Disability advocates are banding together against a move to eliminate live virtual public comments at weekly meetings of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners (BOPC).
District 1 Commissioner Henrietta Ivey proposed the controversial motion at last week’s BOPC meeting to restrict public comment to in-person only as early as their next meeting on Sept. 3. If approved, the motion would also eliminate an option to provide comments via phone.
Ivey proposed the motion, which was seconded by appointed Commissioner Darryl Woods, at the Aug. 27 meeting shortly after the public comment period ended. In an interview with BridgeDetroit, she said she did not intend to “stifle any voices,” but instead wanted to build relationships with residents “face to face.”
“I want to see people,” she said. “ I want [it] … so they can see me, feel my energy, shake my hand, and rectify what it is that they feel that we may have said or done that may have offended them.”
The motion — which has already garnered significant pushback from residents and other BOPC members — was ultimately postponed by a countermotion from District 3 Commissioner Darious Morris.
Following last week’s meeting, local advocacy groups like Detroit Disability Power, Riverwise Magazine and Warriors on Wheels of Metropolitan Detroit have called for action online. WOW founder and CEO Lisa Franklin released a Friday statement urging commissioners to vote no on the motion.
“As public servants, it’s hard to believe that you could support a motion of that sort when people with disabilities, seniors and working families may not have the means to attend these meetings in person every single time to voice concerns,” the statement read.
The motion is expected to be voted on at the BOPC’s Sept. 3 meeting. Groups have been urging participation at the meeting, as well as circulating a change.org petition opposing Ivey’s effort.
What’s the hold up
While proposing the postponement, Morris said during the Aug. 27 meeting that he wanted to consult constituents before any vote, especially given the public comment period had already passed.
“We want to get the public’s opinion to be heard,” he said. “And if someone wants to challenge it, at least they’ll have time without that being stripped right away.”
Commissioners Scott Boman (District 4) and Victoria Camille (District 7) voiced additional accessibility and transparency concerns during the meeting.
“I know that public comments can be difficult at times. I understand that, but I will be very concerned with us reducing the public’s access to us, especially given our role in the community,” said Camille, who also shared her opposition on social media. “We do have members of the community that have mobility challenges where it will be very difficult for them to come into these physical meetings, and I would hate to lose their feedback.”
Established in 1974 under the City Charter, the Board of Police Commissioners is a civilian oversight body responsible for the supervisory control and governance of the Detroit Police Department.
On Aug. 27, about half of public comments were made via Zoom attendees. Many meeting participants were also visibly and audibly displeased with Ivey’s motion.
Minister Eric Blount, who had spoken in-person during that meeting’s public comment period, said the move felt like an obvious effort to silence public opinion. He said the current system of public comment was already inadequate in making sure residents feel heard.
“It’s atypical to not only not hear the people that are giving public comments in person (during the two minutes allotted per person) because they just continuously treat us like a widget. ‘Okay, next. Okay, next. Okay, next.’” he said. “Sometimes some of the basic questions people have, they’ll never entertain them and just move on to the next commenter.”
Since the meeting, several community members and leaders online and in emails to BridgeDetroit have expressed outrage at Ivey’s motion.
Many argue that virtual comment is vital to those who struggle to attend the in-person Thursday meetings at 3 p.m. This largely includes those who struggle with transportation, employed residents, parents and caregivers, the elderly and those with disabilities.
District 7 resident Jawana Oliver, who initiated the petition, attended the Aug. 27 meeting virtually. Oliver said she’s been attending meetings via Zoom since January and has used public comment multiple times. She said her childcare situation and anxieties related to being in the Detroit Public Safety Headquarters building prevent her from joining meetings in-person. Without virtual comment, she feels she would be one of the many Detroiters left without a voice in the room.
“[Ivey’s motion] will actually block me from my community and my voice being heard,” Oliver said. “ That’s just what it would do. Just block me from being able to participate with my voice being heard, [accessing] community resources for the community. It just blocks me from everything.”
Oliver’s petition had received 125 signatures as of Monday evening.
(How) Can they do this?
In-person only commenting would be a return to pre-COVID lockdown form. Certain public bodies in Michigan are required by the Open Meetings Act of 1976 to “conduct nearly all business” open to the public and public address. Changes were made in 2020 in-line with COVID-19 related amendments, and have lingered in many public body meetings since.
Corporation Counsel Conrad Mallett Jr. addressed legal concerns raised during the meeting, stating that the city’s Law Department is of the opinion that BOPC is within their right to restrict live virtual commenting.
Ivey and District 2 Commissioner Lavish Williams addressed additional concerns of fellow commissioners by pointing out several ways residents can submit public comments online through the BOPC website. It’s unclear how often the comments submitted via the website are reviewed.
As of Monday, the BOPC meeting video archive was not working. However, previous meetings can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel, and previous meeting documents (including transcripts where comments received and read can be found) are located through the BOPC events calendar.
