Schor signs executive directive for ‘bias-free treatment’

Schor signs executive directive for ‘bias-free treatment’

In the wake of several documented allegations of racial discrimination, Lansing Mayor Andy Schor announced Tuesday he signed an executive order to establish ways to further its “commitment to fair and bias-free treatment of all people.” The directive proposes a partnership with the National League of Cities to assess racial equity in Lansing. The city will also join the Government Alliance on Racial Equity, a national network of municipalities working toward social justice. Additionally, all city employees will be required to complete implicit bias training. All departments will also file a racial justice report to address ways to enhance equity in various city operations. The latest mayoral directive also specifically calls for plans for a community-driven, independent review of all departmental policies and procedures at both the Fire and Police departments.

State denies Nassar’s resentencing request 

Former Michigan State University gymnastics physician Larry Nassar lost an appeal this week to throw out one of the three sentences he is serving. The 2-1 split decision reportedly found that Nassar’s sentencing appeal came too late and that any alleged bias potentially exhibited by Judge Rosemarie Aquilina was not improper. Nassar, who was convicted of sexually assaulting over 150 girls and young women, is unlikely to ever see the outside of a prison cell with a combined minimum sentence of at least 140 years.

Accident Fund pushes union staff to the frontline

At least a dozen employees at the Accident Fund Insurance Co. of America headquarters in Lansing have said they’ve been unfairly required to report to work during the pandemic. The common thread: They’re all members of UAW Amalgamated Local No. 2256, they contended. While state officials continue to investigate employee complaints, corporate officials doubled down on their existing work-from-home policies and renewed them through at least June 13. About 40% of the staff must still report to work regardless of complaints, company officials said.

Crawford out as Schor administration turnover continues

Andrea Crawford, the city’s director of the Department of Neighborhoods and Citizen Engagement, announced this week that she will leave the job at the end of the year to “pursue other opportunities,” officials said. She’ll be replaced by city neighborhood coordinator DeLisa Fountain. She’ll earn about $7,000 less than Crawford. Crawford is at least the eighth city official to leave their job since Schor took office in 2018.  

Whitmer commutes sentences for drug offenders

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer granted four requests for clemency this week — all for drug-related offenses — following recommendations by the Michigan Parole Board. Among them: Michael Thompson, who was the focus of the Michigan Prisoner Release Campaign, spearheaded by Redemption Cannabis and the Last Prisoner Project, among other groups. Thompson sold three pounds of cannabis in 1994 to an informant in the Flint Area Narcotics Group. No guns were used during the sale, but because they were found at his home in a locked safe, Thompson went on to be sentenced to 42 to 60 years in prison for firearm charges. Advocates labeled it a draconian sentence and lauded Whitmer for setting him free. 

Problems persist at Porter Senior Apartments

Several residents have said that substandard living conditions are continuing at Porter Senior Apartments, a subsidized complex on Townsend Street, reports the Lansing State Journal. Lansing City Council members have raised concerns about bug infestations and a lack of maintenance at the low-income apartment complex in recent months. Still, city, county and federal officials have reportedly visited the property and still consider it safe enough to live in. The Journal found that many Porter residents are still frustrated, saying that issues have persisted despite repeated complaints. Rental certificates at the site are still valid.

Six indicted in Whitmer kidnapping plot

Six men were indicted last week on charges of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and possibly hold her for ransom or leave her in the middle of Lake Michigan. The news arrives more than two months after their arrest after a federal grand jury concluded there was enough evidence to bind the suspects over for trial. They each reportedly face one count of kidnapping conspiracy, which could carry a sentence of life in prison. The indictment didn’t add any new charges, though more could be handed down.

Correction

Because of a reporting error, the murder victim was misidentified in last week’s Rewind item on charges that were dropped in a 2011 killing. The victim’s name is Michael Adams, not Abrams.

City Pulse regrets the error.