Last week, during an important and at that time undecided national election, the City and the GRPD held two town hall events to educate the public about ShotSpotter police surveillance technology that the GRPD wants to implement in Grand Rapids. Chief Payne admitted at one of these town halls that it would be illegal to use CARES (coronavirus relief) funds to pay for ShotSpotter, as the GRPD wanted to do initially. However, the GRPD still wants to put this surveillance technology into the neighborhoods of Black and Brown people in Grand Rapids. The technology doesn't stop gun violence; it just alerts the police after it's happened, putting racially biased police into the communities where they cause the most harm. Chief Payne will be asking the Fiscal Commission and City Commission for approval for this tomorrow, Tuesday, November 10!

Please join us in writing RIGHT NOW to Mayor Bliss, City Manager Washington, and the city commissioners, to demand that they vote NO on putting ShotSpotter in our communities! We want funds spent on community programs that help stop violence before it starts, not on surveillance technology for the GRPD.