“This meeting has been a long-time coming because we had different issues in our community, and some of those issues also surround police and community relations.”
Robert Womack is District 17 Commissioner for Kent County. He says these “State of Emergency” meetings will address public reaction to recent legal decisions involving former Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr and former Michigan State Police Sergeant Brian Keely. Schurr will not be retried in the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya, while charges against Keely were dismissed after he struck and killed Samuel Sterling with an unmarked police cruiser.
“When that came down, many people in our community really believed that they were giving a green light to officers that they can be the judge, jury and executioner in our community.”
Womack says as long as dialogue remains peaceful, there’s always a chance to better relations between the community and law enforcement.
“There’s not a brick that’s ever been thrown through a window that has brought change in Grand Rapids. There’s no fires that have been started that have been able to bring change. The change we have had has come from the dialogue, and I do believe there have been some changes since the Patrick Lyoya death, but we still have a long way to go.”
