Board of Police Commissioners
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
Criminal Justice
Durfee Innovation Center, 2470 Collingwood St Detroit, MI 48206 (Directions)
Check the source website for additional information
Reporting
Edited and summarized by the Detroit - MI Documenters Team
Note-taking by
Canjanika Blue
Live reporting by
Claire Nowak-Boyd
Grenadine
@grenadine
Hi, I’m Grenadine and I’ll be live-tweeting this evening’s Detroit Board of Police Commissioners hearing for #DetroitDocumenters and @city_bureau . The meeting should start in a few minutes.
05:26 PM Jul 11, 2019 CDT
The meeting is at the Durfee Innovation Society, a repurposed former public school campus a little bit north of my house on the West Side. Durfee itself is a Project Green Light location. #DetroitDocumenters
The hot topic of the evening is the facial recognition features tied into Detroit’s controversial Green Light program, which allows police to watch live cameras that businesses have installed at their own expense.
I recently learned from a local attorney that in addition to purchasing cameras, Project Green Light locations must buy their green light signage from Fathead, a company owned by Dan Gilbert.
I got a few handouts but it appeared they were out of agendas. I emailed the Board of Police Commissioners last night for an agenda, but they never responded. #detroitdocumenters
Rev Holley is medically excused. Lisa Carter is the new Chair, and will be installed tonight. I’m in the second row and it’s hard to hear.
Immediate Past Chair Bell scolds the crowd to “please conduct yourself” and only speak for two minutes during public comment the end. He thanks the public for attending
A police officer reads a prayer and the crowd responds with a collective “Amen”
Roll call: Holt, Davis, Burch, Brooks, Dewaelsche, Carter, Bell, Burton, Brown, and Levalley are present.
Gregory Hicks is running the robert’s rules procedures. Various police officials introduce themselves
Judge Strong swears in new Chair of the Board of Police Commissioners, Lisa Carter, and new Vice Chair Eva Dewaelsche. #DetroitDocumenters
Past Chair Bell turns leadership of the meeting over to new Chair Lisa Carter.
Chair Carter expresses the board’s concern over injured and fallen officers.
The Board of Police Commissioners meets in different locations around the city. If you have a location, contact them. This board provides civilian oversight of DPD to eliminate misconduct, discrimination, and “unnecessary use of force by police,” says Chair Carter.
There are at least two members of the public here who have covered their faces with plastic masks today.
Chair Carter discusses the recent annual training the board went through.
“At our last meeting, Chief James Craig pulled back the directive about facial surveillance.” His office is rewriting it
The absent Commissioner Rev Holley has requested the board not discuss it til he returns
Additionally, State Reps Robinson and Gay-Dagnogo have advanced legislation to block facial recognition, which would supersede local law
Commissioner Burton spoke up against surveillance, attacking Carter for specific actions. He was called out of order three times. He is objecting
Police drag Commissioner Burton out of the room as he passively resists and the crowd yells “Democracy!” And tries to stop it. Police slam the doors. Mood is heated, Chair Carter threatens to have the crowd removed as well
David Levalley threatens the entire crowd, telling everyone they have been warned and can now be removed from the meeting.
The crowd continues talking. A crowd member shouts, “We want our Commissioner back!” The Board starts presenting an honor to community member Theodora Ragland. Them trying to drown out the crowd is the first time in this meeting anyone onstage has been loud enough to hear.
Theodora Ragland is wearing green because she envies people who know how to say no when it comes to helping others.
Levalley reads the list of police officers who are recovering from injuries. Most recently, Officer Gordon was bitten by a spider in an abandoned house and is in the hospital.
Commissioner David asks is we are paying for officers at the charter commission meetings. Levalley says its regular duty, not overtime. Davis asks another question and Carter chides him, “it’s called Robert’s rules of order.”
An African-American woman shouts, “Go back to the plantation!” at the Chair.
Dr. Marcella D. Anderson gives the DPD HR report. 2,640 sworn positions exist. 701 civilian positions. Some of these are vacant. 3,792 applications for position of police officer. #detroitdocumenters
70 recruits signed up for the police exam in June. 49 passed, 9 failed, the rest were no shows #detroitdocumenters
569 sworn and 353 non sworn DPD employees live in the City of Detroit. #detroitdocumenters
Every category of crime except auto theft is down except auto theft in the 10th precinct. They will be the next precinct to get the Ceasefire initiative, which focuses on prevention and aggressive investigation of nonfatal shootings perceived to be gang related.
I missed this officer’s name but he’s talking about offering services to the community like helping people get GEDs and drivers licenses to help them get away from gangs
Grenadine commentary: i grew up around a lot of gang violence and I know there need to be alternatives for folks, but I’ve also read lately about how police in various cities who target gangs can put the wrong person in gang lists in a way that damages the person’s life
Like historically there haven’t been a ton of standards about what it takes for police to label someone as a gang member in a way that follows them for years. Chicago is bad, IDK how Detroit is /commentary
Keriyake is talking about youth programs, neighborhood cleanups, coffee with a cop, Natl Night Out (Aug 6).
Boston Edison has had the largest increase in crime in the 10th precinct lately (I wonder how much of that is driven by new residents who call cops more?)
Ex Chair Bell praises the officers who just spoke. Commissioner Davis has been asking questions. I thought I recognized him from community events. Thumbs up
Commissioner Burch is asking about if they can get people to clean up Parks. Also speeding. Officers say the worst speeding is on the Davison between 96 and the Lodge ( @semcog , that stroad badly needs a redesign)
Now Commissioner Holt is talking about training kindergarteners to pick up litter. This is folks’ priorities at this meeting, rly?
Board Secretary Hicks (whom I may have missed in roll call) lists some procedural items, such as GIS maps in the board’s packet
Hicks talks about items used to compose the five year moratorium on facial recognition
Side note y’all, earlier they suggested they may make us turn off phones. If they do I will write everything down and hand tweet from home later
PUBLIC COMMENT BEGINS Mary M from 10th precinct senior activities group thanks the board for a van
Eric Blunt (doing my best with names) talks to the board about their “continual downward spiral of relevance.” He wants suspended officers and reasons for suspension listed, esp Corporal Jones who “brutally beat a naked woman in the hospital”
Eric Blunt says operation ceasefire sounds good but is another reason just to lock em up. He is pro the bill blocking facial recognition, says the system would lock up POC
Eric Boyd (?) thinks the removal of Commisioner Burton was improper even under Robert’s Rules, urges the board to verify that before next mtg. He says the board is a “captive oversight group” and calls them out for rolling their eyes at memBers of public criticizing police
Boyd says “we have been promised for over a year” for evidence on project green light.
Activist Tawanna Honeycomb Petty notes multiple bipartisan bills against police recognition. Argument by Duggan and police is they would use still photos, but that will do nothing against racism of system. If they aren’t using system why did they pay $1.8mil for it?
Petty says they paid for the version of surveillance that allows unlimited users to log in. Why experiment on 700k black and brown ppl?
An older woman Shane’s the board for not protecting Commissioner Burton. Saying “You all are treating us as if we don’t even count.” She lived thru 1967 and says another riot may come. “I’m very disappointed in each and every one of you.” #detroitdocumenters
Brenda Hill says she was told to come to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners to talk about police matters in the charter. She said it was not ok for them to throw Commissioner Burton on the ground. She also calls out officers for barring the door. #DetroitDocumenters
Patricia Carter of Oakman Blvd Community Assoc speaks. She congratulates their local commander who comes to all their meetings, and other officers they work with, including one who had 50 green lights installed
Ms Carter talks about speeding on the Davison. Three people ran red lifhts when she tried to cross once (cc @semcog @MDOT_MetroDet )
A gentleman in a mask said he filled out his card “he who shall not be named” but that people know who he is. Here’s a pic of his mask
Man with the mask says despite consideration of this part of the policy, facial recognition was already implemented. He also calls out that Commissioner Burton was recognized by the Chair before being arrested
Another man in a mask reads the portion of the Open Meetings Act regarding not having to share your identity. He talks about being wrongfully removed from a Charter Commision meeting. “That is not Robert’s Rules of Order to put your hands on anybody in this room.”
Commissioner Underwood of the Charter Commission informs the Police Commission that the open meetings act trumps Robert’s rules; encourages people to file complaints against David Levalley. She calls out the lack of attention to missing Black children
She calls for the police commission to be fully elected, not any appointed
A woman in a red dress says she has requested info on # of police hired from other cities, hasn’t gotten it. She talks about how the officer who beat the woman is still on the job and one commissioner defended him bc he’s short
Raven, 17, just finished high school. She was pulled over by FOUR cars. They towed her car for no working headlights but her headlights worked. Police would not allow her to call her parents. They put a $250 hold on her car for no reason. An officer gave her his number to get it
A minister has Ms Harris, a senior, stand. She was pulled out of the Charter Commission meeting and surrounded by 10-12 officers. The minister’s voice drips with pain. He says “We have the right to culturally express without intimidation,” says that “one who sits high” knows it
Marilyn Jordan: “You can come in real bulldogish, but we know how to bark as well.... We will be respected at these meetings.”
Teacher Crystal Bonner says it’s her first meeting and she was “disgusted” by the Commission’s behavior. She calls out Commissioner Carter, and says it was not acceptable for DPD to protect nazis at pride #detroitdocumenters
“In the Black City of Detroit, you’re gonna let these racist dogs march?” #DetroitDocumenters
Another community member said she had a similar experience with her car, like Raven who spoke earlier. She accuses the Board of colonialism
Another member of the public calls the board out for treating their colleague as they did. She says the group knows her. It’s not necessary to drag people out and arrest them. The rules of the constitution have been suspended here and at the Charter Commission.
Kenny Holloway says he’s ashamed of the board. He tells them they are in the position they are because of Coleman A Young. “We got a lot of educated fools out here.”
He is the second speaker to let the commission know God is watching them.
Malik Shelton of Televram Newspaper says he’s never seen something so egregious. “It’s like watching an old nazi movie or something.” They allow neo nazis to march Downtown and assault a woman, but has their fellow commissioner dragged out. He invokes 1984
Here are the faces the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners are giving to public commenters. Note the second pic. David Levalley keeps openly texting.
Another speaker removes her mask. Her friend was pushed down by nazis at pride who were not arrested. # #detroitdocumenters
She states that nazis posted on social media they were coming to shoot up pride, but Chief Craig didn’t tell the public, and he allowed them in. #detroitdocumenters
Nicole Small speaks. “After what has happened today, I’m sure you don’t care about my opinion about facial recognition.” She asks commissioners who took part in the civil rights movement what they are doing now. She talks about the police actions at the Charter Commission
Here is David Levalley texting as a community member gives impassioned public commentary. He has been doing this intermittently throughout public comment. #detroitdocumenters
Ms Harris who was removed from the recent Charter Commission meeting by police speaks. She talks about her community contributions “and yet I was thrown out.” “I was so traumatized, all around me was blue.” She can’t sleep at night now
She tries to keep speaking but the chair shuts her down despite crowd support
Another commenter calls this apartheid, asks the board if they support facial recognition. Carter says they have nothing to vote on. The speaker says she will file suit.
She asks if the case of an officer arresting a fellow undercover officer is being investigated. Carter says she can’t answer. A civil rights complaint is coming
A speaker named Kate is wearing a mask to protest facial recognition. She says that having their fellow commissioner dragged out in handcuffs is new facism that comes from Duggab. Chief Craig was appointed by emergency manager Kevyn Orr and his time is up
A police chase resulted in two people getting in a car crash and the cops did not call an ambulance. She talks about police shooting into her house at Dexter and Elmhurst (near here and my house) in 1967 and how they had to sleep on the floor bc of it
Sheila from Hydrate Detroit, who fight DWSD’s high rates, speaks against the arrest of her friend and colleague Dameeko Williams’s arrest at the Charter Commission meeting. “If I was there, you probably would’ve took me too.”
Deanna Wilcoxson is on record as diametrically opposes to facial recognition, she says. She says it presumes guilt, and is inaccurate for African-Americans in particular. She is speaking to the historic record bc she wants history to know there were conscious objectors
Ms. Wilcoxson asks why facial recognition has been in place for more than a year.
Peter Rhodes (Rose?) requests community benefits as a part of approval of dispensaries. He calls Councilmember Tate an obstructionist.
Carter won’t let the last speaker y’all bc no comment card, but she asks where they were “Normally they’re outside?” Sounds like questionable Open Meetings Act practices to this local govt professional #detroitdocumenters
Meeting of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners adjourned, 8:41pm. #detroitdocumenters
There is dinner for everyone at the meeting and some of the community members who spoke are fellowshipping together. Gotta find joy and togetherness in the struggle
They fed us dinner from Touch of Class Catering in Oak Park, and there’s cake???
A community member who went to this school in 1970 says at my table that police used to stop them from walking in groups when all three schools let out at once. She says when Duggan was over the prosecutor when Malice Green was killed, he fired the Medical Examiner
She talks about how Coleman Young created the Board of Police Commissioners. When she leaves the table, another woman sitting here says to me, “You’ve got to let the past go.”
Project Green Light blinks frantically as I exit the building. Signing off.
A coda to my thread: Commissioner Willie E. Burton who was arrested at the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners meeting tonight is the youngest police commissioner ever elected, according to PulseBeatTV. He is the Police Commissioner for my district, District 5.
Going through my media of the meeting, I see that a video turned out. Commissioner Burton is clearly telling DPD not to touch him, and he has his hands raised. #detroitdocumenters Sorry, your browser doesn't support embedded videos
Agency Information
Detroit Board of Police Commissioners
The Board of Police Commissioners has supervisory control and oversight of the Police Department, including plenary authority over citizen complaints and the power to appoint fact finders, subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony, and require the production of evidence. The Board also appoints a civilian as Director of Police Personnel and approves all promotions made by the Chief. The 11 member board is comprised of 7 elected members from each city council district and 4 members appointed by the Mayor. https://detroitmi.gov/government/boards/board-police-commissioners
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