“Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue. If he cannot do so, then with his heart…”
The action and voices of the community are needed to make change. Take note of the initiatives below and the opportunities to take action for change.
| Initiative | Description | Upcoming Action Opportunities | Past Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justice for Palmer Park Tenant Killed During Eviction | On the morning of Friday Jul 12, a tenant of Palmer Park named Sherman Lee Butler was shot and killed while being evicted from his home. Detroit Police were "standing by" during the eviction, accompanying an armed Balliff from 36 District Court who forcefully entered the apartment finding the tenant in distress and suffering a suspected mental health crisis. DPD called for a mental health unit but before the team could arrive8, the tenant was tased by DPD and then fatally shot by Ballif. | Continue to voice your demands at Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, particularly the release of DPD's body worn camera footage of this tragic incident.
| https://detroitcpta.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TenantAction_07.29.2024-scaled.jpg Day 1 We ask the people to join us at Mayor Duggan's Town Hall to demand justice for the murdered tenant. July 29, 2024 7:00pm - 8:30pm Coleman A Young Municipal Center: 2 Woodward Avenue, 13th Floor or Online: https://detroitmi.gov/MayorsDistrictMeeting Phone: 312-626-6799, Meeting ID: 880 8527 4706 Day 2 We ask the people to join us at Detroit City Council to continue voicing our demands. July 30, 2024 10:00am - 12:00pm Coleman A. Young Municipal Center: 2 Woodward Avenue, 13th Floor Online: https://detroitmi.gov/Online-CC-Meeting Phone: 312-626-6799, Meeting ID:85846903626# Public Comment can also be submitted via email to CCPublicComment@detroitmi.gov August 1, 2024 3:00pm Detroit Public Safety Headquarters: 1301 Third Street Online: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/81981390642#success Phone: 1 (267) 831-0333 1 (346) 248-7799 Enter the BOPC Meeting ID 81981390642 and press ## To sign up online to speak for two minutes during Oral Communications, go to |
| First Amendment Rights Policy | DPD has not had a policy that protects the rights of people to exercise their First Amendment rights. DPD had a special order 205.4-22-43 First Amendment Activities which was active from 12/16/2022 - 12/16/2023 and did not include provisions for Legal Observers or focus on DPD's duty to protect First Amendments rights. | CPTA members Julie Hurwitz, Shea Howell, and Victoria Camille participated in June 25, 2024 and July 9, 2024 BOPC Policy Committee meetings, and submitted a draft 302.6 First Amendment Activities policy for consideration. The draft policy focuses on the responsibility of DPD to protect First Amendment Rights and addresses the role of Legal Observers. Policy best practices were leverage from Baltomore's First Amendment policy in the drafting of this policy. | |
| Legal Observers Targeted | On March 2, 2024 and April 12, 2024 Legal Observers were arrested/ticketed for actions related to First Amendment activities. | On June 6, 2024, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib sent a letter to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, admonishing the Board to take action. Community members made public comments expressing concerns about Legal Observers being targeted in retaliation of the critical role they play in protected First Amendment activities; and publicly bringing the letter from Congresswoman Tlaib to the Board's attention. At the July 9, 2024 BOPC Policy Committee meeting, the Policy Committee voted to send a letter to DPD and Corporation Counsel requesting the charges against these Legal Observers be dropped. | |
| Video Release Ordinance | A draft ordinance requiring the full and timely release of body worn camera footage when the Detroit Police Department uses force was drafted by the BOPC Policy Committee on November 21, 2023. The full Board voted to adopt the draft at the November 30, 2024 meeting, but at a later meeting voted to rescind its support. | ||
| New Surveillance Technology - | On July 11, 2024, the Board of Police Commissioners received as incoming correspondence the Surveillance Technology Specification Report - Skydio Unmanned Aerial System from the Detroit Police Department. It is not clear when the Board plans to vote to consider approval. |
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