When a Michigan newspaper asked police officials in East Lansing for reports and video footage related to allegations of police brutality against a black man, they denied the request. East Lansing Mayor Ruth Beier refused to release video footage and investigative records tied to a December 2019 incident that left a black man with head…
Resisting arrest is a felony offense in Michigan. The courts assume that you can legally challenge the detention once you’ve been taken into custody, and even seek to have the charges dropped if you can prove you were falsely arrested. But prior to that, citizens are expected to avoid resisting arrest by any force. The…
Among cities across the U.S., Detroit has experienced a very high number of cases of COVID-19, leaving the city’s once-thriving downtown quiet and nearly deserted, and hospitals overwhelmed with new patients. With a population of 670,000, many of the city’s low-income residents had been battling asthma and other chronic diseases before the coronavirus pandemic struck,…
Can it become a crime to stand too close to someone either in public or while indoors? As the coronavirus pandemic slams the state, mayors across Michigan are putting that theory to the test. After the city of Detroit became a hotspot for COVID-19, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statewide Stay At Home order…
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case out of Michigan from a man who claimed to have endured excessive force by police officers due to mistaken identity. James King had sued the two officers after he said they had mistaken him for being a known fugitive as he was walking near…
It’s known that jurors bring a lot with them when they’re in the courtroom, from their personal beliefs to how their life experiences have shaped them. Whether a juror admits it or not, every person seated on that jury has certain biases that are unique to their belief system. Legal experts have noted for years…
Tragically, the city of Detroit has become a new “hotspot” for cases of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Michigan has joined New York and Louisiana as being among the hardest-hit states during this ongoing health crisis. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had issued a statewide “stay-at-home” order on March 24, 2020 that was originally slated to end…
