS REFLECTIVE THAT WHEN WE SPENT TIME IN THOSE TARGETED AREAS, IT WAS DEFINITELY THERE WAS A CORRELATION, NOT A CAUSE AND EFFECT, BUT A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TIME THAT WE SPENT IN THOSE COMMUNITIES TO THE DECREASE IN CRIME. AGAIN, AS MR. DAVIS SAID, ONE OF MANY OF DOING OPERATIONS. BUT IF YOU LOOK AT SPECIFICALLY THOSE TARGET AREAS THERE. I JUST WANTED TO RESPOND TO OUR COMMENT ON THE OBSERVATION EARLIER ABOUT THE NATIONAL TRENDS IN CRIME AND VIOLENT CRIME, PARTICULARLY. AND I THINK YOU WE'VE ALL SEEN A REDUCTION SINCE COVID IN GENERAL, BUT THERE STILL ARE COMMUNITIES WHO ARE HAVING INCREASES IN HOMICIDE. HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT. MILWAUKEE, LITTLE ROCK, VIRGINIA BEACH. THEY'RE ALL SEEING HIGHER TRENDS THIS YEAR, 2025 THAN LAST YEAR. AND PREVIOUSLY, THERE ARE OTHER COMMUNITIES THAT SAW AN INCREASE IN 2024. SO I THINK THE GOOD NEWS IS, YES, WE ARE ALIGNING, I THINK, WITH THE MAJORITY OF COMMUNITIES, AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO DO EVERYTHING THAT WE CAN, BOTH FROM A LAW ENFORCEMENT, LAW ENFORCEMENT, ADJACENT NEIGHBORHOODS TO CONTINUE THIS KIND OF COLLECTIVE IMPACT WORK TO DRIVE VIOLENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY, SIR. AND WITH THAT CITY MANAGER, I DID WANT TO MENTION THAT CURE VIOLENCE IS ONE OF THE APPROACHES WE TAKE AS AN ORGANIZATION, AS A CITY, TO ADDRESS THAT CIVILIAN SIDE OF VIOLENCE REDUCTION. WE
[00:25:01]
RECENTLY HIRED LETICIA LIPSCOMB, WHO'S WITH US TODAY AS WELL, AND SHE IS OUR CIVILIAN VIOLENCE INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION MANAGER. AND SHE WORKS NOT ONLY WITH CURE VIOLENCE, BUT ALSO ON THE REMAINDER OF THE STRATEGY, WAYS THAT WE CAN PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO DRIVE VIOLENCE. NOW, YEAH, I THINK I DON'T WANT TO GET TOO DEEP INTO IT. BUT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE MULTI AXIS POSITIVE THEORIES, IT'S VERY, VERY HARD TO DISAGGREGATE AND ATTRIBUTE A SPECIFIC CAUSE TO A SPECIFIC INTERVENTION, WHICH AT THE END MEANS I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO BE CLEAR EYED THAT SOME OF THIS IS A SOCIOLOGICAL NARRATIVE JUSTIFICATION AND NOT A DATA JUSTIFICATION, BECAUSE YOU SIMPLY CAN'T FIND CAUSE AND EFFECT HERE AS CLEANLY AS WE MIGHT EXPECT. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DON'T DOUBT YOU'RE WORKING IN THE SECOND WARD, BUT THE NUMBERS AREN'T LOOKING GOOD. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THE WHETHER THE THE WORK IS WORTH DOING. AND I THINK THERE YOU CAN COME DOWN TO THE QUESTION OF IS THIS AN ARE THESE ANTI-VIOLENCE? ARE THEY TARGETED AT INTERRUPTING THE THE ROOT CAUSES? ARE YOU ARE YOU BEING CAREFUL TO, YOU KNOW, TARGET HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS? AND SO FOR EXAMPLE, I MEAN I APPLAUD THAT. AND I THINK THAT'S ALL. BUT I THINK WE GOT TO BE WE GOT TO BE. THIS IS NOT JUST A OH WE HAVE DATA.THIS IS ALSO WE HAVE A NARRATIVE THEORY. SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE YOU KNOW, THE GENTLEMAN WHO WHO NOW, I MEAN, I ACTUALLY MET HIM AT A, AT A NEIGHBORHOOD FUNCTION WHERE HE WAS SELLING ART. AND THAT'S GREAT. AND WE DON'T NEED HIM TO GO COMMIT A CRIME SO WE CAN PROVE THAT HE NEEDS TO HAVE A PATH TO SUCCESS. RIGHT? WE NEED TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE WHO WE KNOW NEED SOME HOPE AND NEED NEED A PATH IN THE FUTURE. AND YOU KNOW, A LOT OF OUR CITY PROGRAMING IS BASED NOT ON, OH, YOU DID SOMETHING BAD. SO NOW WE'LL INTERVENE. BUT ON I MEAN, THE CITY MANAGER'S WORK, FOR EXAMPLE, ON SIMPLE, SIMPLE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND, YOU KNOW, SIMPLY GETTING PEOPLE THINGS TO DO AT NIGHT IN, IN THE CITY, THOSE ARE BASED ON SOME BASIC NARRATIVES. THEY'RE NOT BASED ON DATA THAT'S BASED ON IT MAKES SENSE THAT YOU WANT KIDS TO BE ABLE TO NOT GET IN TROUBLE AT NIGHT. LIKE WE'VE EVERYONE UP HERE WAS A TEENAGER AT ONE POINT. NONE OF US ARE TEENAGERS ANYMORE. BUT SO SOME OF IT IS SIMPLY COMMON SENSE NARRATIVE WHAT AGE DRIVES BE. AND WE CAN INTUITIVELY SEE THAT. SO, MISS JAMES, YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING, I THOUGHT, YES, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU GUYS AT URBAN LEAGUE FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND ALL THE COMMUNITY SUPPORT THAT YOU PROVIDE. I WAS ASKING ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY. I SEE THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND HOW IT'S TRENDING UPWARD. WITH THE FUNDING CUTS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING NATIONWIDE, HOW OTHER THAN CITY OF GR, HOW IS FUNDING SET UP TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS IN THE LONG RUN? WELL, I'LL START WITH THE FACT THAT CURRENTLY WE HAVE A FEDERAL GRANT WHICH HAS NOT BEEN CUT, THANKFULLY, BUT WE HAVE A FEDERAL GRANT, WHICH WE WHICH IS ALLOWING US TO SUPPORT CURE VIOLENCE. CURRENTLY, OUR PORTION OF THAT, IN FACT, THERE WAS AN ITEM THIS MORNING AT THE FISCAL COMMITTEE WHERE WITH PAST FISCAL COMMITTEE AND HOPEFULLY IT PASSES TONIGHT. BUT WHERE WE WERE CONTRACTING WITH CURE VIOLENCE AT THE RATE OF $750,000 FOR NEXT YEAR'S PROGRAMING AS WELL. THANK YOU.
AND THEN JUST FROM THE OVERALL STANDPOINT ON THE FISCAL PART OF IT, THE CITY HAS INCREASED THAT INVESTMENT OVER THE TIME HERE, AND WE'VE BEEN VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT, AND IT FUNDS MOST OF IT. BUT WE STILL THERE THERE STILL NEEDS TO BE SOME FUNDRAISING THAT'S DONE OUTSIDE. SO TO HAVE A COMPLETE, ROBUST PROGRAM, WHAT I WANTED TO KNOW FOR. SO FOR CONTINUED GROWTH YOU WOULD NEED AN INCREASE IN FUNDING. WELL, WHAT THE CITY HAS GIVEN US RIGHT NOW IS KEEPING US GOING, BUT TO HAVE A FULL BLOWN PROGRAM, WE WE'RE GOING TO CIRCLE BACK WITH SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT ORIGINALLY FUNDED THE PILOT AND SEE WHAT WHAT THEIR INTEREST IS.
THIS IS IMPORTANT AS WELL. MAYOR, IF I COULD JUST REMIND, INFORM AND REMIND SOME THAT WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROGRAM, I REMEMBER THE FIRST YEAR WE HAD $50,000 AND WE REALLY HAD TO LEVERAGE MORE PRIVATE FUNDING THAN PUBLIC FUNDING. AND AT THE TIME, CALDWELL WAS ONE OF THE FIRST IN TERMS OF FUNDING 300,000, $300,000 AT THE TIME. AND THEN WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO GET SOME LEVERAGE, FEDERAL FUNDING, STATE FUNDING. AND I THINK IN THE, YOU KNOW, WITH THE STATE BUDGET, WE ALSO HAVE SOME RESOURCES THAT WE NEED A PROGRAM AROUND VIOLENCE PREVENTION IN THE FUTURE. THANKS. SO THANK YOU ALL. GO AHEAD. IF YOU WANT TO SAY ONE MORE THING, I'D LIKE TO RESPOND TO A COUPLE OF COMMENTS, MAYOR, THAT YOU HAD. SO ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU SAID, HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS, WHEN WE HAVE THE FLAG FOOTBALL, THERE WASN'T HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS. IT WAS PEOPLE OUTSIDE OUR TARGET AGE GROUP, 6 TO 13. AND THE IDEA WAS TAKE SEVEN. IT WAS 750 PEOPLE, FAMILY MEMBERS AND CHILDREN WHO LEARN HOW TO PLAY FLAG FOOTBALL. BUT WE ALSO DID CONFLICT RESOLUTION. WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY, INTEGRITY AND ALL THESE THINGS. SO WHEN WILL WE SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT? MAYBE NOT RIGHT AWAY, BUT WE ARE ENGAGING THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. IN ADDITION, WHEN CITY VIBES WAS GOING ON ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS FOR THOSE EIGHT WEEKS DURING THE SUMMER, THERE WERE NO VIOLENCE
[00:30:05]
AMONG THAT TARGET GROUP OF 14 TO 24. SO IF WE ENGAGE THESE CHILDREN, THESE YOUNG ADULTS, THEY TYPICALLY WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO DO OTHER THINGS. AND WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD TO DO THAT. THAT'S WHERE ADDITIONAL FUNDING CAN COME IN, BECAUSE WE'RE ONLY EQUIPPED TO DO TO WORK WITH THOSE HIGH RISK INDIVIDUALS. WHAT I'VE ASKED MY TEAM TO DO IS WORK OVER TIME, TO DO THESE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. IT'S GREAT. AND THANKS FOR THE WORK. I KNOW IT'S YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S ANYTHING THAT'S IN AS IN THE WEEDS IS THAT CAN BE STRESSFUL AT TIMES I'M SURE AND REALLY, REALLY APPRECIATE IT. AND I'M SO GLAD. I MEAN, WE HAVE A YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PIECE OF A GLOBAL QUESTION OF LIKE, HOW DO WE HAVE A PEACEFUL COMMUNITY? SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, FOR THAT WORK. IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE THAT WE TRY TO BUILD THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM[2. Amplified Sound and Medical Facility Update]
IN GRAND RAPIDS. SO APPRECIATE IT. SO IF I THINK WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT AGENDA ITEM, AND THAT IS DISCUSSION OF A POTENTIAL ORDINANCE FOR. RESPONSE OR BETTER MODELING POTENTIALLY AROUND AMPLIFIED SOUND, AROUND MEDICAL FACILITIES. AND SO I HAVE THIS ITEM. I'M HAPPY TO STEP DOWN TO THE PODIUM IF THAT MAKES MORE SENSE. OR I CAN ADVANCE THE SLIDES FROM HERE. IF YOU SET UP HERE, WE CAN PRETEND YOU'RE SIX FOOT SIX. WELL, I WILL START OFF AND RECOGNIZE SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS CONVERSATION FOR A VERY LONG TIME. WE HAVE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS IN THE AUDIENCE. I KNOW THAT THEY'VE SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS FOR THE CLERK TO CONSIDER. THEY HAVE BEEN NOTHING BUT PATIENT AND KIND AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE COMPLEXITIES THAT SURROUND THIS ISSUE. AND SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I SUSPECT YOU'LL SEE COMMUNICATIONS FROM TOM SINUS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN THEIR THOUGHTS ON THIS ITEM, BECAUSE THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THIS ITEM COMES FROM. WHENEVER THE CITY ATTORNEY IS PRESENTING AN ITEM, YOU KNOW THAT IT'S A CHALLENGING NEEDLE TO THREAD, THAT THERE ARE SOME COMPLEXITIES INVOLVED IN IT AND THAT THERE'S SOME CONCERNS THAT MAYBE STAFF HAS WITH SOME OF THE CONCEPTS AND MAYBE THE PRIORITIZATION, THAT THIS IS NOT DRIVEN BY STAFF. THERE'S NOT A STAFF RECOMMENDATION COMING TO YOU RIGHT NOW, BUT OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND SOME OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS FROM THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING, WE'VE BROUGHT THIS AND KIND OF PARKED IT HERE IN PUBLIC SAFETY, BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE TO DO WITH PUBLIC SAFETY ORDINANCE AND HOW WE PRIORITIZE CERTAIN COMMUNITY CONCERNS AS WELL AS WHAT UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES MIGHT RESULT FROM ORDINANCE CHANGES RELATED TO POLICE CONTACTS AND HOW WE'RE POLICING OUR COMMUNITY. SO SOME BACKGROUND, WE'VE HAD COMPLAINTS. I SEE DEPUTY CHIEF MAYCROFT IN THE AUDIENCE, TOO. HE AND I, AT LEAST SINCE MY TIME HERE, HAVE TRIED TO TROUBLESHOOT THIS FROM AN ENFORCEMENT AND A RESPONSIVE WAY DATING BACK TO 2023 AND PRIOR, WHERE MOST OF OUR COMPLAINTS AROUND AMPLIFIED SOUND AND MEDICAL FACILITIES WERE GENERATED AROUND FULTON STREET. AS YOU MAY KNOW, THERE WAS A WOMEN'S HEALTH CARE CLINIC THERE, AND THERE'S RESIDENCES AND NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND THAT PARTICULAR BUILDING THAT NO LONGER IS IS OPERATING IN THE SAME WAY. SINCE THAT BUSINESS CLOSED DOWN, THE NOISE IN QUESTION OR THE THE COMPLAINT ABOUT CONDUCT HAS SHIFTED IN OUR COMMUNITY DOWN TO THE CHERRY STREET NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE HERITAGE HILL NEIGHBORHOOD. AND THAT WAS NEW ACTIVITY TO A CERTAIN EXTENT FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND SO WE STARTED TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE GOOD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE NEIGHBORS AND THE BUSINESSES ABOUT THE CHALLENGES WITH ENFORCEMENT. OFTENTIMES, POLICE WERE OUT MONITORING OTHER, MAYBE HIGHER EMERGENT SITUATIONS AND DIDN'T ALLOW THEM TO RESPOND AS QUICKLY. WHEN THEY DID RESPOND, THE NOISE WAS EITHER DIFFERENT OR MAYBE THE PEOPLE WERE GONE THAT WERE ORIGINALLY MAKING THE NOISE. AND SO THERE HAS HISTORICALLY BEEN, WHETHER IT'S FULTON OR CHERRY STREET, CHALLENGES WITH ENFORCING NOISE COMPLAINTS HERE AND ELSEWHERE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY. THE ADDITIONAL ISSUE IS FIRST AMENDMENT CONSIDERATIONS. WHENEVER WE'RE REGULATING PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO ASSEMBLE OR SPEAK IN PUBLIC SPACES. THERE'S A NOD TO THE FIRST AMENDMENT IN A RESPECT FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT THAT HAS TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION. IT'S NOT A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT. THAT IS WITHOUT REGULATION ABILITIES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CERTAINLY HOLD NEAR AND DEAR HERE IN GRAND RAPIDS. WHETHER IT'S FREE[00:35:03]
SPEECH AT CALDER PLAZA OR AT THE COURTHOUSE OR OTHER PLACES, IF WE'RE GOING TO REGULATE AMPLIFIED SOUND, WE HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT HOW WE DO THAT, TO MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT INVITING LITIGATION FROM PEOPLE AND POTENTIAL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS. WE TOOK THIS TOPIC TO THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE, AND THEY SUGGESTED THAT WHILE THEY RECEIVED THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS AND AND WERE MAYBE OPEN TO FURTHER CONVERSATIONS, THEY REALLY WANTED TO HEAR FROM A BROADER REPRESENTATION OF THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY. SO I WORKED WITH DOCTOR RILEY MONKOVIC FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, TO HOST A VIRTUAL LISTENING SESSION. WE INVITED EVERYONE FROM THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY THAT WE HAD CONTACTS TO, AND WE ALSO CREATED A SURVEY DESIGNED TO TO GAUGE THEIR VIEW OF THE ISSUE AND ALSO THEIR OPINIONS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT ADDITIONAL ORDINANCE CHANGES WOULD BE HELPFUL TO THEM. THE MAJOR THEMES THAT CAME OUT OF THAT, FIRST OF ALL, THERE WERE FOUR ADDITIONAL MEDICAL FACILITIES THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE LISTENING SESSION AND RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY. THE MAIN THEMES WERE THAT THEY HAD LITTLE EXPERIENCE THAT WOULD CAUSE THEM TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT AMPLIFIED SOUND AT THEIR FACILITIES, BUT THEY WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELL-BEING OF THEIR EMPLOYEES AND THEIR CLIENTS.AND SO IN THAT VEIN, THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN AND POTENTIALLY SUPPORTIVE OF ORDINANCE CHANGES THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELL-BEING OF THEIR STAFF AND THEIR CLIENTS. THE QUESTION I HAVE TO TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE IS, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE PRIORITIZED AND CODIFIED WITHIN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS? I HAVE A COUPLE OF MORE SLIDES TO WALK THROUGH, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SOME STAFF CONCERNS ABOUT THIS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED IN THE CONTEMPLATION BEHIND THE SCENES, AND I JUST WANT TO LAY THOSE OUT FOR YOU TO TALK THROUGH, AND HOPEFULLY THAT'LL HELP YOU INFORM YOUR GUIDANCE TO US.
THIS IS WHAT OUR CURRENT PROHIBITED NOISE ORDINANCE SAYS AROUND AMPLIFIED SOUND, THAT NO PERSON SHALL OPERATE ANY DEVICE CREATING AMPLIFIED SOUND ON A PUBLIC OR PRIVATE RIGHT OF WAY THAT IS LOUDER THAN AVERAGE CONVERSATIONAL LEVEL AT A DISTANCE OF 100FT OR MORE, MEASURED VERTICALLY AND HORIZONTALLY, THERE'S A LONG LEGAL LINE OF ANALYSIS AND CASES THAT HELP INFORM OUR CURRENT NOISE ORDINANCE. THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH OUR OLD NOISE ORDINANCE THAT RELATED TO SOUND COMING FROM BUSINESSES. THERE IS CHALLENGES WITH MEASURING SOUND RELATED TO DECIBELS, AND THE SCIENCE BEHIND MEASURING SOUND. WE'VE HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SOUND COMING FROM CERTAIN TYPES OF ACTIVITIES THAT IS JUST INHERENTLY CHALLENGING TO MEASURE BECAUSE OF SOUND THAT IS BEING MADE ELSEWHERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WHEN I HAVE VISITED THIS PARTICULAR SPOT ON CHERRY STREET, SOMETIMES THE LEAF BLOWERS AND THE LAWNMOWERS WERE LOUDER THAN THE AMPLIFIED SOUND, AND OTHER TIMES THE AMPLIFIED SOUND WAS TRULY NUISANCE LEVEL THAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE OFFENSIVE TO TO TO A REASONABLE PERSON STANDARD. SO THOSE SORTS OF CHALLENGES EXIST WITH MEASURING SOUND, REGARDLESS OF WHAT OUR ORDINANCE SAYS. SPECIAL EVENTS, PROTESTS AND PICKETING EVENTS, YOU CAN GET EXEMPT FROM OUR NOISE ORDINANCE THROUGH PERMITTING. AND THERE'S ALSO THE ABILITY TO MAKE SOUND AND GATHER AND ASSEMBLE WITHOUT USING AMPLIFIED SOUND THAT, I GUESS, ENSHRINES THE FIRST AMENDMENT FREE SPEECH THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. TIME, PLACE, AND MANNER CONSIDERATIONS ARE ACCEPTABLE. PROTESTING AND PICKETING ARE GENERALLY PROTECTED, BUT THIS IDEA OF AMPLIFIED SOUND IN CERTAIN SPACES IS SOMETHING THAT THE COURTS AND THE THE US SUPREME COURT HAS RECOGNIZED THAT YOU CAN REGULATE AMPLIFIED SOUND IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. THOSE ORDINANCES MUST BE APPLIED REASONABLY AND JUDICIOUSLY, THAT IF THERE ARE PRIOR RESTRAINTS ON SPEECH THAT DESERVES PARTICULARLY CLOSE SCRUTINY, HERE ARE SOME CONTENT NEUTRAL REGULATIONS. WE CAN'T TELL YOU WHETHER OR NOT YOU CAN OR CAN'T HOLD UP A DETROIT LIONS SIGN IN A CERTAIN SPACE, BUT THE WAY THAT YOU DO THAT AND SHARE THAT MESSAGE MIGHT BE SUBJECT TO REGULATION. SO, FOR EXAMPLE, THESE ARE SOME SENSITIVE PLACES IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT THE COURTS AND LAW HAS RECOGNIZED IS ALLOWING
[00:40:01]
FOR CONTENT NEUTRAL REGULATIONS. FOR EXAMPLE, POLLING LOCATIONS, MEDICAL FACILITIES, FUNERALS, SCHOOLS AND RESIDENCES. SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE, I GUESS, FAIR GAME FOR CONSIDERING NOISE ORDINANCE REGULATIONS ON AMPLIFIED SOUND. WE DID WORK WITH OUR ZONING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT TO TRY TO IDENTIFY WHERE OUR MEDICAL FACILITIES IN OUR COMMUNITY. YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY ARE PRETTY FAR REACHING ACROSS OUR GEOGRAPHY. THAT LITTLE MAP IN THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER IS OUR TOTALITY OF THE CITY JURISDICTION AND DOWNTOWN AREA IN GENERAL IS BLOWN UP HERE WITH THE CHERRY NEIGHBORHOOD MEDICAL FACILITY HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW. THIS IS ONE OF THE STAFF CONCERNS. MEDICAL FACILITY WITHIN OUR ZONING AND PLANNING CODE IS REALLY BROADLY DEFINED. AND SO FROM DENTIST OFFICES, I BELIEVE, TO OTHER CLINICS THAT ARE NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL HOSPITAL TYPE SITUATION, THOSE WOULD ALL LIKELY BE INCLUDED IF WE WERE TO BORROW THE DEFINITION OF HEALTHCARE FACILITY OR MEDICAL FACILITY FROM OUR ZONING CODE.TO DO A DIFFERENT DEFINITION WOULD MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT MORE CHALLENGING. NOT IMPOSSIBLE, BUT THAT WAS ONE OF THE STAFF CONCERNS THAT WAS RAISED. SO I'LL LET THE CITY MANAGER AND THE POLICE CHIEF AND THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF OVERSIGHT AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. BUT WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE THIS FELL IN STAFF'S PURVIEW OF PRIORITIZATION AND WHAT MIGHT THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES BE OF MORE POLICE RESPONSES TO SITUATIONS OF AMPLIFIED SOUND? THERE WERE CONCERNS THAT WERE RAISED. AND. THIS IS GENERALLY A CIVIL INFRACTION. IF YOU'RE A FIRST OFFENSE NOISE ORDINANCE VIOLATOR, IT'S A IT'S A TICKET. IF YOU CONTINUE TO BE A HABITUAL NOISE ORDINANCE OFFENDER, IT CAN GRADUATE UP TO A MISDEMEANOR FOR A THIRD OFFENSE, I BELIEVE. AND SO I KNOW THERE'S ONGOING CONVERSATION ABOUT THE WISDOM BEHIND THAT GRADUATED PENALTY, BUT POTENTIAL MISDEMEANORS IN THIS AREA IS SOMETHING THAT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY IS EXCITED ABOUT. WE DO SEE WHEN POLICE RESPOND TO A SITUATION, IF SOMEONE THINKS THEY KNOW THE LAW BETTER THAN THE POLICE OFFICERS, OFTENTIMES THOSE SITUATIONS CAN ESCALATE AND CAUSE UNNECESSARY CHARGES FOR FAILING TO OBEY OR RESISTING AND OBSTRUCTING. SO THOSE ARE SOME CONVERSATIONS STAFF HAS HAD. I'LL LET THEM ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT IT. THE LAW DEPARTMENT KIND OF STANDS BY READY TO DO THE WILL OF THE CITY COMMISSION AND HEAR FROM YOU AND DO ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IF NEEDED. BUT THOSE ARE SOME THINGS THAT WE WANTED YOU TO BE INFORMED ABOUT BEFORE GIVING ADDITIONAL DIRECTION. SO UNLESS I, I COULD BE WRONG. IS ANYBODY ELSE UP HERE BESIDES PHIL A LAWYER? OKAY, SO AS THE SECOND LAWYER HERE I'M GOING TO TAKE I'M GOING TO MAKE A COUPLE COUPLE FRAMING COMMENTS IF I CAN. SO I THINK THAT IN IN THE LEGAL FIELD, THERE'S THIS PHRASE THAT HARD CASES MAKE BAD LAW. SO I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT THAT THIS COMMISSION LOOKS AT THIS AS A POLICY THING AND NOT A WE HAVE A SPECIFIC PROBLEM AT THIS INTERSECTION THING. AND THE OTHER PROBLEM THAT THAT I ALWAYS TALK ABOUT FOR POLITICS IN GENERAL IS WE ALL HAVE A PHRASE THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW.
SO LEGISLATION AND POLICY CAN OFTEN COME OUT OF SOME WEIRD THING HAPPENS AND SOMEONE'S LIKE, THERE OUGHT TO BE A LAW, RIGHT? SO I REMEMBER A LEGISLATIVE COLLEAGUE OF MINE HAD WANTED TO HAVE A I WANTED TO HAVE A STATE LEGISLATION ON WHO GOT THE FAMILY CAT DURING A DIVORCE. AND LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF HIS FRIENDS HAD A PROBLEM WITH CAT CUSTODY LIKE THAT PROBABLY DOESN'T NEED TO RISE TO THE LEVEL OF SOMETHING THAT NEEDS STATE LEGISLATION.
SO I JUST WANT TO POINT OUT THAT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THERE'S A QUESTION HERE ABOUT HOW WE REGULATE THIS ISSUE OR WHETHER WE REGULATE THIS ISSUE. AND I THINK THAT THE CURRENT NOISE ORDINANCE WE HAVE, ROUGHLY SPEAKING, IS NECESSARY BUT NOT SUFFICIENT.
SO I THINK THAT HAVING THE NOISE ORDINANCE WE HAVE IS GOOD IN GENERAL, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR BUYING HIMSELF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST SOUND SYSTEM AND STARTING TO BLAST AC DC AT TWO IN THE MORNING IN A, YOU KNOW, WITHIN A HALF MILE RADIUS. AND SO THAT THE ORDINANCE WE HAVE IS A GENERAL BACKSTOP AGAINST LIKE MASSIVE OBNOXIOUSNESS IN THE COMMUNITY, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WAY TO PUT IT. I THINK WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING AMERICANS DON'T REALLY APPRECIATE AS OFTEN AS MAYBE THEY SHOULD LIKE, I THINK I HAVE A RIGHT TO NOT HAVE JET SKIS WAKE ME UP AT 2:00 IN THE
[00:45:01]
MORNING. IF I'M OUT ON A SMALL LAKE. I THINK I HAVE A RIGHT TO NOT HAVE HARLEY-DAVIDSONS WAKE ME UP AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING IF I COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. WE OFTEN THINK NO ONE'S GOING TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO, AND THAT MEANS I HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO STUFF IN THE PRIVATE, IN THE PUBLIC SPACE. AND I CAN JUST DO IT BECAUSE I CAN DO IT BECAUSE IT'S AMERICA.WELL, WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO PEACE AND QUIET, AND WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO GO ABOUT OUR LIVES IN A, IN A CIVIL SOCIETY. AND REALLY, THAT SEEMS TO ME TO BE THE QUESTION HERE. SO YEAH, THERE ARE ALWAYS FIRST AMENDMENT QUESTIONS WHENEVER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS. AND I AND THE REASON THAT I THOUGHT THAT A AMPLIFIED QUESTION MADE A LOT OF SENSE IS BECAUSE THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHETHER ANY GROUP OF 50 OR 100 OR TWO PEOPLE COULD STAND IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE AND SCREAM AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS, UNAMPLIFIED! THERE'S A NATURAL LIMIT TO HOW LONG THEY CAN DO THAT, BECAUSE THEY GET HOARSE. VOICES. AMPLIFICATION LETS YOU SUSTAIN THINGS INTO WAYS THAT CAN BE, YOU KNOW, WAY, WAY MORE INTRUSIVE. SO I ALSO KNOW THAT THAT AT LEAST THE CASE WE'RE THE PRESENTING INSTANCE HERE, MAYBE IN CASES, YOU KNOW, LEGAL CASES, YOU ALWAYS LIKE THIS THING HAPPENED AND THIS PERSON DOES THE COURT TAKE JURISDICTION. SO WE'RE SORT OF TAKING JURISDICTION OVER A QUESTION BECAUSE OF SPECIFIC PLACE WHERE THERE'S A PROBLEM. I WILL TELL YOU AT THAT PROBLEM, I KNOW THAT THOSE FOLKS FEEL NOE ORDINANCE DOESN'T WORK, BECAUSE WHEN THE POLICE COME OUT AND HAVE DECIBEL READERS, I DON'T HAVE A DECIBEL READER. HOW DO WE FIGURE THIS OUT? HOW DO WE KNOW THE ADVANTAGE OF SAYING AMPLIFIED OR UNAMPLIFIED IS THAT'S PRETTY CLEAR. LIKE, DO YOU HAVE A BULLHORN OR DON'T YOU? SO WE'RE NOT SITTING THERE MEASURING HOW LOUD SOMEBODY'S YELLING. WE'RE ASKING, DO YOU HAVE THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT THAT MAKES YOU REALLY, REALLY LOUD OR NOT? IF 500 PEOPLE WANTED TO GO PROTEST IN FRONT OF COWELL TOMORROW, THEY COULD DO THAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, THE AMPLIFICATION IS, I THINK, A FAIRLY GOOD SURGICAL WAY TO MITIGATE THE THE STRESS OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. AND I THINK THAT I'M A HUGE FAN OF OF TALKING ABOUT THIS IN TERMS OF MEDICAL FACILITIES. AND I JUST WANT TO NAME WE NOW HAVE A LIKE HEAD OF FEDERAL MEDICAL STUFF WHO DOESN'T BELIEVE IN VACCINES. WELL, WHAT IF WE HAD A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHO STARTED COMING TO CALDWELL AND AND YELLING THAT THEY DIDN'T WANT VACCINES, OR I RAN AGAINST SOMEBODY FOR STATE OFFICE ONCE WHO LITERALLY WAS RUNNING ON THE CAMPAIGN THAT WE SHOULDN'T HAVE ANY MEDICAL TREATMENT IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE EVERYONE IF EVERYONE JUST ATE THE BIBLICAL DIET, WE WOULDN'T HAVE ANY NEED FOR MEDICINE IN THE COMMUNITY. NOW, WHAT IF THAT GUY ORGANIZED A BUNCH OF PROTESTS AT CALDWELL AND SAID, EVERYONE SHOULD JUST BE EATING THE GRAINS THEY PRESCRIBED IN EZEKIEL AND NO ONE SHOULD GO GET CANCER TREATMENT? LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF HE WANTS TO COME YELL, THAT'S ONE THING. IF HE COMES WITH A BULLHORN AND STARTS TALKING ABOUT IT, STARTS CITING EZEKIEL OVER AND OVER AGAIN AT A CANCER TREATMENT CENTER. LIKE YOU CAN SEE, THAT'S NOT JUST GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT'D BE TRAUMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE GETTING CANCER CARE. AND WITH MEDICAL CARE, THERE'S A LOT OF THAT REALLY TIES TO SECRECY FOR A LOT OF US. RIGHT. LIKE WE DON'T WANT TO TALK WHEN SOMEBODY TELLS ME I HAD AN OPERATION, I NEVER SAY, OH, WHAT FOR? RIGHT? WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT OUR MEDICAL STUFF A LOT. IT'S VERY CLOSE TO OUR. SO IT'S IT'S REALLY DEEPLY, PRETTY CLOSELY CONNECTED, IT SEEMS TO ME TO OUR DESIRE TO BE LEFT ALONE. LIKE, DO I WANT TO GO GET TREATMENT FOR, YOU KNOW, A HERNIA SURGERY? WELL, WHILE RIDING THE GANTLET THROUGH AMPLIFIED SOUND, THAT THAT'S A REAL THING, RIGHT? AND IT'S DIFFERENT THAN, YOU KNOW, THAN WHETHER ELON MUSK HAS PROTESTS AT HIS CAR DEALERSHIP. RIGHT. LIKE I CAN WORK AROUND THAT. I DON'T BUY A TESLA, BUT I CAN'T WORK AROUND NEEDING MY HERNIA GETTING FIXED UNLESS I DON'T WANT TO GET MY HERNIA FIXED. SO I THINK THAT TYING IT TO HEALTH CARE CENTERS MAKES SENSE. SO I THINK PERSONALLY I'M JUST GOING TO I'M LEAVING. I KNOW ON THIS DISCUSSION, BUT I THINK THAT THIS IS REASONABLY TAILORED. I DON'T THINK IT I DON'T THINK IT POSES AN UNDUE BURDEN ON PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO MAKE THEIR FREE EXPRESSION UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT HAPPEN. I THINK THAT THIS PRESENTING PLACE, I WILL JUST TELL YOU GUYS, LIKE, I HEAR THIS A LOT, A BLOCK AND A HALF AWAY WHEN IT HAPPENS. I DON'T JUST HEAR IT WHEN I'M WALKING BY WHERE THESE FOLKS ARE USING AMPLIFIED SOUND. LIKE THAT AMPLIFIED SOUND REALLY DOES SPREAD. SO GIVEN THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AN ORDINANCE, I THINK THERE'S A SEPARATE QUESTION OF LIKE, IF WE HAVE AN ORDINANCE, WE'RE ALREADY TRYING TO MODERATE THIS, BUT IF IT'S NOT ENFORCEABLE, AN ORDINANCE IS NOT ENFORCEABLE. IT'S A BROKEN ORDINANCE. SO THE QUESTION IS, DO WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE IT BETTER? SO I JUST WANTED TO LAY ALL THOSE PARAMETERS OUT THERE BEFORE FOLKS WEIGH IN. SO YEAH, WE'RE GOING TO LOSE SOME PEOPLE AT ONCE. YEAH. YEAH. THIS IS BUT YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TEN MONTHS WAITING FOR THIS, SO I WANTED TO FRAME IT. SO MISS JAMES. YOU ASKED AT THE BEGINNING, WERE THERE ANY OTHER LAWYERS? SO I JUST WANTED TO ASK, ARE THERE ANY OTHER WOMEN ON THIS DAIS? NO. OKAY, SO AS A WOMAN WHO WOULD BE UTILIZING THAT FACILITY BECAUSE THAT IS
[00:50:02]
THE MOST OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE USING IT IN QUESTION, I THINK IT ALSO GOES INTO THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT IN ANY WAY THEY SEE FIT WITHOUT BEING HARASSED. AND OUR GREAT COMMUNITY LEADER, SAM SINUS OVER THERE GAVE I ASKED HIM FOR SOME EXAMPLES, AND I HAVE AN EXAMPLE HERE FROM THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO. AND IT IS TO THE POINT THAT YOU SAID MAYOR LA GRANDE. IT'S ABOUT USING THE AMPLIFIER. IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR ANY PERSON TO USE A SOUND AMPLIFIER IN A PUBLIC PLACE OR UPON ANY PUBLIC SIDEWALK, STREET, ALLEY, HIGHWAY, OR OTHER PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY OF A CITY WITHIN 100FT OF A HEALTH CARE FACILITY. DURING THE HOURS OF OPERATION. THIS DISTANCE IS MEASURED FROM THE PROPERTY LINE OF THE PROPERTY UPON WHICH THE HEALTH CARE FACILITY IS LOCATED. SO IT'S NOT YOU GUYS DON'T HAVE THAT. I WILL HAVE THAT EMAILED ALL TO YOU, BUT IT'S NOT MEASURING THE DECIBELS, IT IS MEASURING THE FEET. AND IF YOU HAVE AN AMPLIFIER OR NOT, AND THAT IS ENFORCEABLE. AND THEN IT ALSO THEY HAVE A SUBSECTION THAT, YOU KNOW, LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENT CAN. BUT THE CITY OF DETROIT WENT EVEN FURTHER. THEY SAID NO PERSON WITHIN 100FT OR RADIUS OR ANY ENTRANCE DOOR TO A HEALTH CARE FACILITY SHALL KNOWINGLY APPROACH WITHIN EIGHT FEET OF ANOTHER PERSON. THEY HAVE A PERSONAL BUBBLE ZONE AROUND THAT INDIVIDUAL AND THEN 100FT FOR AMPLIFIERS AS WELL. SO THERE ARE OTHER THERE ARE OTHER CITIES WORKING ON THIS. YES. SO THERE IS WE CAN MAKE OUR ORDINANCE BETTER TO PROTECT THE WOMEN OR, OR ANY PERSONS WHO ARE UTILIZING THOSE FACILITIES.THAT'S ALL GREAT. ANY OTHER INPUT HERE? I'LL JUST SAY, AS ONE WHO ACTUALLY WORKED IN FAMILY PLANNING FOR TEN YEARS PRIOR TO CURRENT LOCATION THAT I'M IN AND ACTUALLY NOW CURRENTLY. WORKING IN HERITAGE HILL AREA, AND TO HEAR THE CAPACITY IN WHICH OUR OUR SISTER LIFTED UP AND OTHER CITIES ARE WORKING ON THESE, YOU KNOW, THESE CAPACITIES, WE HAVE TO ALSO LOOK AT THE WORKERS THAT ACTUALLY WORK IN THE FACILITIES IN ALL CAPACITIES. AND THEN ALSO, HOW IS THIS GOING TO IMPACT THE CALLS THAT ARE MADE WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THE THE LAW? AND HOW ARE WE MEASURING THESE THINGS? IT'S BOTH SIDES THAT HAVE TO GO INTO THIS, THIS ADVISEMENT AND GRANTED, 100FT. I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE CURRENT CURRENT ORDINANCE IS. IF WE'RE REALLY GOING TO MEASURE THAT, YOU KNOW, AND REALLY TAKE THAT TO HEART, WE HAVE TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY IS AWARE IN THAT CAPACITY. AND SO MORE, MORE INVOLVEMENT NEEDS TO BE DONE. AND I LOOK AT ALL THE STAFF CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN LIFTED UP AND TAKE THAT UNDER ADVISEMENT AS WELL. SO THE ONE THING THAT I'D LIKE TO EXPRESS VERY CLEARLY, I DO NOT WANT SOMEBODY GOING TO JAIL FOR VIOLATING THIS ORDINANCE. AND SO I THINK IF WE WERE GOING TO MODIFY THIS ORDINANCE, WE CAN ALSO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT REPEAT INFRACTIONS SHOULD NOT BECOME AVAILABLE OFFENSE BECAUSE I DO, NOT BECAUSE FOR ME, THAT IS A HUGE POTENTIAL FIRST AMENDMENT TRIPWIRE PROBLEM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO DO THIS, THE QUESTION IS WHAT WEIGHT OF WHAT WHAT ARE THE WEIGHT OF THE CONSEQUENCES. SO AND I THINK THAT IS SORT OF FIRST AMENDMENT ADJACENT. IN OTHER WORDS, IF SOMEBODY REALLY DECIDED THEY WANTED TO KEEP PAYING THE FINES AND KEEP PAYING THE FINES, KEEP PAYING THE FINES AND VIOLATE THE ORDINANCE, WE COULD HAVE AN ESCALATED FINE ARCHITECTURE.
BUT I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE AN INCARCERATED PEOPLE BEHAVIOR, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT RISES TO THE LEVEL OF SOMETHING WE NEED TO INCARCERATE FOR MAYOR. AFTER COMMISSIONER ROBINSON, I'D LIKE TO REMARK, OKAY. YEAH. NO. APPRECIATE IT. THANKS FOR THE UPDATE PRESENTATION. YEAH, I KNOW WHEN WE HAD A GOOD DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS BACK AT THE WITH THE FULL COMMISSION, THERE WAS A NUMBER OF US WHO HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING NOT TO BROADEN THE CONVERSATION TO BE MORE ABOUT WHAT'S BEING SAID, BUT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE NOISE AND THE ENFORCEMENT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE YOU GET INTO REALLY STICKY TERRITORY. AND I THINK ONE OF MY CONCERNS WAS, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THERE'S ONLY A FEW SELECT LOCATIONS WHERE THIS IS AN ISSUE. AND IF WE WE DO AN ORDINANCE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, BROAD AND COVERS ALL HEALTH CARE FACILITIES, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE COULD SAY WE'RE LIMITING WHERE THAT TYPE OF FIRST AMENDMENT PRACTICE COULD TAKE PLACE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME TOO, THEN I THINK IT OPENS UP THE CAN OF WORMS TO SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, THIS IS DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTING WHAT WE'RE SAYING AND NOT NECESSARILY WHERE WE'RE SAYING IT. SO THAT'S A CONCERN OF MINE. I, I GUESS FOR ME, I AND THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES ACROSS OUR CITY THAT HAVE HAD PEOPLE SHOW UP AND PROTEST, AS YOU'RE AWARE. SO TO ME, IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE THE CONVERSATION, IF WE'RE GOING TO SPEND ANY STAFF RESOURCES ON IT, SHOULD BE MORE AROUND HOW DO WE MAKE WHAT'S CURRENTLY ON THE BOOKS MORE ENFORCEABLE, WHETHER THERE'S NEW TECHNOLOGY OUT THERE, WHETHER WE NEED TO INVEST IN MORE, YOU KNOW, DECIBEL EQUIPMENT TO UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS APPROPRIATE AND WHAT'S NOT. SO I THINK ALL THAT TO SAY AND JUST SORT OF ECHOING SOME OF THE COMMENTS FROM COLLEAGUES, THAT THAT
[00:55:05]
BROADER DISCUSSION TO, TO ME, THIS WOULDN'T BE A PRIORITY, YOU KNOW, GIVEN EVERYTHING ELSE THAT THE CITY STAFF IS WORKING ON. SO IF, YOU KNOW, AT SOME POINT THERE'S A WAY TO LOOK INTO MORE OF A BETTER MECHANISMS OF ENFORCEMENT FOR THE EXISTING AMPLIFIED SOUND, THAT WOULD BE MY PREFERENCE. THANK YOU, INTERIM CITY ATTORNEY STROM, FOR BRINGING THE CONVERSATION TO THIS BODY. I KNOW THAT IT IS AN ONGOING CONVERSATION NOW GOING YEARS, MORE THAN MONTHS. IF WE COULD ZOOM OUT AS A AS A COMMITTEE FOR JUST A MOMENT, I WANT TO RECOGNIZE PART OF THE PRESENTATION DID INCLUDE POLICE FORCE AT NONVIOLENT CALLS.WE'VE BEEN VERY CLEAR, I THINK, TALKING ABOUT OUR ENCOURAGEMENT AS WE SEE DIFFERENT STATISTICS REGARDING MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS BEING PART OF OUR RESPONSE SYSTEM. SO I THINK THAT TAKING THIS AND BEING DELICATE AROUND THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT ENFORCEMENT WILL ULTIMATELY LOOK LIKE IS REALLY IMPORTANT. SO I'M JUST GRATEFUL THAT THAT MADE IT INTO THIS PRESENTATION. AND THEN AS WE CONSIDER ORDINANCE, I THOUGHT WHAT MISS JAMES BROUGHT UP WAS LOVELY, SOMETHING THAT IS ENFORCEABLE, WHICH I THINK IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE WE'RE EXPERIENCING HERE. WE'RE LOOKING AT HEALTH FACILITIES AS A FINITE TERM WHERE IT IS LOOSELY DEFINED TODAY, MAY OR MAY NOT BE THE SOLUTION. I WORK JUST DOWN FROM THE LOCATION IN QUESTION, RIGHT ON CHERRY STREET. I WALK BY THIS EVERY SINGLE DAY, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO NOTE THAT I WORK AT AN INSTITUTION THAT DEALS WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HARDSHIP AND REALLY HOPING FOR DISCRETION AND PRIVACY, AND THAT THE AMPLIFIED SOUND AT THIS LOCATION IS IMPACTING THE WORK OF OTHERS. AND I ONLY BRING THAT UP NOT BECAUSE OF THE ADDRESS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OR THE TOPIC IN GENERAL, BUT TO SAY THAT IF WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT AN ORDINANCE, WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL AND WHO ARE WE TRYING TO PROTECT? BECAUSE IF WE MAKE THIS ABOUT A SPECIFIC HEALTH INSTITUTION OR TYPE OF HEALTH REFORM. ET CETERA. ET CETERA. WE MIGHT MISS THE ACTUAL POPULATION WE'RE TRYING TO PROTECT AND SERVE. AND SO I'M APPRECIATIVE OF THE CONVERSATION. I THINK IT MERITS A LOT MORE DISCUSSION. CITY MANAGER, YOU WANTED TO. YEAH, I WAS GOING TO ASK, IS ANYBODY ELSE ON THE DAIS HERE? CITY MANAGER. ANYBODY ELSE IN THE AUDIENCE? POLICE CHIEF OR OVERSIGHT DIRECTOR? SO I THINK I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. THERE'S INTENDED AND UNINTENDED AND CERTAINLY FOR THE INTENDED PURPOSES AND MAKING SURE PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND ABLE TO DO SO WITHOUT IMPEDIMENT AND DISRUPTION. I THINK THOSE ARE ALL GOOD CAUSES, BUT I WOULD APPRECIATE THE DELIBERATE NATURE OF PROCEEDING, BECAUSE RARELY DO I EVER GET A MOMENT WHERE THE POLICE CHIEF AND OVERSIGHT DIRECTOR ARE IN AGREEMENT. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE IN WHICH THEY'RE BOTH CAUTIONING US TO BE SURE OF NOT ONLY THE INTENDED IMPACT, BUT THE UNINTENDED IMPACT, PARTICULARLY, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE AN ORDINANCE WITH NO TEETH IN YOUR IN YOUR I MEAN, THEN YOU GOT TO ASK YOURSELF, WHAT ARE YOU WHAT ARE YOU SOLVING? SO IF YOU SEND A SOCIAL WORKER OR SOMEONE ELSE OUT THERE TO ENFORCE, WHICH I DON'T RECOMMEND, WE WE DO. BUT IF THAT'S THE KIND OF YOU YOU SEND SOMEONE WHO'S NOT ABLE TO OFFER DETERRENCE, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE COMPLIANCE WOULD BE AND WHAT ARE WE REALLY SOLVING. BUT IF IT CAN, IF THOSE DISRUPTIONS CONTINUE, THE MORE CONTACT WE HAVE WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE HIGHER THE POSSIBILITY FOR ESCALATION. EVEN WHEN PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY NONVIOLENTLY USING IT. BUT IF THEY'RE NOT OBEYING LAWFUL COMMANDS, WE KNOW HOW THAT TURNS OUT. SO I JUST I JUST WANT AND I WOULD REALLY ASK THAT WE HEAR FROM OUR POLICE CHIEF WHEN IF NOT NOW, BUT WHEN HE COMES UP, HIS PERSPECTIVE ON THAT AS WELL AS MR. DAVIS. SO THAT THAT'S WE'VE HEARD AGAIN, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE CITIZENS ON THE DAIS, OBVIOUSLY FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS. BUT I THINK IN THIS INSTANCE, WHEN IT'S THE STAFF THAT WOULD ENFORCE IT, WE SHOULD ALSO HEAR THEIR PERSPECTIVE. THANK YOU, CITY MANAGER. I WANT TO POINT OUT, HOWEVER, THERE'S A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT LINE HERE, WHICH IS THERE'S AND THERE'S A PHRASE FOR IT TAKING THE LAW INTO YOUR OWN HANDS. WE REALLY DON'T WANT VIGILANTE INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEER ACTION. LIKE IT'S GENERALLY NOT LAW ENFORCEMENT'S FAVORITE THING. I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY WHEN PEOPLE START TRYING TO ENFORCE LAWS WHO AREN'T LAW ENFORCEMENT, BECAUSE THAT GETS YOU INTO WEIRD SPACE ALL THE TIME. OR IF PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEIR NEED FOR PUBLIC ORDER IS NOT MET. AND SO IF THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T, DOESN'T GIVE PEOPLE A MEANINGFUL RESPONSE TO THEIR DESIRE FOR PUBLIC ORDER, THEN WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN AND BEING ON YOUR OWN CAN PRODUCE SOME REALLY NOT OPTIMAL RESULTS TOO.
[01:00:01]
SO SAYING, WHAT IF WE SEND THE POLICE OUT FOR THIS, THEY MIGHT ESCALATE WITH THE POLICE? WELL, IF YOU DON'T SEND POLICE OUT, PEOPLE ARE PRETTY GOOD AT ESCALATING ON THEIR OWN WITHOUT ANY POLICE INTERACTION AT ALL. AND CERTAINLY WE DON'T WANT I DON'T WANT THAT HAPPENING IN A VACUUM. I DON'T WANT FRUSTRATION BUBBLING OVER INTO BIGGER PROBLEMS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE A RESPONSE TO A FELT COMMUNITY NEED FOR ORDER. AND I DON'T DISAGREE. I'M JUST SAYING WE'RE POLICE. PRIORITY IS NEEDED ARE MORE VIOLENT CRIMES AND THAN WHAT WHAT WE HAVE BEFORE US. AND I REAL QUICK I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING EVERYBODY SAID. DEFINITELY NOT IN NOT IN FAVOR OF LIMITING ANY FREE SPEECH I AM IN FAVOR OF FINDING, I MEAN, FIGURING OUT A LAW THAT WILL BE CLEAR, ENFORCEABLE, BUT UNBIASED. SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT GOT US ANYWHERE. BUT THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, AND I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE TO LEAVE, SO LET'S[3. Presentation from the Grand Rapids Police Department on Monthly Crime Statistics]
MOVE ON TO OUR PRESENTATION FROM OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. AND I ASSUME THE CHIEF. CHIEF, YOU CAN FEEL FREE TO GIVE US SOME COLOR COMMENTARY ON THE LAST ITEM IF YOU WANT NOW. BUT IF YOU WANT TO COMMENT ON IT LATER, YOU. I'LL JUST ROLL WITH IT WHILE I TRY TO GET THIS SET UP TO. RIFFING ON WHAT? BEFORE YOU GO ON, CHIEF. YEAH. SO WE WE DON'T KIND OF MEANDER IN THIS MAZE OF AMBIGUITY. SO WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION THAT WE TOOK NO ACTION ON IT AT THIS POINT.SO CITY ATTORNEY, WHAT ARE YOU SUGGESTING ARE THE NEXT STEPS? I APPRECIATE COMMISSIONER KILGORE'S KIND OF RESERVE REMARKS. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE BEING PENSIVE, BUT I'M. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT THIS TO COME BECAUSE I HEARD TWO DIFFERENT POSITIONS BETWEEN MAYOR LEGRANDE AND COMMISSIONER ROBBINS. YOU THREE MAKE THE DECISIONS OF THIS BODY. AND SO I EITHER NEED A TIE BREAKING VOTE OR A I'LL GET BACK TO YOU, BUT I THINK IT SHOULD BE DONE.
SURE. YEAH, I THINK WE WE'VE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS. I HEAR THE CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY OF YOURS, TALKING ABOUT MAKING IT A BROADER CONVERSATION. I HAD AN INTERESTING SLEW OF EMAILS ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL, A NEIGHBOR WHO WORKS ON SNOWMOBILES IN NEIGHBORHOODS. SO THE THIS NEEDS TO BE A BIGGER CONVERSATION. BUT I BELIEVE IT JUST IN IN LINE WITH US TALKING ABOUT HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. I THINK IT'S AN ACUTE PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND THEN CONTINUE TO LOOK INTO THESE. SO IF WE SET FORTH AN ORDINANCE NOW AND GO FORWARD ON THAT, DOES THAT MEAN WE CAN'T REVISIT IT? SO I'M GOOD ON MOVING FORWARD WITH UPDATING OUR ORDINANCE. OKAY, I'LL MAKE A DRAFT AND WORK WITH THE CITY MANAGER TO DETERMINE IF A DRAFT REVISION TO OUR ORDINANCE WOULD COME BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE, OR GO DIRECTLY TO COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. GREAT. THANK YOU, CHIEF.
COMMENTARY. OR SHOULD I JUST. NO. NO, PLEASE. OKAY. YEAH. NO. ALL RIGHT. RIGHT NOW, MR. STROM'S VIEW OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT STANDS READY TO TO, YOU KNOW, ACT ON WHATEVER THE COMMISSION DECIDES. I WILL SAY SOME SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE ANYTIME THAT THERE'S AN EXTREMELY CONTENTIOUS ISSUE AND WE GET IT WITH, YOU KNOW, POLICE PROTESTS OR OTHER VERY POLARIZED TOPICS, AND THE POLICE ARE CALLING TO ENFORCE EVEN WHEN THE POLICE OFFICERS TAKE EVERY STEP PROCEDURALLY, LEGALLY, THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE, OFTENTIMES IT LEADS TO EITHER VERY, VERY UPSET PEOPLE OR SOMETIMES A USE OF FORCE TO TO ENFORCE IT. SO THAT'S CERTAINLY A CONCERN. AND THEN TO MR. DAVIS'S POINT, ACTUALLY, IF YOU REMEMBER THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAD, THIS IS YEARS AGO WHEN WE PASSED ORDINANCES SUCH AS PERSONAL PROPERTY ON THE PUBLIC WAY. CONCERN OF THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, THE POLICE GOING TO BE OUT ARRESTING UNHOUSED PEOPLE.
AND THAT HAS NOT TURNED OUT THAT WAY. IT'S A, FROM MY OPINION, A VERY EFFECTIVE ORDINANCE THAT'S BEEN PUSHED FORWARD THROUGH COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION, COMMUNICATION AND VERY LITTLE ENFORCEMENT. SO I'M JUST GIVING A VERY GRAY ANSWER. WE'RE READY TO TO DO WHAT'S CALLED ON US. AND I SEE ALL SIDES OF THE ISSUES, AND I CERTAINLY HAVEN'T INTERACTED WITH A LOT OF THE COMMUNITY DOWN ON CHERRY STREET OR, AND OTHER PLACES THAT HAVE THESE CONCERNS. I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. THANKS. SO YOUR PRESENTATION, OKAY. AND I'M JOINED TODAY BY WE HAVE A COMMAND STAFF MEETING AFTER THIS. WOULD THEY BROUGHT EVERYBODY WITH ME. SO WE HAVE ABOUT 250 YEARS OF OF POLICE WISDOM BEHIND ME. IF THERE'S A QUESTION THAT THAT I DROPPED THE BALL ON OR ASKED FOR A PHONE A FRIEND ON. SO AS YOU CAN SEE, GOOD NEWS STILL ON THE AUTO THEFTS AND AND BETTER NEWS, SOMETHING THAT THAT I'VE SPOKEN ON. THESE CRIMES WERE COMMITTED OVERWHELMINGLY BY THE YOUNG
[01:05:02]
PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY, YOUNG PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T HAVE THE PROPER SUPPORTS FROM THE ADULTS IN THE CITY OF GRAND RAPIDS. SO TO SEE EVERYBODY COME TOGETHER AND SUPPORT THEM IN SO MANY WAYS IS REALLY MADE AN IMPACT IN THE CRIME ACROSS OUR CITY. YOU SEE THAT GRAPH AGAIN, ROBBERY TOTALS TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. WE WANT TO KEEP THAT UP. I HAVE SPOKEN BEFORE AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS. WE DON'T SEE A TREND. THE ONE THING I WILL SAY IS THAT AS WE'VE INCREASED TO APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF STAFFING, THE CALLS THAT WE GET, THOSE NINE ONE CALLS THAT, HEY, SOMEBODY THREATENED ME IN A PARK, WHEREAS THREE YEARS AGO, OFTENTIMES AN OFFICER, BY THE TIME THE OFFICER GOT THERE THAT COMPLAINANT HAD MOVED ON AND WASN'T MAKING THE REPORT. EVERYBODY'S GETTING TO MAKE THE REPORT NOW. SO THESE DON'T TELL AS MUCH OF AN ACCURATE STORY. JUST BECAUSE IT'S AN AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, IT DOES NOT MEAN SOMEONE HAS BEEN SHOT. THAT'S A DIFFERENT SLIDE ALTOGETHER. AND HERE'S THE PERSON SHOT SLIDE.AS YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. TRAGICALLY ON NOVEMBER 6TH AND THEN AGAIN IN NOVEMBER 12TH, WE HAD MURDERS IN OUR CITY. RECENTLY, WE ANNOUNCED THAT THE NOVEMBER 6TH CASE, WHICH WAS DONOVAN MOODY DOWN ON HOLLISTER AND WEALTHY OFFENDERS ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOR FOR HOMICIDE IN THAT CASE. AND INTERESTINGLY, THAT INDIVIDUAL WAS A 44 YEAR OLD WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY SERVED TIME FOR A MURDER AND WAS OUT. IT WAS PART OF A LONG STANDING FEUD. THE REASON I MENTIONED HIS AGE IS BECAUSE WE FOCUS SO MUCH ON THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT IT WAS SOMEWHAT, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS ANY, ANY GOOD TO TAKE OF THE CONCLUSION OF THE STORY WAS THAT THIS WAS NOT A TEENAGERS, THESE WERE NOT YOUNG PEOPLE. HAVING SAID THAT, NOVEMBER 11TH ON VETERANS DAY, WE HAD AN 18 YEAR OLD YOUNG MAN WHO FIRED ROUNDS AT POLICE OFFICERS. OBVIOUSLY PROBABLY THE WORST DECISION HE'LL EVER MAKE IN HIS LIFE. HOPEFULLY.
AND VERY THANKFUL THAT THAT THE POLICE OFFICERS ESPECIALLY WERE NOT INJURED IN THAT ENCOUNTER, ALARMING ALL THE SAME. BUT BECAUSE OF THE TWO MURDERS, THE OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING AND A COUPLE OTHER SHOOTINGS WITH NOT SERIOUS INJURIES. THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY. WHAT IS GOING ON? IS THERE A CONNECTION? IS THIS A TREND, ETCETERA. AS THESE INVESTIGATIONS HAVE PLAYED OUT, WE SEE THAT IT'S IT WAS JUST A PERFECT STORM OF EACH INDIVIDUAL. COINCIDENTAL TO THE MR. GRIGGS, THE MURDERER IN THE THE HOLLISTER CASE, NO RELATION TO ANYTHING ELSE. THE YOUNG MAN WHO SHOT A POLICE OFFICER IS NO RELATION TO ANYTHING ELSE.
MAKING GREAT PROGRESS ON THE THE INVESTIGATION. THE NOVEMBER 12TH MURDER. NOTHING I CAN SHARE WITH YOU, BUT I WILL SAY, I THINK I MENTIONED LAST PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING, HOW OPTIMISTIC I WAS FOR INCREASED BETTER NUMBERS AND CLEARANCES THIS TIME AROUND. WE RECENTLY CLOSED A JANUARY OF 2023 MURDER DOWN IN THE 1900 BLOCK OF DIVISION STREET. AND AS YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, MAYOR LA GRANDE. WE DON'T LIKE TO THROW AROUND THE TERM COLD CASE BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT FAMILIES TO THINK THAT THAT IT'S REALLY COLD TO US. IT'S NOT COLD TO US. AND WHEN THE DETECTIVES ARE DOING SUCH A GREAT, PROFESSIONAL, TENACIOUS JOB, WE'RE NOT ALWAYS ABLE TO SHARE ALL THAT'S GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES. SO THANKFUL TO GET THE ANSWERS OUT THERE ON THAT HOMICIDE, WHICH WAS ALMOST THREE YEARS OLD. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE MAP, PRETTY WELL SPREAD GEOGRAPHICALLY ACROSS THE CITY. THAT DOESN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE, YOU KNOW, THE PAST FEW WEEKS WHERE CERTAINLY IT WAS MORE FOCUSED IN THE SOUTHEAST SIDE THERE AS I AS I SAID, CHARGES IN THE CASE A LOT OF I, I DON'T WANT TO BE DISMISSIVE OF THAT DONOVAN'S CASE. I DID NOT KNOW DONOVAN, BUT I GOT TO MEET HIS PARENTS ON NOVEMBER 6TH OUTSIDE. VERY, VERY SWEET, KIND, CARING PEOPLE, YOU COULD TELL. DEVASTATED FOR THEIR LOSS, LOOKING STILL TO GET ANSWERS FOR AMARI'S FAMILY IN NILES AND DESHAUN'S AND MARCUS'S AND RANDY'S AND THE DETECTIVES ARE WORKING SO HARD ON THOSE SO THAT I BELIEVE THAT MAKES IT 7 OR 8 OF THE THE 13 CASES WHICH ARE CLOSED, EIGHT OF 13 NOW CLOSED BY ARREST. AS I SAID LAST TIME, THESE NUMBERS ARE GOING TO INCREASE NEXT TIME WE MEET. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE 23 RIGHT NOW UP TO 25, WE CAN KEEP THAT GOING. 13 SO FAR, YEAR TO DATE DEATHS BY OVERDOSE IN OUR CITY AND 415 ILLEGALLY POSSESSED GUNS. THAT'S TAKEN JUST THROUGH OCTOBER. SO MORE OBVIOUSLY THIS MONTH AND NEXT MONTH WILL BE FAR OVER AN AVERAGE OF ONE A DAY. AND MOST OF THOSE ARE TAKEN ILLEGALLY POSSESSED WEAPONS, TAKEN OFF PEOPLE WITH NO USE OF FORCE. AND IT'S NOT THE SORT OF THING THAT MAKES IT IN THE NEWS. SO JUST VERY EFFECTIVE POLICE WORK. AND WITH THAT, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME OR THE TWO DEPUTY CHIEFS AND SEVEN CAPTAINS SITTING BEHIND ME. SO, CHIEF, I HAVE A COUPLE. MAYBE. MAYBE THEY'RE BOTH COMMENTS. WELL, MAYBE ONCE A QUESTION. WE'LL SEE. SO FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO STATE THE OBVIOUS, WHICH YOU DON'T ALWAYS STATE ABOUT THE CLEARANCE RATE
[01:10:02]
THING. AND THAT IS IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO APPREHEND FOLKS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO GET IT RIGHT YOU KNOW. SO THIS IS CLEARED BY ARREST. AND SO THERE ARE THINGS LIKE IF THE PERSON'S A FUGITIVE, WELL, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO ARREST THEM UNTIL YOU LOCATE THEM. AND IF THEY'VE LEFT THE COMMUNITY, THAT'S GOING TO BE ALL THERE CAN BE A LAG THERE, EVEN IF YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. BUT IT'S ALSO TRUE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE GOT MULTIPLE SUSPECTS BEING REALLY, REALLY SURE THAT YOU DON'T ARREST THE WRONG PERSON AND THEN NOT GET THE RIGHT CONVICTION REALLY ALSO MEANS NECESSARILY THE FRESHEST CASES ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOWER CLEARANCE RATE JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT.YEAH, MAYOR AND I CAN SEE YOU'RE THINKING AS YOU'RE PUTTING ON YOUR PROSECUTOR HAT BACK ON, AND THAT'S A CONSTANT CONVERSATION THAT WE HAVE BACK AND FORTH WITH PROSECUTOR BECKER. AND IN THE CASE OF THE THE 2023 HOMICIDE, THAT INDIVIDUAL WAS ACTUALLY IN MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS CUSTODY. SO THAT ALLOWED HIM TO SAY TO US, HEY, I THINK YOU'RE THERE. LET'S CROSS A FEW MORE, TEASED OUT A FEW MORE EYES AND GIVES US BECAUSE THAT HE'S ALREADY INCAPACITATED. WE KNOW THERE'S NOT A MURDERER WANDERING AROUND ON THE STREET WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A SHOOTER IDENTIFIED. THERE'S THAT MUCH MORE URGENCY, BUT IT'S ALL THAT PLAYS INTO CONSIDERATION AS WE MOVE ALONG. THE OTHER QUESTION, AND THIS IS MY PROSECUTOR HAT. I KNOW THAT WHEN YOU REPORT OUT CRIME STATS, YOU'RE SORT OF USING THE BASKETS THAT THE FBI GIVES YOU. AND SO THIS IS MAYBE FOR THE AUDIENCE, BUT AT LEAST IT'S I WANT TO. SO I FIRST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR AGAIN, I'M ALWAYS GRATEFUL TO SEE SHOOTINGS AND NOT SIMPLY HOMICIDES. THAT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU, MR. MAYOR. BUT AND THAT'S NOT AN FBI ANALYSIS.
BUT MY MY NEXT QUESTION IS WHEN I SEE AGG ASSAULT, I GO BACK TO BEING A PROSECUTOR AND I KNOW WHAT AGG ASSAULT IS IN MICHIGAN, AND I KNOW WHAT FELONIOUS ASSAULT IS IN MICHIGAN. DOES THE FBI NOT USE LIKE A FELONIOUS ASSAULT NUMBER, OR IS THAT WHY WE'RE NOT TRACKING THAT? OR YOU JUST I MEAN, YOU GOT TO MAKE YOUR YOUR CUTS. YEAH. AND WE CAN PROVIDE WE DON'T HAVE TO FOLLOW NIBRS OR UCR REPORTING TO PROVIDE INFORMATION OUT TO YOU. BUT THAT'S WHAT OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR CURRENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, THAT'S HOW IT'S IT'S SET UP. SO THAT'S SORT OF BUT YEAH, I COULD GET MORE SPECIFIC. THAT'S WHY WE PULLED OUT THOSE SHOOTING NUMBERS, BECAUSE WHEN WE WERE LOOKING AT THE ASSAULT NUMBERS, I, YOU KNOW, AS YOU NOTICED, IT JUST WAS NOT TELLING THE STORY. BECAUSE IF THERE'S 20 PEOPLE HANGING OUT IN HEARTHSIDE PARK AND SOMEBODY PULLS OUT A POCKET KNIFE AND DRUNKENLY SAYS SOMETHING AND THEN RUNS AWAY, NOW I GOT 20 VICTIMS OF AGG ASSAULT AND WOW CRIMES OUT OF CONTROL DOWN THERE. LIKE IS IT THOUGH? SO. IT COULD TELL A BETTER STORY. THAT'S WHY I THINK THE SHOOTING SIZE IS IMPORTANT. AND WE COULD PULL SOME MORE OF THOSE OUT. RIGHT. AND SO AND JUST SO EVERYONE UP HERE KNOWS LIKE WHAT WE'RE NOT TRACKING WHEN WE TRACK SHOOTINGS OBVIOUSLY IS THINGS THAT INVOLVE A NON-GUN WEAPON. AND SO THAT'S A CATEGORY. SO AGG ASSAULT SOUNDS SCARY. BUT AG ASSAULT BASICALLY IN CIVILIAN TERMS BOILS DOWN TO WAS THERE MEDICAL ATTENTION NEEDED? WAS THERE SOMETHING THAT WAS. BUT THAT COULD BE THERE'S A BIG WIDE RANGE IN THERE, RIGHT? SO IN TERMS OF HOW THE COMMUNITY PERCEIVES THINGS, I THINK MOST OF US WOULD BE WOULD PERCEIVE BEING CHASED WITH A BUTCHER KNIFE AS MUCH MORE SCARY THAN SOMEBODY PUNCHED ME AND I NEEDED A STITCH IN MY FOREARM. SO SOMETIMES FELONIOUS ASSAULTS DON'T INVOLVE ANY INJURY AT ALL. SO THERE'S COMPLEXITY THERE. AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD DISAGGREGATE THAT DATA, BUT IT'S AT LEAST WORTH US ALL KNOWING. LIKE, I THINK THAT FOR MOST OF US, LIKE A HOME INVASION IS A MUCH DIFFERENT THING TO BE TALKING ABOUT, FOR EXAMPLE, THAN A TRESPASSING. RIGHT? LIKE WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE IN OUR HOUSE AT NIGHT.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON'T GET TOO MANY HOME INVASIONS, RIGHT? SO SIMILARLY, THE SLIDES WOULD BE PRETTY BORING. I DON'T WANT PEOPLE INTERACTING WITH ME WITH A WEAPON. RIGHT? THAT'S A MUCH BIGGER DEAL FOR ME THAN DID I GET HURT EVEN SO. SO THANKS. AND I APPRECIATE THE SHOOTING DISAGGREGATION, BECAUSE YOU ESSENTIALLY TOLD US A FULLER STORY THERE, WHICH I LOVE, BUT I AT LEAST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WHEN WE LOOK AT THOSE AG ASSAULT NUMBERS, THE WORD AG CAN SOUND SCARY, BUT THAT INCLUDES A LOT OF THINGS WHICH ARE DON'T RISE TO THE LEVEL THAT MOST OF US WOULD BE REALLY INCREDIBLY FREAKED OUT BY THEM. SO IT'S A FAIRLY BIG NUMBER, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF, I DON'T WANT TO SAY LESS NONSENSE. LESS ACUTE WORD YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IS NONSENSE. YES, THERE'S A LOT OF NONSENSE IN THERE. AND I KNOW BECAUSE I READ ALL THESE REPORTS AND SOME OF THEM WE WE ON THE SIDE OF TAKING REPORTS. AND SO BUT YOU'VE GIVEN ME GOOD DIRECTION. I THINK IT PROBABLY BE MORE HELPFUL BECAUSE I BELIEVE THIS IS PROBABLY THE FIFTH MEETING. I'VE STOOD HERE AND SAID IT'S KIND OF FLAT AND IT DOESN'T TELL A STORY. SO IT'S USEFULNESS MAYBE IS GOING AWAY. AND I'LL AND I'LL TRY AND GET SOME MORE APPROPRIATE DATA FOR NEXT MEETING. SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE HAS ANY COMMENTS. BUT AGAIN THANK YOU TO THE FORCE. OBVIOUSLY THESE NUMBERS ARE IT'S REALLY, REALLY NICE TO SEE. IT'S NOT NICE TO SEE ANY NEGATIVE EVENT, BUT IT'S NICE TO SEE THE BASKET OF NEGATIVE EVENTS GETTING SMALLER.
YEAH COMMISSIONER. NOT YET. NO. WELL WHAT WHAT I CALL YOU COMMITTEE MEMBER. IT SOUNDS SO CLUNKY. I ALWAYS GO WITH COMMISSIONER, I APPRECIATE THAT. TWO QUICK QUESTIONS AND NEVER PROBABLY. BUT ANYWAY. OH, FOR TIME, REAL QUICK. IF YOU CAN GIVE ANY COLOR OR ANY
[01:15:05]
COMMENTARY ON TWO QUESTIONS THAT WERE POSED TO THE THOSE OF US THAT PRESENTED THE FIRST ROUND, ONE BEING ABOUT THE CORRELATION AND NOT CAUSE AND EFFECT, BUT THE CORRELATION BETWEEN IN PARTICULAR, IN THIS CASE CURE VIOLENCE ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AS IT RELATES TO THESE WHAT YOU REPORTED. AND SECONDLY, AND I CAN I CAN I'LL REPHRASE THAT IF NECESSARY IN PARTICULARLY IN SECOND WARD WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT THE NUANCE THAT ONE IS, ONE OF THE FACTORS IS TURNING UP AGGRAVATED ASSAULTS AND HOW THERE IS A A POPULATION OUTSIDE DEMOGRAPHICS IS WHAT MY COLLEAGUE USED. BUT A POPULATION OUTSIDE OF GRAND, OUR TARGET AREA THAT NEEDS OTHER SPECIFIC RESOURCES POTENTIALLY TO REACH THEM BEING THE UNHOUSED AND THOSE THAT LIVE DOWN IN THE HEARTSIDE PARK AREA. FIRST QUESTION, I HAVE A HOLD ON. SO I'LL JUST SAY THAT FIRST. AND I WAS HEAD OF RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS IN CHICAGO WHEN I WAS THERE. AND. I HAVE WORKED IN THE PAST FOR LEADERS OF POLICE AGENCIES THAT LIKE TO TAKE CREDIT WHEN THERE'S A, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A GREAT SUMMER AND THERE WAS A 10% DROP IN MURDER. THAT'S ON ME. I GOT THAT 10% DROP IN MURDER. I AM NOT GOING TO BE THE POLICE CHIEF THAT TAKES CREDIT FOR WHATEVER PERCENT. I HOPE IT DROPS DOWN TO ZERO. BUT THE DAY YOU'RE SAYING. YEP, I DID IT, LOOK WHAT I DID. YOU'RE YOU'RE THEN TAKING CREDIT FOR THE THE NEXT YEAR. THAT'S BAD. OH WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG. WERE YOU OUT SHOOTING PEOPLE. SO I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE CREDIT FOR IT. I KNOW HOW TRICKY CRIME STATISTICS ARE, AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT MORE TO GO INTO IT, BUT I WHAT MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT HEARING ABOUT CURE VIOLENCE, AND I'LL TELL YOU THAT I WORK A LOT. I A LITTLE BIT OF A WORKAHOLIC. AND I SEE MR. RIDGEWAY AT ALL SORTS OF MEETINGS THAT I SAY IT. SO I WAS LIKE, MAN, THIS GUY'S WORKING HARDER THAN I AM. I THINK HE'S DOING A FANTASTIC JOB. I LIKE TO HEAR THAT. MOST IMPORTANT TO ME ARE THOSE ANECDOTAL, ANECDOTAL STORIES. BECAUSE WHEN I HEAR ABOUT ONE KID, ONE YOUNG PERSON WHO'S WHO GOT SERVICES, WHO GOT A JOB, WHO GOT HOPE IN HIS LIFE AND LEFT THAT HIGH RISK LIFESTYLE FOR THAT HIGH POTENTIAL LIFESTYLE, IT DOESN'T. THE REST OF THE NUMBERS ARE MEANINGLESS. WHEN IF YOU CAN, THAT STARFISH IF YOU CAN SAY THIS PERSON WAS CHANGED BY CURE VIOLENCE, IT'S ALL WORTH IT FOR ME. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. AND I REMEMBER WE WERE GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE UNHOUSED. OH, JUST THE DIFFICULTY THAT YOU WOULD HAVE ABOUT REACHING. YEAH. SO AND YOU MENTIONED THE, YOU KNOW, THE MODEL OF CURE VIOLENCE AND YOU GOT YOU ALL KNOW THIS IS SORT OF THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A DISCONNECT. WE DON'T WANT TO BE SEEING ME AND YOU GOING ARM IN ARM DOWN, KNOCKING ON PEOPLE'S DOORS LIKE, HEY, WAIT, HE'S WITH THE POLICE. I GET THAT. AND THAT DOES POSE A LITTLE BIT OF A CHALLENGE, BECAUSE NORMALLY WHEN WE'RE IDENTIFYING THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO MOSTLY WOULD BE IN NEED OF OF THOSE SERVICES, WE'RE DOING IT THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS WHERE WE'RE PUTTING HANDCUFFS ON KIDS. AND SO THE TRICK IS THERE. I WILL SAY KUDOS TO PROSECUTOR BECKER. AND I THINK YOU'RE WORKING WITH JUVENILE PROBATION OR PAROLE. AND HE IS, OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, REALLY MOVED IN A WAY THAT HE'S LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE CORRECTIONS OPTIONS TO GO TO AND SAY, OKAY, YES. ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR PLACEMENT? ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR JUVENILE DETENTION? YEP. BUT CURE VIOLENCE. THERE'S SOME OTHER ORGANIZATION OUT THERE THAT HAS A DIFFERENT WAY. AND AND HOPEFULLY IT'S A WAY THAT GETS YOU MENTORSHIP, THAT IT GIVES YOU SOME SORT OF SERVICES TO SET YOU ON THE PATH TO MAKE YOU, LIKE, I LIKE TO SAY, HIGH POTENTIAL, NOT HIGH RISK. THANK YOU, MR. BROWN. THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOUR PATIENCE. OR MOST OF YOU, WE LOST TWO. BUT THANK YOU, CHIEF. THANKS FOR THE UPDATE. AND YES, MR. CANFIELD, THANK YOU MAYOR. I JUST WANT TO, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMITTEE AND THE PUBLIC WHO MAY BE WATCHING TO REMIND THAT WE HAVE OUR COMMISSION NIGHT OUT MEETING TONIGHT. IT'S IN THE SECOND WARD, 1400 FULLER, WHICH IS OUR UNIVERSITY. AND THE FOCUS TOPIC FOR THE ENGAGEMENT WILL ACTUALLY BE PUBLIC SAFETY. AND LISTENING TO RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT A SAFE COMMUNITY MEANS TO THEM. POLICE CHIEF WILL BE THERE ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF OFFICERS. BRANDON DAVIS OVERSIGHT OFFICE AND DOORS OPEN. I THINK AT 430. DINNER FROM 445 TO 530, AND THEN THE ENGAGEMENT WILL KICK OFF RIGHT AROUND 530 TO 630 OR SO, AND WE HOPE* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.