GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A group called People’s Budget GR is urging city officials to change Grand Rapid’s budget. Ultimately, they want reduced funding for the Grand Rapids Police Department.
The group recently created a shared Google document outlining their ideas and proposals. According to the group, this document is modeled after a similar one titled Defund the NYPD.
“The new Fiscal Year for Grand Rapids begins on July 1st. Here’s what you can do to ensure that funding from the city is diverted away from the GRPD: call on your council members to enact an emergency council meeting and deny the city commission’s proposed budget,” the document reads. “We need more funding for public services, not police.”
The document contains a list of elected officials and contact information, along with email, call and social media scripts.
The creation of this organization is similar to ones being formed across the county in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
Another website, Defund12.org, also created templates for cities all over the nation, allowing users to email government officials and council members to reallocate police department budgets toward education and social services. Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ann Arbor and Southfield all appear on the site with email templates.
During a virtual townhall on Friday, a number of residents called for city leaders to amend the budget to defund GRPD. Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss said millions of dollars were already cut from the budget due to revenue shortfalls caused by COVID-19.
"The budget that we passed just last month will likely stand, although, there's always an opportunity to make adjustments," she said.
On Sunday, Minneapolis City Council members announced their intent and commitment to disband the city’s police department.
"Our commitment is to end our city’s toxic relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department, to end policing as we know it, and to re-create systems of public safety that actually keep us safe," Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender said at Sunday’s community meeting.
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