Police interactions, oversight and the controversial use of surveillance technology were the focal point of a Thursday conversation with west side candidates for Detroit City Council and the city’s police oversight board.
Former City Councilman Roy McCalister Jr. is uplifting decades of military and law enforcement expertise and “bringing people together” in a bid to regain his seat after losing to District 2 incumbent Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway in the 2021 election.
“Hopefully you’ll allow me to serve you again,” McCalister told a crowd of about a dozen residents during a BridgeDetroit “Meet the Candidates” event at The Raw Space on W. McNichols. At-large council candidate Levan Adams and Lavish Williams, a District 2 candidate for the city’s Board of Police Commissioners, also joined the conversation.
The convening was part of nine-part BridgeDetroit series that will take place throughout the summer in each council district to engage prospective voters with the residents vying to represent them ahead of the city’s Aug. 5 primary election.
Related:
- District 1: City Council candidates talk voter engagement, immigration at northwest Detroit forum
- District 3: City Council candidates debate value of land bank, home repair programs
- Join us! BridgeDetroit launches summer of election events
- Detroiters running for office in 2025
During the event, moderated by BridgeDetroit Engagement Editor Bryce Huffman, McCalister talked about challenges faced by the district’s distinct neighborhoods, his bridge-building abilities, and the need for strong council leadership to support the city’s next mayor, whom he noted will be Black for the first time in more than a decade. Whitfield-Calloway and fellow District 2 candidate, state Rep. Helena Scott, were unable to attend Thursday’s forum.
McCalister noted District 2 encompasses vibrant neighborhoods like Sherwood Forest, the University District and Palmer Woods as well as Bagley, and the Puritan-Linwood area, where there are heightened concerns among residents over safety, housing, access to fresh foods and crime.
He also said the team and legislators supporting the city’s next leader will be key.
“Whoever the new mayor is, it’s going to be a Black mayor, whether it’s a male or female,” said McCalister, adding it’s vital that Detroit’s new mayor is set up for success.
Williams, a small business and commercial real estate owner, said he first learned of the police board about eight years ago. He became more active, attending meetings and standing up for residents who felt they weren’t heard and were unaware, like he had been, of the civilian oversight board and its function.
“People would say, ‘You should run for police commission.’ I was not into that. It was not my field, it was not my lane. However, life has a strange way of calling you to do things,” he said.
“I decided to jump out here to try to be the voice,” said Williams, who told attendees that he can relate well with parents, seniors and the younger generation. “I understand being a young Black male and some of the problems that we have. I understand when you try to go get help, the treatment (from police officers) sometimes is horrible. All you want is some understanding.”
Adams, a Detroit police detective and 25-year veteran of the department, stressed Thursday the importance of conflict resolution and support services for city youth to combat violent crime. He said the educational failures in the city are “sad” and told the crowd “we’ve let these kids down.”
Adams said a campaign to enhance and advertise violence reduction efforts and stronger partnerships with grassroots groups and the city’s schools are needed, too.
“It’s time,” he said.
Adams also weighed in on the department’s use of controversial facial recognition technology, which he said is meant to be an “investigative tool.” Sometimes it is effective, but other times, he acknowledged, it’s not. The software has been heavily criticized in recent years by community activists, who raised civil rights and accuracy concerns. It has resulted in some misidentifications and costly legal settlements.
McCalister, a supporter of facial recognition software for the police department, said it resulted in protesters outside his home. He said he engaged with various groups, but seniors were fearful, he said, of being victimized without accountability because of the “code of silence” in the streets.
Residents also pressed the candidates Thursday about standing up against the federal government’s efforts to undo the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which addresses a broad range of policing policies and law enforcement accountability, and whether they would favor a city policy that would prevent Detroit gas stations from operating during late-night hours.
Join BridgeDetroit for “Meet the Candidates” in Detroit City Council District 3 at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 19, at Osborn High School, 11600 E. Seven Mile Rd. RSVP here.