Name: As gun violence escalates in Detroit, are federal agents the answer?
Brand: freep.com
SKU: freep-com-259
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

As gun violence escalates in Detroit, are federal agents the answer?

preview

Detroit Free Press A pandemic. Daily&nbsp;protests. No live sports and&nbsp;possibly no school.Like the rest of the world,&nbsp;Detroit is living in extraordinary times and facing&nbsp;novel challenges, though one thing&nbsp;that hasn't changed here is&nbsp;the gun&nbsp;violence.It's gotten worse.It's been a bloody summer in Detroit,&nbsp;just like most summers, with no sign&nbsp;that it's going to stop.&nbsp; In just two months, 372&nbsp;people have been shot in the city,&nbsp;&nbsp;including&nbsp;62 deaths&nbsp;— &nbsp;that's at least one killing a day by gunfire.Homicides are up 30 percent and non-fatal shootings are up 52% from a year ago, despite efforts to take guns off the street. Police&nbsp;are now seizing an average of 100 illegal guns a week&nbsp;in Detroit,&nbsp;yet the carnage continues.&nbsp;"Gun violence — at this moment&nbsp;—&nbsp; is at the highest that we’ve seen since I’ve been here," Chief James Craig, the city's top cop for seven years, told the Free Press on Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;On the Fourth of July weekend,&nbsp;&nbsp;a family of five&nbsp;was gunned down in their vehicle while returning from a&nbsp;barbecue, a night that ended with one woman dead and three children injured.Some 24 hours&nbsp;later, six more people were shot while celebrating at a block party. Two more died.&nbsp;Then came a quadruple shooting in a Coney Island that&nbsp;left three people dead, followed by another quadruple shooting&nbsp;that has four teenagers clinging to life, and then another&nbsp;shooting that killed a 67-year-old grandmother on the city's east side this week.More:Opinion:Craig&nbsp;has&nbsp;been to multiple deadly shooting scenes over the summer, including two that involved police officers killing two men&nbsp;who, he said, were armed and wanted suspects in mass shootings."The violence has got to stop. It must stop,"&nbsp; said Craig,&nbsp;appearing&nbsp;both exasperated and frustrated at times.For eight weeks straight, the&nbsp;city's understaffed police force of 2,200 officers has&nbsp;been tapped to man the&nbsp;daily, mostly peaceful&nbsp;police brutality protests sparked by the death of George Floyd. There have also been a&nbsp;new about summer school because of COVID-19 fears, which also require a police presence.More:Against that backdrop is&nbsp;the city's pervasive crime problem.Even though overall crime is down 11%&nbsp; in Detroit,&nbsp;&nbsp;violent crime is up 7%, most of it involving guns.More:In June, 37 people died in shootings,&nbsp;another 25 have been killed so far in July&nbsp;— a body count that triggered a controversial announcement this week that has many Detroiters on edge.On Wednesday, the White House announced that&nbsp;federal agents will be coming to Detroit, Cleveland and Milwaukee over the next three weeks as part of an initiative to help cities facing spikes in violence. Chicago and Albuquerque, New Mexico, are also on the list, though federal agents are heading there sooner.“Frankly, we have no choice," President Donald Trump said&nbsp;about the initiative dubbed "Operation Legend." "This rampage of violence shocks the conscience of our nation."Craig says the surge in violence is not unique to Detroit, and that other major cities also are experiencing more crime&nbsp;— a phenomenon that he believes is driven by&nbsp;several factors: the pandemic,&nbsp;the stay-at-home order, hopelessness, the early release of criminals and anti-police rhetoric that he believes is emboldening&nbsp;criminals.Craig has stressed that&nbsp;federal agents are not coming to Detroit cover peaceful protests, but are coming to help police fight violent crime. He said such initiatives are nothing new, that this one is an expansion of a similar effort launched in December, and that federal help is both needed and welcome."There are no Homeland Security agents coming here to man protests," Craig has said. "This is not Portland. This is not Seattle."But Detroiters are skeptical, mindful of the chaos that has erupted in Portland, where federal agents have pulled protesters into vans, inflaming tensions between residents and police and triggering more violence and vandalism.&nbsp;Detroiters fear the same could happen here as Trump has praised the federal response in Portland, and earlier this week and other cities "run by liberal Democrats" to deal with potential unrest from protesters."These are anarchists, these are not protesters," he said of the demonstrators protesting Floyd's death. "These are people who hate our country and we’re not going to let it go forward."Constance Williams-Spann is painfully aware of Detroit's gun problem.Her 24-year-old son, Justin Williams, a mental health assistant who worked at Samaritan Health Center, was shot and killed on July 4, 2013, at a fireworks show near his grandparent's house.&nbsp;He had taken his younger sister to see the fireworks when someone in the crowd opened fire."My son was collateral damage," said Williams-Spann,&nbsp;who called Detroit's gun violence "overwhelming and out of control."And it will stay that way, she said, unless people in the neighborhoods start telling police what they know.&nbsp;"The bottom line is — all of this gun violence that’s out here —&nbsp; people know. Somebody&nbsp;knows, yet nobody wants to speak up. That's a bunch of crap," said Williams-Spann,&nbsp;who belongs to a support group&nbsp;called Mothers of Murdered Children.For years, Williams-Spann, 54,&nbsp;&nbsp;said she lived with a false sense of security&nbsp;that gun violence would never reach her family. Her children were raised in a two-parent home. She sent them to private schools so they "wouldn't become a statistic," and always kept a close eye on them."When you think it can't happen to you, I'm proof that it can. I did everything," she said. "It's heartbreaking."Though police have yet to solve her son's killing, Williams-Spann said she believes that Detroit police "are doing the best they can with what they have."However, she remains skeptical that sending federal law enforcement to Detroit will help curb violence.&nbsp;"I don’t think that’s the answer," Williams-Spann said. "I already think there’s a divisive spirit across the country. I think it might make matters worse. And&nbsp;I say that because people are already feeling some type of way because of what’s going on now."Williams-Spann is&nbsp;referring to the Black Lives Matter movement,&nbsp;the mayhem that's erupted in Portland, and a growing mistrust of Trump.Tina Anderson, a lifelong Detroiter who supports the Black Lives Matter movement's fight for racial equality, is conflicted about federal agents coming to Detroit."On one hand, I feel the only reason that Trump is sending the troops is purely based on politics," Anderson said. "He's down in the polls and he's reaching for something that would speak to his base. ...&nbsp;Protesting for equality and the BLM movement is what he's against, and so is his base."But she concedes that Detroit has a violent crime problem, and needs help."Now, sending in troops to help curve this insane amount of gun violence is needed, in my opinion,"&nbsp;&nbsp;Anderson said. "I might be wrong but Chief Craig needs some help.&nbsp;…&nbsp;I applaud all that he's done and is doing, but we need help."Anderson, an east-sider who has five grown children, including one who is still in college, mourns for her city and the pain it has endured in her lifetime:&nbsp;Riots. Economic collapse. Bankruptcy. Nonstop violence.&nbsp;In some ways, she feels things have gotten worse."As a child, we never had 24-hour&nbsp;gas stations, liquor stores open until&nbsp;2 a.m.," said Anderson. "The no-snitch mentality has ruined our city and society because people are covering for the wrong people. &nbsp;"My heart hurts for this generation."&nbsp;The Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony,&nbsp; president of the&nbsp;NAACP Detroit branch, is highly skeptical of federal agents coming to Detroit. And he's warning Detroiters to be wary, too, calling the agents&nbsp;"uninvited, unnecessary, and unwanted intruders.""These unidentified and unaccountable storm troopers of despair appear to be the personal militia of a President disregarding the very law and order he proclaims to champion," Anthony said in a blistering statement that&nbsp;blasted&nbsp;Trump's plan to help fight urban crime."President Trump is in the midst of his reelection campaign. He cannot have public rallies, visit key cities, hold conventions, or even take pictures in a crowd due to COVID-19," Anthony said, adding: "His poll numbers are tragically low."And so Trump is trying to&nbsp;make himself look tough on crime, Anthony said,&nbsp;to "scare suburban and city white folks into voting for him out of fear.""While he spouts law and order on one hand, he condemns Black and brown people for proclaiming Black Lives Matter on the other," he said, calling Trump's crime initiative "a political ploy.""The city of Detroit must not fall for the okie-doke. In a city of 2,300 police officers, a State Police force of nearly 3,000, National Guard of over 10,000, not counting sheriff departments, DEA, AFT, and FBI personnel, do we really need a fringe gang accountable to an unaccountable leader in the White House?" Anthony said.Anthony&nbsp;added that if Trump and the feds "really want to help" Detroit fight violence, then they should provide "real assistance&nbsp;to the citizens," such as more money for schools, mental health care and unemployment assistance.Attorney General Dana Nessel agreed."I have a lot of concern about what his intentions are," Nessel said, adding the election is less than 100 days out.&nbsp;"I’m concerned about his motivations here."Nessel explained that her skepticism is based on Trump's behavior toward Michigan lawmakers, saying he has disrespected and mocked local and state leaders, including referring to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as "that woman from Michigan.""He calls our cities war zones.&nbsp;That’s not someone coming in because he’s genuinely&nbsp;concerned about our populous," Nessel said. "He's not trying to help. He's trying to dominate."Nessel&nbsp;said that it's "odd" that when it comes to law enforcement,&nbsp;Trump expressed an interest in helping Michigan. Yet when the state asked for help with the pandemic, she said, he resisted."Whitmer has had to fight&nbsp;tooth and nail for PPE, tests. She got widespread resistance," Nessel said. "Why, now, do the feds want to come into our state?"Chief Craig is baffled by all the rumors and fears about the feds coming to town, and he wants to set the record straight: No request was sent to Washington for help with the protests, or Detroit's crime spike, he said.This is part of an existing program with the feds to fight crime, he said, and it has nothing to do with the protests.According to Craig, the Department of Justice approached seven cities nationwide&nbsp;in December about providing assistance with violent crime. Detroit was among these cities, and took the feds up on their offer.Then COVID-19 hit. Protests followed, along with significant crime spikes in cities nationwide, so the Justice Detroit decided to provide more assets than was originally planned, Craig said."All this is is an extension of what was here," Craig said. "We welcomed it in December. We welcome it now."According to Craig, the federal intervention involves more manpower, equipment and&nbsp;technology that can help&nbsp;identify violent perpetrators quicker."That’s a win for us," Craig said.For U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider, whose office prosecutes some of the city's most violent gangs, the federal intervention is a much needed boost.&nbsp;"Violent crime in southeast Michigan is through the roof," said Schneider, who believes more money is needed to help the city's escalating gun violence.&nbsp;"I’m working to fund the police, to have more funding to support the Detroit police department so that we can lock up trigger pullers,"&nbsp; said Schneider, who is also working to dispel rumors and fears that the feds are coming to town to harass.That's not only false, he said, but it's a dangerous mindset."If people believe that law enforcement officers are in their neighborhoods for improper purposes, that puts (officers)&nbsp;in danger," said Schneider, adding the role of the feds is simple:&nbsp;"They're going into their community&nbsp;to help protect it, to get violent criminals off the street,"&nbsp; Schneider said. "Why would you not want that help?"This story has been updated to include four more shootings over the weekend.Contact Tresa Baldas: tbaldas@freepress.com.

Detroit Free Press A pandemic. Daily&nbsp;protests. No live sports and&nbsp;possibly no school.Like the rest of the world,&nbsp;Detroit is living in extraordinary times and facing&nbsp;novel challenges, though one thing&nbsp;that hasn't changed here is&nbsp;the gun&nbsp;violence.It's gotten worse.It's been a bloody summer in Detroit,&nbsp;just like most summers, with no sign&nbsp;that it's going to stop.&nbsp; In just two months, 372&nbsp;people have been shot in the city,&nbsp;&nbsp;including&nbsp;62 deaths&nbsp;— &nbsp;that's at least one killing a day by gunfire.Homicides are up 30...

public

Tresa Baldas

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

As gun violence escalates in Detroit, are federal agents the answer?

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS