“We continue to welcome the support and assistance of true partners who wish to work together with us to achieve solutions that will improve the policies and practices of law enforcement,” Gasper said.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan filed the federal lawsuit against the Michigan State Police on behalf of a Black couple on Wednesday, arguing the agency has failed to review its own practices to address its disproportionate rates of pulling over African Americans.
The case was filed on behalf of Camara Sankofa and Shanelle Thomas, who were pulled over in August 2019 and detained for nearly two hours in Oak Park while state troopers conducted a search of the couple and their vehicle. The officer who pulled Sankofa and Thomas over said they had run a red light, yet Sankofa, the driver, was issued no citation or ticket for a violation. The ACLU of Michigan shared a video of the couple and the traffic stop.
Michigan kicks off effort to reduce road worker deaths, work zone injuries
Clinton Township Brandyn Spychalski found a sense of purpose in his road construction career. But the job came with its risks.
He often shared stories with his family of drivers failing to pay attention, neglecting barriers and signs and the workers themselves, recalled his mother, Leslie Fonzi-Lynch.
Spychalski was struck by a flat-bed truck near Lexington in Sanilac County in the summer of 2017 when the truck s driver veered to avoid a stopped car in a construction zone. Spychalski was crushed against his work truck on the side of the road.
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FOWLERVILLE, Mich. Dashcam footage was released Sunday showing Michigan Democrat state Representative Jewell Jones resisting arrest after driving into a ditch on the side of a road while intoxicated.
The Michigan State Police dashcam footage shows the April 6, 2021 arrest Rep. Jones, 26, of Inkster after crashing his SUV into a ditch along I-96 near Fowlerville, the Post Millennial reported.
The officer repeatedly asks Jones for his ID and driver’s license, to which Jones replies, “Take your hand off me. I’ll give you my stuff, take your hand off me. I got you.”
The Daily Universe
By DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press
Responding to warnings of potentially violent demonstrations, governors across the nation are calling out National Guard troops, declaring states of emergency and closing their capitols to the public ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration next week.
Though details remain murky, demonstrations are expected at state capitols beginning Sunday and leading up to Biden’s succession of President Donald Trump on Wednesday. State officials hope to avoid the type of violence that occurred Jan. 6, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving a Capitol Police officer and four others dead.
9 & 10 News
January 16, 2021
(AP) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has activated the National Guard, and the state police continue to prepare a presence at the Capitol.
Crews will also install a 6-foot fence around the 142-year-old building, before potential protests ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Michigan State Police Col. Joe Gasper said Friday that an unknown number of demonstrators are expected to gather on the grounds Sunday. That comes a week-and-a-half after the deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol. Troopers are being mobilized from across the state and will be joined by the National Guard and local law enforcement.
Meanwhile, Airbnb says it will review reservations in Lansing ahead of expected demonstrations at the Capitol, and may cancel bookings by anyone determined to be part of a hate group or who may have come to the city with violent intentions. The move comes as state government leaders across the U.S. prepare for potential protests. San Francisco-based