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Ann Arbor Government
Alleged Assailant of Survivor Evicted by SafeHouse Jailed on $3M Cash Surety Bond
by P.D. Lesko
Jeffrey Dwayne Smith. Photo | The Ann Arbor Independent
On Sept. 19, Jeffrey Dwayne Smith, 47, of Flatrock, Michigan, was arraigned in 14A-1 District Court before Magistrate Elisha A. Fink. Smith was charged with one…
Ann Arbor Council Member Sends Open Letter to SafeHouse Executive Director Barbara Niess-May
by Council member Katherine J. Griswold, MBA, MSW
Hello Barbara Niess-May,
SafeHouse provides a critical service in our community. Per its mission: to provide safety, support, advocacy and resources for survivors of sexual assault…
Federal Railroad Administration Judges Ann Arbor Multi-Modal Train Station Plan Out of Touch With Reality
by P.D. Lesko
On August 11, 2021, in a letter to City Administrator Tom Crawford, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) said of the proposed plan to build a $171,410,000 "train station," the feds…
Domestic violence 911 Calls Increased During Lockdown, but Official Police Reports and Arrests Declined
by Jillian Carr
COVID-19 stay-at-home orders surely saved many lives, but a growing number of studies document that lockdowns led to more reports of domestic violence.
Even as 911 calls for police help increased, official…
Trans Woman Targeting Ward 1 Council Member for Recall Sent Him Harassing Emails
by P.D. Lesko
Ariah Schugat is a 29-year-old trans woman who, in May 2021, submitted petition language to the Washtenaw County Election Board to recall Ann Arbor Council member Jeff Hayner (D-Ward 1). Schugat, formerly a resident of the…
What It Would Mean to End Qualified Immunity for Police and Other Public Employees
by Jared Wadley
An interview with Michael J. Steinberg, UM professor from practice and director of the Civil Rights Litigation Initiative at the University of Michigan Law School.
Police reform efforts nationwide have sparked debate…
Domestic Violence Calls Have Exploded During the Pandemic
by Tara Richards and Justin Nix
Domestic violence rose globally in 2020 – so much so that doctors have called it “a pandemic within a pandemic.”
The National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice, a team of national…
Council Votes to Remove Member From His Boards and Commissions for Seven Months, “Against Advice of Counsel”
by Patricia Lesko
On April 19, 2021, in a move that the Ann Arbor City Attorney Stephen Postema called "unprecedented," Jeff Hayner (D-Ward 1) was stripped of his seats on seven boards and commissions, including the Parks Advisory…
Campaign Finance Violation Complaint Filed Against City Council Member
The Michigan Secretary of State's Bureau of Elections is investigating a campaign finance violation complaint filed against Mayor Christopher Taylor in March of this year. The complaint alleges that Taylor, a Democrat who has served on…
City Asks $929.84 to Release Body/Dash Cam Video of AAPD 911 Call to Home of Mitchell Irwin and Ann Arbor Council member Jen Eyer Irwin
by P.D. Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent submitted a March 21, 2021 Freedom of Information Act request to the Ann Arbor Police Department for the body and dash cam footage from the January 13, 2021 911 call at the home of Ann Arbor…