GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A local coalition in Grand Rapids hopes to move money from police services to social services.
The "Committee for Community Owns Safety" is collecting signatures for a ballot proposal that would amend the city charter.
The proposal would secure a minimum of 9.8% of Grand Rapids' General Operating Fund for funding for:
- Affordable Housing
- Mental and Physical Health
- Environmental sustainability
- Police accountability
- Economic growth of communities with disproportionally high rates of gun violence
- Unemployment
- Child Poverty
"We are having a real systemic issue as a community and we can create the funds to address it," said Denavvia Mojet, the coalition's campaign manager.
The amendment would replace the minimum 32% of the General Operating Fund appropriated for police services.
Mojet says previous budgets have shown GRPD hasn't used that minimum and therefore the clause isn't needed.
"Every department sits down with the city manager and elected officials every year and they're allocated funding based off what they need. We respect that process will still happen even with that funding replaced," said Mojet.
Mojet says the 'defund police' movement is a separate initiative, as this one is more about the underfunding of social services.
"If we get this ballot measure passed, then their [GRPD's] job should be easier because we will be addressing the things residents need fundamentally, year-round, hence forth, forever more, to have a Grand Rapids we're proud of and safe living in."
The coalition's organized by Urban Core Collective, NAACP of Greater Grand Rapids, LINC UP and ACLU of Michigan.
They haven't decided whether or not to put the issue on the ballot this November or next Spring.
A spokesperson for the City of Grand Rapids says it doesn't comment on ballot initiatives.
The Grand Rapids Fraternal Order of Police did not return our request for comment Friday.
We've also reached out to the Grand Rapids Police Officer's Association and are waiting to hear back.
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