Joe asked me to forward the following to the list. He called me this
morning. I gather that the group of which he was part, wanted to protest one
of the sponsors of the ADA celebration because the company operates a
sheltered workshop that pays below minimum wages to workers. I think that
the group also wanted to distribute leaflets about the issue at the
celebration. Joe also sent me a video of his arrest. However, just listening
to the audio doesn't provide enough information about what is happening if
one can't see the screen. Joe gave me permission to forward the following
document.
Miriam
WORK UNIT
MSP STATE CAPITOL COUNTY
Ingham
COMPLAINANT
PATROL TELEPHONE NO.
ADDRESS: STREET AND NO.
100 S CAPITOL STREET CITY
LANSING STATE
MI ZIP CODE
48933-
INCIDENT STATUS
Closed
ADA RALLY
INFORMATION:
On September 17, 2015 the Capital Area Center for Independent Living (CACIL)
held a large event on the grounds of the Michigan Capitol Building. Prior
to the event, Capitol Security and Capitol Facilities became aware that a
group of protesters, who were originally affiliated with the CACIL, planned
to attend the event. State Property Security Officers were deployed to
ensure the event was successful and the protesters were able to express
their concerns while public order was maintained.
VENUE:
INGHAM COUNTY , LANSING
100 CAPITOL ST
AT OR NEAR: MICHIGAN AVE
DATE & TIME:
ON OR AFTER: THU, SEP 17, 2015 AT 1000 AND BEFORE: THU, SEP 17, 2015 AT
1400
EVENT RESERVATION:
On October 21, 2014 Kellie Blackwell reserved several areas of the Capitol
for an event titled "The 25th Anniversary ADA Celebration."
This reservation included the Front East Steps and walk ways and the South
side of the East Lawn. Blackwell indicated in her reservation that
approximately 500 persons would be in attendance. CACIL paid the State
Capitol $805 for set up costs and equipment (including a podium and
microphone) for the event.
TIME LINE OF EVENTS:
The following is a breakdown of the events which occurred.
On September 11, 2015 F/Lieutenant Boucher received a phone call from Dan
Morgan (517) 285-2010 indicating that about 1,000 persons, most with a
disability, would be in attendance. Morgan indicated he had spoken with a
disgruntled person who planned on protesting at the event. Morgan indicated
the person did not state the protest was violent; however, had been
promoting this activity on social media.
Monday, September 14, Michelle Williston from Capitol Facilities received a
call from Sue Fitzmorrice requesting use of the east lawn during the CACIL
event. Fitzmorrice said she was bringing the 'Freedom Bus', a tent, and
25-500 people to protest CACIL. Fitzmorrice said she had been in contact
with the following group regarding protesting:
National Federation for the Blind, Detroit
ADA25, Legacy Project
Disability Rights Center
Capitol Facilities turned down her request for use at the same time as
CACIL.
On Monday, September 14, I attempted to contact Fitzmorrice and left a
message using the telephone number provided by Michelle (248-767-2217). I
also attempted to contact Ellen Weaver of CACIL; however, I was only able
to leave a message. Sgt. Henriquez attempted to call Fitzmorrice later in
the afternoon and also left her a message.
On Tuesday, September 15, Ellen Weaver called me back. She stated the people
who were going to protest had recently been part of CACIL, but had
disagreements about sponsorship. She stated that the potential protesters
were from the group ADAPT and wanted to disrupt her event. She said CACIL
originally had scheduled the Freedom Bus, but the proprietor had backed out
when he heard of the protest. Weaver said she had reserved parking spots on
Capitol Avenue for the bus, but if it showed up in support of the
protesters, she would not let it park there. Weaver said the protest might
be organized by Susan Fitzmorrice and Eleanor Canter. When asked about this
information, Weaver said they had posted their intent on the CACIL Facebook
page.
Weaver identified Sarah Grivetti as her person in charge of the Thursday
CACIL event.
On Tuesday, September 15, I talked to Sarah Grivetti. She said everyone in
this matter is on the same side and have been members of the same
organizations. She stated the protesters are protesting one of CACIL's
sponsors. She wished the matter could be resolved, but it was unlikely now.
She is now concerned that the protesters will disrupt the event, which is
supposed to be a celebration of the progress of Americans with Disabilities
issues. Grivetti identified Sue Fitzmorrice and Eleanor Canter as the
principle organizers of the protest. She said that Fitzmorrice had hired the
'Freedom Bus' and had reserved an area across the street from the Capitol to
display it there.
I met with Lt. Jason Williams to discuss the operational plan for this
rally. Based on information gleaned from social media, two large groups with
opposing views would be present at the rally. It was decided Capitol
Security Officers would be deployed on the grounds to keep peace during the
event due to the large number of participants expected and the high
probability of opposing groups coming together.
On Thursday, September 17, I met with Ellen Weaver and Sarah Grivetti at
8:30 AM. They stated they did not want the protesters to disrupt their
event. We agreed that I would allow them to protest on the other side of the
Austin Blair Statue, and they would not be allowed into the main area of the
event, near the East Steps. It should be noted, the East steps and East
Entrance to the Capitol are currently closed for construction. The event
itself was being held near the East steps.
At 10:15 AM The Freedom Bus arrived and parked across the street. Sue
Fitzmorrice was seen setting up a table next to it.
At 10:20 AM Officer Cook observed a group of eight men holding signs
standing near the corner of Capitol and Ottawa streets. At least three
appear to be blind. Cook relayed to me that they came from the Freedom Bus.
I approached them and explained that protesters would be allowed to
demonstrate in the area East of the Austin Blair statue. They said they were
going to disregard and go into the rally site anyway. I stated they would
not be allowed. I attempted to present one of the sighted members of the
group with a copy of Capitol building rules and explained. One of the blind
men (who later was arrested) grabbed the pamphlet and said, "Is this in
braille? Then it's not ADA and I'm not obeying. I'm going in!"
At 10:55 AM Eleanor Cantor and the group mentioned above arrived and walked
on the sidewalk just north of the Austin Blair statue headed toward the
rally site. The group had signs and Cantor was carrying a bullhorn. I stood
in front of her to block her progress. I explained that she would be allowed
to protest the event there, but would not be allowed to go into the event.
The group started forward and I ordered six officers to block their path. A
heated standoff ensued, which prompted me to radio facilities to bring
barricades to the Austin Blair Statute. This would maintain separation of
the protesters and the attendees of the ADA event.
At 11:00 AM I met with Dan Brockelhurst, Capitol Facilities Director, and
discussed a plan for dealing with the situation. We decided that the best
way to maintain peace between the two groups, while allowing everyone access
to the Capitol, would be to place four barricades in a manner which allowed
ingress and egress to the Capitol, which prevented the groups from
interacting.
At 11:19 AM the barricades were put in place. I then spoke with Vicky
Leavengood from the Department of Civil Rights and briefed her on the
situation.
During this time frame, Dan Brockelhurst attempted to mediate between the
two parties and was rebuffed. The protesters would not agree to join in the
event without disrupting. This lead the CACIL group to decline a
compromise, which would have allowed the protesters the use of the podium to
expose their views.
At 11:24 AM a protester tried to get through the barricades. He ignored
several commands to stop and subsequently resisted and obstructed a police
officer, which lead to his arrest. See complaint #16-303-15.
Protesters spent the rest of the event protesting behind the barricades. The
event ended without further incident at 2:00 PM.
USE OF BARRICADES:
Four, six foot long barriers were used during this event. They are three
feet tall and resemble bike racks. For this situation, I placed them so
that two of them were in a row facing Capitol Avenue directly north of the
Austin Blair statue. This created a barrier that blocked the sidewalk on the
north side of the statue. Directly to the south of the statue, I placed one
barrier facing Capitol Avenue with the last barrier placed at a right angle
to the others, making a right of way path five feet wide on the southernmost
edge of the sidewalk that surrounds the Statue. One officer was placed at
this right of way path to monitor who entered the event. Between three and
six officers were placed behind the two barriers north of the statue. This
is where the protesters were standing. The barriers were approximately 75
feet from the last row of seating for the event and approximately 130 feet
from the stage where the event took place.
COMPLAINANT:
NAM: ELLEN WEAVER
RAC: W ETH:
NBR: 2812 DIR: N SEX: F OPS:
STR: MLK DOB: SSN:
SFX: STREET HGT: SID:
CTY: LANSING ST: MI WGT: FBI:
TXH: ZIP: 48912 HAI: MNU:
TXW: (517)999-2960 EYE: PRN:
STATUS:
Closed