As homicides rise, public interest in defunding recedes

Police lean on tried tactics as City Council eyes proactive reforms

Posted

Marlene Moore’s grown son was walking his family’s dog near the Old Oakland neighborhood, on Lansing’s near west side, last Wednesday when he saw a 27-year-old woman get shot just a few blocks from his home.

“It really shook him up,” Moore said. “I don’t feel safe here.”

Moore has lived in Lansing since the 1950s. And gun violence — though familiar to Moore and her family — has never crept this close to her front door. “Too close for comfort,” she explained.

Officers found the woman with a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening. But all too often this year, those rising reports of gun violence have had fatal consequences in Lansing.

“Maybe more patrolling the neighborhood?” Moore suggested. “It’s hard. It’s a tough situation.”

About three hours before that shooting last week, Police Chief Daryl Green was preparing his remarks for a virtual “call to action” meeting to address a growing homicide rate in Lansing. Twenty killings have been tracked so far in 2020, the highest annual total in three decades.

Six cases remain unsolved. About half were reported on the southern side of the city.

But as homicide reports continue to rise locally, efforts to chip away funding from the Lansing Police Department are losing steam. Elected officials are still focused on public safety reforms, but many residents are now calling for more cops to help tackle more crime. And it’s creating a conundrum without a simple solution, City Council President Peter Spadafore said.

“It’s a paradoxical situation,” he said. “There’s this notion that more police won’t prevent a shooting, only investigate it. There’s also this call for more social services. And at the same time, the short-term reaction is to immediately increase police presence. Maybe it can be both.”

Green pointed to an increase in stolen firearms to help explain the rising homicide rate, but Lansing is far from alone in its battle against violent crime. Detroit, Saginaw, New York City, Minneapolis, Chicago and Houston are all tracking more homicides this year.

With a few weeks left in 2020, Lansing is reporting about twice as many homicides as 2019. New York City’s homicide rate is up at least 38%. Minneapolis also reports at least 78 homicides this year — up more than 60% from the 48 reported last year. It’s not at all a local anomaly.

“Many violent offenders are using stolen firearms, and LPD cannot advocate enough for people to properly secure their firearms,” Green explained, noting that at least 140 illegal guns have been seized this year through the city’s Violent Crime Initiative. “This is a clear indication that offenders are carrying more guns as the homicide rate increases.”

Green was also quick to mention that 2020 has been far from a “normal” year for law enforcement. The coronavirus pandemic has reduced contact between citizens and police. And officers have struggled to regain community trust after an inmate was killed by officers in the city’s lock-up and several local cops beat up a man on Baker Street.

“I think we’re doing all that we can,” Mayor Andy Schor told City Pulse.

“This is a national issue that’s happening everywhere. People everywhere are getting more gun violence in their neighborhoods, and it’s extremely concerning. We’re preempted by the state on gun laws, so we’re working with increased patrols and building a positive relationship within communities and neighborhoods. That’s crucial so neighbors are comfortable reporting issues.”

Reports show that homicides have increased by as much as 36% this year in at least 21 major cities. National experts have since posited a few theories to explain the increase:

Like Green suggested, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the city of Lansing into a tailspin. Thousands of residents have either been put out of a job or have worked from home for months — the “perfect storm,” Green said, for unchecked mental health issues to become dangerous.

Isolation also breeds depression, anxiety and idle hands that could lead to more criminal behavior. The economic toll from the pandemic could also be creating a sense of desperation. And with record firearm sales nationwide this year, more guns could be creating more violence.

“This year has not been a normal year for anyone in the field of social services — mental health, teachers and especially law enforcement,” Green theorized. “It’s an unpredictable environment.”

George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests have also added to a growing sense of distrust of police officers. That social tension could also equate to an increased reliance on street justice to resolve interpersonal disputes, Vox reported this year.

Schor thinks most of the homicides locally have been in retaliation for other criminal behavior. Rumors have circulated over an increase in gang activity, but police officials have said there’s no evidence to corroborate that theory.

“It’s important to remember that we’re living in unprecedented times,” added Councilman Brian Jackson. “This year’s homicide rates shouldn’t necessarily be considered part of the usual pattern for Lansing.”

In response to the rising number of shootings and homicides, local cops have stayed focused on familiar techniques. That means ramping up patrols in “hotspots” on the city’s south side, Green said. More badges. More guns. More police visibility in the city.

Uniformed officers have also been knocking doors, trying to convince residents and business owners to snitch about recent crimes and to register their surveillance cameras with the Police Department. Anonymous tips are welcomed. Building community relationships can be critical.

“The police and community must collaborate to send a clear message that violence in our communities will not be tolerated,” Green said during last Wednesday’s community meeting.

The city’s Violent Crime Initiative, a regional partnership of LPD, Michigan State Police, the Ingham County Sheriff’s Department and other agencies, is also focused on keeping illegal firearms off city streets while investigations continue.

“It’s the historical approach to policing hotspots,” said Council Vice President Adam Hussain. “Historically, has that shown to work in the short term? Yes. But it can’t only be about active patrols. It also has to be about building meaningful relationships in these neighborhoods.”

Councilman Brandon Betz and the local chapter of Black Lives Matter, among others, have repeatedly called for reducing the Police Department budget and increasing spending on social services and programs designed to mitigate crime before it can begin.

Resolutions calling for a 50% police budget cut over five years have twice failed to pass through the City Council. Green has voiced strong opposition to police divestment. And Schor doesn’t plan to cut the budget in his next proposal.

Even officials in Minneapolis, the hotbed of recent social unrest, fell short of their initial plans to dismantle their department, instead cutting only $8 million from the $179 million police budget this month.

So, how do increased patrols align with conceptual police divestment? Perhaps they don’t.

Dozens of local residents — including Schor — told City Pulse they don’t see a viable path toward safety through budget cuts at the Police Department. There’s value in more community engagement and social services, Schor said, but it doesn’t always provide a sense of security.

And training for officers or hiring more social workers to the force requires cash, Schor said.

“We have to have enough policing presence to have safety and security, but they also have to be doing it right. People want police. They just want them to act appropriately. There are extremes on both sides of these conversations. They all have rights to their opinions.”

The rising homicide rate in Lansing almost ensures that its Police Department won’t see a budget reduction next year, Schor told City Pulse this week. Budget cuts would likely equate to service reductions or fewer patrols, he said. And that’s not a risk he’s willing to let Lansing take.

“For me, this is a matter of keeping people safe and secure in their homes and in their neighborhoods. I firmly believe that people should expect a response when they dial 911,” Schor said. “Operational cuts, right now, I think would only cause problems in terms of resident safety.”

Betz still believes that “radical intervention” is the best way to curb gun violence in Lansing, though he’s quickly realizing the political infeasibility of slashing the Police Department budget.

With Schor still controlling the city’s purse strings and the inability for Betz to garner enough votes to set the budget on a different trajectory next year, he’s turning his attention toward other reforms. Instead of how much cops can spend, he’s focusing on how that cash is to be spent.

Mirroring recent reforms in East Lansing, Betz voiced interest this week in amending portions of city ordinances — like its disorderly conduct laws — to alter police enforcement in Lansing. Perhaps some crimes can be wiped from the books and reduce police interactions, he said.

“It’s really depressing that the only way people can feel safe in society is by sending more armed cops to the streets,” Betz said. “Too many people are stuck in that way of thinking and it’s going to take some more work to push those reforms forward. It’ll require constant attention.”

Councilwoman Patricia Spitzley also said that police divestment has lost momentum in Lansing.

“There’s still a role for police. Reimagined public safety is needed now more than ever, but it’s still a multifaceted approach, and I don’t think cutting the police department budget is the way,” Spitzley said this week. “We need to think of this as a holistic approach to making reforms.”

Enter Advance Peace — a “promising” step forward in that holistic approach, Spitzley said.

The California-based nonprofit is geared toward stopping urban crime before it begins. And for about $1.9 million over three years, Advance Peace could bring its programming to Lansing.

Founder and Eastern High School graduate DeVone Boggan outlined the concept to several positive reviews from the City Council this week. The Council’s committee on intergovernmental relations is set to explore ways to secure funding and perhaps launch a program early next year.

The concept: Advance Peace would pair about 25 residents who are most likely to get involved with gun violence with local mentors who, in turn, can connect them with social services and job opportunities over an 18-month period. Those recruited into the “fellowship” also earn monthly stipends of up to $1,000 for their involvement in the program, if they keep their noses clean.

Boggan described would-be participants as among the “most lethal individuals in the city.”

“Every day for an 18-month-plus period, they’ll be engaged and given attention unlike they’ve ever had in the past,” Boggan explained. “We want to make sure that these individuals know what is out there for them. It’s hard to dream about something you don’t even know exists.”

Boggan said Advance Peace programming works to end cyclical and retaliatory gun violence in urban neighborhoods by providing resources directly to those most affected by local crime, often young Black men who could otherwise become involved in that criminal activity themselves.

Richmond, California, experienced an 82% reduction in deadly shootings after the program was launched there in 2019, Boggan said. When it launched in Sacramento, California, the city experienced a 24-month period without a single youth homicide, according to Advance Peace.

“This program works,” Spitzley added. “We’re looking at crushing crime and gun violence.”

Several Ingham County officials, including Prosecutor Carol Siemon, also touted the program’s efficacy this week and urged City Council members to quickly find funding for the program. Reports show Advance Peace needs at least $500,000 to launch in the first year and requires a three-year commitment — enough for at least two cohorts of 25 people in Greater Lansing. Early cost projections also suggest those costs could be reduced for Lansing through grants and additional funding that could be provided through Ingham County Board of Commissioners.

Under that model, Lansing’s projected costs would be about $890,000 over three years.

“It can be both. When people see crime, they expect a response in order to feel safe,” Schor said. “Our police officers do a good job of responding, but you also need appropriate community policing to help build relationships in these neighborhoods where we’re seeing issues.”

Sean Bradley contributed to this report.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here




Connect with us