GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Organizers of an effort to defund the Grand Rapids police say they’ll keep pushing their ideas, even if Grand Rapids city leaders refuse to alter a proposed budget coming to a vote next week.
Activists with the group “Defund the GRPD” rallied Friday, May 14 at the Calder Plaza, in front of Grand Rapids City Hall, before marching to police headquarters on Monroe Center NW.
The rally came just a few days ahead of a scheduled May 20 Grand Rapids City Council meeting where city commissioners will vote whether to approve a $546 million spending plan which includes $55.81 million for police.
About 70 people showed up for the event.
Activists with Defund the GRPD and Justice for Black Lives have been spearheading an effort to slash the Grand Rapids police budget since shortly after the Grand Rapids riot on May 30, 2020. The riot came in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, a Black man, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
Their demands have gone unheeded so far, and the majority of city commissioners have not shown any penchant for police cuts leading up to this year’s budget. The proposed budget calls for allocating $55.81 million to police, up from $55.14 million last year.
Related: Activists to city commissioners: Cut $6M from Grand Rapids police before approving budget
If approved, the police funding would represent 35.8 percent of the total budget.
Backers of the defunding effort want the police budget slashed to 32 percent -- a charter-mandated minimum percentage. It would mean cutting nearly $6 million from Grand Rapids Police.
They complain that police have not been acting in the public’s interest and have “brutalized” some in the Black and Brown community of Grand Rapids.
During Friday’s rally, marchers stopped outside police headquarters for an extended period, chanting anti-police phrases and giving speeches.
Their presence prompted police to give a warning about blocking the sidewalk. About 10 officers on bicycles and in heavy gear staged in the area.
The protesters eventually began marching back toward Calder Plaza and police did not interrupt any part of the event.
Supporters of defunding the police say they’re prepared to carry on their fight into the next budget year if they get no traction next week with city commissioners.
They said they believe their message resonates with the community and that they are in the majority viewpoint about police behavior, not the minority.
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