The Coalition for Police Transparency and Accountability, which includes 15 civil and human rights groups, is asking the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to investigate the killing of city resident Hakim Littleton by the Detroit Police in an incident which occurred on July 10, 2020.
Julie Hurwitz, an MCHR board member and part of the Coalition, was quoted in a Detroit News report on the request for an investigation of the shooting.
“The number of shots that were fired after (Littleton) was on the ground raises serious questions about what (police) were doing,” said Hurwitz, who is part of the group asking for an independent investigation. “The question is, should police have a license to execute someone, no matter what?”
Click here to read the Detroit News coverage.
A community statement addressing the shooting of Hakim Littleton by the Detroit Police was endorsed by the Michigan Coalition for Human Rights and 15 other area civil and human rights groups.
The statement calls for an independent investigation into the shooting death of Hakim Littleton and an immediate end to the use of excessive force by the DPD.
Click here to view the community statement in its entirety.
The New York Times paid fitting tribute to Rep. John Lewis in a front page obituary that reviews the highlights of his life as a civil rights crusader.
Click here to see the NYT obituary.
MCHR Advisory Board Member has published an article in the Metro Times regarding the gentrification now occurring in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood.
In his article (“Corktown’s Black Housing Project is ‘Target Area’ for Developers”), Wylie-Kellerman reported on current and prior redevelopment initiatives in Corktown and the impact on current residents of this district.
The Corktown neighborhood, which is named for its 19th century Irish residents from County Cork, Ireland, is in the area adjacent to the former site of Tiger Stadium at Michigan and Trumball Avenues in the near west side of Detroit.
Click here to read the entire article.
A coalition of civil rights organizations have filed a class action lawsuit in federal court to make water affordable and end permanent shutoffs for Detroit residents. According to the complaint, Detroit’s water shutoff policy violates the civil rights of thousands of Detroit residents by forcing them to live without a service essential to their health.
The lawsuit also alleges that water shut-offs disproportionately affect Black Detroiters in violation of the Fair Housing Act and Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act. The lawsuit seeks to permanently end the water shut-off policy and asks for a court order immediately preventing shut-offs from resuming.
Click here to view the announcement and complaint.
