We are circulating petitions! Our goal is to contribute 1,000 collected signatures for the Invest in MI Kids and MOP Up Michigan campaigns. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this form.

UPDATE: We have exceeded our goal! But there is still more work to get MOP Up Michigan on the ballot this November.

UPDATE: Rank MI Vote and Invest in MI Kids have paused their campaigns.

Invest in MI Kids – investinmikids.org

We support this ballot initiative because every student deserves access to excellent public education. This excellence requires proper facilities, educational material, and well-paid teachers. To fund these vital elements of education, this initiative would create a 5% fair share surcharge on income over $500K ($1M filing jointly) to be deposited in the State School Aid Fund. It will also add a requirement that money from the School Aid Fund be spent exclusively on local school districts.

MOP Up Michigan – mopupmichigan.org

MOP = Money Out of Politics

We deserve fair utilities, a clean environment, and honest elections. But as our bills continue to grow, utility companies use political contributions to avoid accountability and slow down reform. This ballot initiative would reign in corporate control of government by prohibiting companies with over $250,000 in government contracts from making campaign contributions. Additionally, the initiative introduces finance laws which would require donor information to be made more clear in political communications.

Rank MI Vote – rankmivote.org

NOTE: The Rank MI Vote campaign has suspended signature gathering for their 2026 statewide campaign.

We believe every voter should feel comfortable voting for their best option, rather than the better of two bad options. Rank choice voting is an alternative voting system where the voter ranks up to five candidates for each office, as opposed to picking one option. This allows the voter to rank their favorite candidate first, even if they aren’t likely to win, before ranking their second, third, etc. Voters may still vote for just one candidate or leave that office/section blank. If the votes are tallied and no candidate has enough votes to win, candidates with less votes are eliminated and back up choices are used until one candidate wins.

Dishonorable Mention

There are a few bad petitions circulating as well. There are some that would require IDs to vote and one to cut taxes, Ax MI Tax. Decline to sign these regressive initiatives.

The post GRDSA for the Many – We support money out of politics, funding education, and rank choice voting! appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

Time is short, act now! Use the form below to tell you reps to pressure their Republican colleagues to vote NO!

NO cuts to SNAP and Medicaid!
NO funding for ICE abductions!
NO handouts for billionaires!

Cuts to vital services are dwarfed by the handouts to billionaires. The “Big Beautiful Bill” would be one of the largest cash grabs by billionaires in world history.

ICE has terrorized communities by abducting people off the street. Masked men have grabbed people off the street and put them in unmarked vehicles. Holding them without charges, deporting them without due process. The “Big Beautiful Bill” will reinvigorate an agency that kidnaps our neighbors.

The “Big Beautiful Bill” makes massive cuts to vital programs. More than 40 million Americans will lose vital help putting food on the table. As many as 17 million poor and disabled Americans will lose their healthcare. Cuts to rural hospitals and nursing homes will leave many without access to medical care.

Many will go hungry and many will die because of this bill. Tell your representatives to use all their power to stop this Big Bullshit Bill!

The post Time is short, act now! Tell you reps to pressure their Republican colleagues to vote NO! appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

The Lyoya family has been waiting three years for this trial to take place and are now being forced to wait longer while Christopher Schurr is still walking free. While this case has been about Justice for Patrick, this mistrial means the Lyoya’s civil case against Schurr and the City of Grand Rapids must also wait.

Christopher Schurr clearly showed intent to kill. Once he drew his weapon, he offered no warning, never said, “stop or I’ll shoot,” and shot Patrick in the back of the head. Schurr testified on the stand that he didn’t know what he was shooting at, he just fired at Patrick Lyoya. But the physical evidence showed the gun was pressed against the back of Patrick’s head when he fired.

We are disappointed that the GRPD Captains testified in defense of Schurr. There are still people on the police force who believe murdering civilians out of frustration is “reasonable” behavior. The GRPD remains a threat to our community.

We are thankful to the many community members who stood up to participate in marches, rallies, and other outcries for justice for Patrick. We are disappointed in the outcome of this trial and acknowledge that our efforts for police accountability are not over.

The post Statement on the Mistrial of Former GRPD Officer, Christopher Schurr appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

HR40 is a non-enforceable resolution that strongly encourages the Michigan High School Athletic Association to discriminate against trans women by following Trump’s executive order to ban trans-women in women’s sports.

Despite it being non-enforceable, this resolution would lead to increased harassment and discrimination towards trans children who just want to play sports with their classmates.

The eight state Democrats who voted for this resolution are Rep. Alabas Farhat, Rep. Peter Herzberg, Rep. Tullio Liberati, Rep. Denise Mentzer, Rep. Reggie Miller, Rep. Will Snyder, Rep. Angela Witwer, and Rep. Mai Xiong.

Call your state Representative and let them know how you feel about their vote! You can find your state Representative here!

If your state Representative voted yes for this resolution, call them to express how disappointed you are and tell them they need to stand for trans rights or you will be voting against them in the next election.

If your state Representative voted no for this resolution, call and thank them for siding with trans people. Encourage them to continue their support and to speak up for the rights of trans people. We need as many people in positions of power to be on our side.

Keep in mind, your state representative does not represent anywhere close to as many people as your US Congress representative. Your call could very well sway them to support trans people going forward, even if they are Republican. In Montana, 29 Republicans changed their mind on an anti-trans bill after Reps. Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell gave impassioned speeches. This goes to show that it is possible to sway state Republicans.

The whole situation was handled so maliciously. Speaker Pro Tempore Rachelle Smit (R-43), a far-right Republican who believes the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, kept cutting off the speeches of Democrats so that her Republican colleagues could speak. The vote was then rushed through the House without letting Democrats finish their speeches. Erin in the Morning provides a copy of the whole situation here.

We must all stand for the rights of trans people!

The post Call your Reps and Tell Them to Let Trans Kids Play Sports appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

Mahmoud  was forcibly abducted from his New York apartment and now detained in Louisiana. ICE even threatened his wife with arrest, a US citizen who is 8 months pregnant. The Trump admin is attempting to revoke Mahmoud’s green card and deport him without criminal charges and without providing evidence.

In a post on Truth Social, President Trump applauded ICE for this arrest and promised more to come. In an earlier post, he claims they will freeze all federal funding for any school, colleges, or universities that allow so-called “illegal protest.” Coming from the guy that pardoned even the most violent of the January 6th Insurrectionists, we know this isn’t about legality but simply silencing speech he disagrees with.

First they came for Mahmoud Khalil and I’m gonna fucking say something!

Our comrades in NYC DSA have set up a few ways for you to take action now!

Call your members of Congress – using the provided script, demand action to secure Mahmoud’s release and protect the rights of activists.

Email your elected officials – urge them to take immediate action to stop the targeting of student activists and immigrants.

Let’s make one thing clear: we will not allow our communities to be silenced or terrorized. The fascists in the White House are hoping this will have a chilling effect on political speech and protest. And that’s why we need to be fired up!

The post Free Mahmoud Khalil – Protect Student Activists appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

Grand Rapids’ emission reduction goals are the floor, not the ceiling. They can only be met with meaningful policies and adequate funding. Officials may turn away from these to save money in the short term or embrace the familiar status quo. But we can not wait any longer. Our representatives must make good on their promises.

Making sure our representatives know where we stand on the climate crisis is necessary now more than ever. Our City Leaders are most likely to act when the public exerts pressure on them.

Climate chaos is no longer just a specter on the horizon. It is here. It’ll get worse if we don’t act fast. Extreme heat and weather will increase cost of living and leave those who are already struggling with high prices even farther behind. We must not leave individual residents to solve the problems caused by systemic injustice and policy failures.

The GR Climate Coalition recently kicked off Beyond a Number with an Open Letter to the City Commission. The GRDSA is proud to have signed on to that letter. Now it’s your turn to take action and send a message to City Leaders to prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emission.

The post Tell Grand Rapids City Leaders the Time is Now for Bold Climate Action! appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

On Wednesday, May 15, the Grand Rapids DSA participated in Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids’ protest against the ongoing genocide in Palestine and the US  government’s gross complicity in it. Our peaceful protest was interrupted by a completely disproportionate police response. After only 5 minutes of marching, a fleet of police cars was tailing the protesters and blaring their horns and sirens.

The GRPD continued to follow the march to where it ended at Monument Park. Then officers moved in to arrest people at random. They arrested 3 members of Palestine Solidarity GR and 1 member of GRDSA for protesting peacefully and filming the police. The protest moved to the Kent County Jail where they were held for more than 4 hours before finally being released on bond. We did nothing wrong at our protest against genocide but they are still facing bogus misdemeanor charges.

In the West Bank, settler-conquerors and their IDF backers bulldoze and burn Palestinian communities in a creeping, decades-long conquest. The vast majority of Gaza, a city of 2 million human beings, lies in ruins. Netanyahu and his armies are determined to flatten what’s left so that the refugees of this war can be forced out in a grand act of ethnic cleansing.

Meanwhile there is a movement in our country with the express goal of outlawing all protests against these crimes and our complicity in them under threat of arrest and police brutality. It started in the colleges and now it’s in our city streets. It’s more important now than ever to fight back against the apartheid policies of Israel and our growing police state before it’s too late. We’ll continue protesting with our comrades in Palestine Solidarity GR and anyone else horrified by the state of the world today should do the same. We will not be silenced by intimidation.

The post Drop the Charges! appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

The stadium will be built on a 7 acre plot of land just outside of downtown in West Grand Rapids. With that much space, the city could build around 1,000 much needed housing units, but with the addition of a stadium that number is reduced by half. Grand Action 2.0 is claiming that their stadium will “unlock the potential for 500 to 550 future housing units in the immediate area.” This allows them to present the false idea that the construction of this new housing is conditioned on whether the stadium gets built. All this, in the midst of Grand Rapids’ clear housing crisis with a need for 14,106 housing units by 2027, is a risky move.

The most important thing to note about this project is that a large percentage of its cost will be covered by public funds, around 65%, or 115 million dollars for the stadium alone. As of right now, it is unclear how much of the stadium’s net revenue will go directly to replenishing those funds, if any at all. 

Future neighbors of the soccer stadium have also brought up concerns of noise, traffic, parking and a spike in housing costs. So far very little has been done to address these concerns, seemingly showing a further lack of planning from the City Commission and Grand Action 2.0.

One of our core ideals is using our common resources to guarantee the Right to Housing, but the way Grand Action 2.0 has structured this deal is very concerning. Grand Action is very careful throughout their literature to refer to the new apartment units only as potential new housing. Public funds footing so much of the bill proves that at any point our government could fund the construction of social housing, but it chooses not to. 

A new soccer stadium that supports local and youth soccer would be a fantastic addition to the community. We just hope that the city will keep in mind that, right now, affordable housing and keeping public funds for public projects are the actual priorities, and should come before a new soccer stadium drawn up at the whim of billionaires.

The post Public Funds, Private Profits: How Grand Rapids is Building a New Soccer Stadium appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

We urge all individuals to demand your Congressperson support Rep. Cori Bush’s resolution for a PERMANENT CEASEFIRE NOW in Gaza.

We at Grand Rapids DSA stand with Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a member of Detroit DSA and the only Palestinian American in Congress, and her continued demand for a ceasefire in Gaza – a demand that is supported by a vast majority of Michigan Democrats. Her bravery to stand for what is right, despite the attacks against her from her fellow congress members, is commendable.

We demand Rep. Hillary Scholten, Sen. Gary Peters, and Sen. Debbie Stabenow to support Rep. Cori Bush’s resolution urging the Biden Administration to call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Israel and occupied Palestine. 47 of their colleagues support a ceasefire, with that number growing every day. No money for massacres!

For further action, read the statement from DSA National and Join DSA!

The post Call for Ceasefire appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

We demand that no money be spent on massacres.

The Israeli government has openly called for the forced displacement of 1.1 million Palestinians living in Gaza. The defense minister has referred to Palestinians as “animals.” This is the language of genocide.

In the face of the imminent ethnic cleansing of over a million people, the US State Department has actively rejected calls for a ceasefire and an end to the violence. This is more than just complicity. The Biden administration is actively supporting the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. As democratic socialists, we demand that no money be given to fuel a massacre.

We call on every member of Congress to demand an immediate ceasefire and to vote against providing military aid to the Israeli state. Silence is not an option. Elected officials have a choice. You can stand on the right side of history in favor of peace and against apartheid. Or you can cheerlead a massacre.

History will remember which you choose.

Please contact your representatives to support the Ceasefire Now Resolution.

The post No Money for Massacres appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

The top three riders will receive one of the following prizes: 

• City Within A City: The Black Freedom Struggle in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Manoomin: The Story of Wild Rice in Michigan
• Strike! How the Furniture Workers Strike of 1911 Changed Grand Rapids

We’re hosting hosting two group rides! Our first will be June 21st and the second will be on June 26th. Meet up at Sixth Street Park at 5:30pm and roll out is at 6pm for both nights. We’re limiting our ride size to 20 people per night. You can preview the route below. Lights and helmets are strongly recommended! Any questions, please text 616-209-9708.

Please register at: forms.gle/EzxJDeuDnqJ7Xt2a6

To help promote cycling in Grand Rapids, we’ll be hosting three free bike repair clinics. These clinics will be held May 15th at Lincoln Park, June 12th at Riverside Park, and July 10th at Martin Luther King Park from 12pm – 4pm. You can show up to the clinic the day of or fill out this form ahead of time so we can make sure to have the materials for your bike.

As part of our Strike & Bike ride, we created a tour that takes you around the city and details various aspects of its history that don’t often get any attention. To get stop by stop directions, click here!

1. The Furniture Strike of 1911

The Furniture Strike of 1911, now memorialized on a plaque next to the Spirit of Solidarity statue, is arguably the most important strike in Grand Rapids’ history. On the morning of April 19th, 1911 more than 6,000 workers, largely made up of eastern European immigrants, walked off the job demanding higher wages, shorter work days, and union representation. The John Widdicomb factory, our first stop, was the main site for most of the strike. In retaliation, the Furniture Manufacturers Employers’ Association pressured banks to foreclose on workers’ mortgages while the Christian Reformed Church issued an edict that sought to expel striking workers from their church. During the strike, the Grand Rapids Police Department fired into the picket line. The strike ended on August 18th, about 5 months after it began. Much of the dissolution came from the lack of strike funds. Strike funds, even today, are largely comprised of dues that union members are required to pay which is why Right to Work legislation, signed by former Governor Rick Snyder is so effective in dismantling unions.

2. 1925 Ku Klux Klan March

On July 4th, 1925 over 3,000 members of the Ku Klux Klan marched down Bridge Street. The intimidation of them marching directly into the heart of the Eastern European immigrant and working class community cannot be overstated. The Klan in the 1920s, called the Invisible Empire was galvanized by the pro-Klan film, Birth of a Nation. Millions of Americans joined in droves. Members frequently included mayors, judges, business owners, and police officers. They sought to repel the immigration of Eastern Europeans into America through intimidation and violence. With Polish immigration came numerous other nationalities and ethnicities including a surge of Jews, Catholics, and Orthodox worshipers. These religions were, and still are, considered an affront by the KKK to a white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant America. The West Side of Grand Rapids, famously proud of its Polish heritage, is still home to a thriving Jewish community. On November 2, 2020, Jewish graves were spray painted with “TRUMP” and “MAGA” in the Ahavas Israel Cemetery. Anti-Semitism and anti-immigration sentiment continues to animate hate groups like the KKK, Proud Boys, and Oathkeepers to this day.

3. The Plum Tree Orchard

The Plum Tree Orchard that once stood here was demolished in the early 1870s, along with 46 burial mounds on land that Charles Belknap called “Mission land.” In his memoir, The Yesterdays of Grand Rapids, Belknap details how he spent his summers as a water boy quote “…for the men who did this grading | and had ample opportunity to gather the flint arrowheads and other implements that were unearthed in nearly every burial mound | along with the bones of the vanished race.” End quote. According to Belknap, much of the looted material, if not kept in private collection, was taken by the Kent Museum or shipped off to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. 

In 2018, Anishinaabe artist Jason Quigno created the Plum Tree Memorial to commemorate this spot. In addition, you will also see the ANISHINAABEK mural, painted by Alan Compo, a member of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians. This piece was also unveiled in 2018. In an interview for Grand Rapids Magazine, Compo recalled the destruction of the Plum Tree Orchard. He said, “The story goes that it was burned down, and who knows if it was to stop them from coming or if it was for progress, but I just wanted to bring it back.” 

4. Breonna Taylor Way

Breonna Taylor, who grew up in Grand Rapids, was killed by Louisville Metro Police Department officers in her home on March 13, 2020. Officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison, and Myles Cosgrove were responsible for the no-knock warrant that led to her death. The raid was part of a dedicated unit created by the Louisville Metro Police Department to help with the ongoing gentrification of Elliot Avenue where Taylor lived. The road you are riding on is dedicated to her memory.

Gentrification in Grand Rapids, like Louisville, is enacted through police violence against communities of color and working class neighborhoods. For years, the Grand Rapids police department received extra funding from the Department of Justice for Operation Weed & Seed. This program focused on the West Side, Heartside, and Southeast districts and saw the rise in police officers working the beat. In every single one of those areas today, gentrification is apparent. The new glistening buildings stand as monuments to police violence in both Louisville & Grand Rapids. 

5. Viva Flaherty

Viva Flaherty worked as a secretary at Fountain Street Church during the Furniture Strike of 1911. While the minister of the church preached for calm and unity between workers and the factory owners, Flaherty stood solidly on the side of the workers. In October 1911, only a few months after the end of the strike, Flaherty published “History of the Grand Rapids Strike” and detailed the lengths to which the owners, organized as the Furniture Manufacturers Employers’ Association sought to crush the movement for unions. One passage calls to us even now: 

“The workers lost the strike. Moral victories do not pay for potatoes and sugar, or secure the rest and relaxation that a hard day’s work merits. It was might not right that settled this strike and, consequently, industrial peace has not been secured in Grand Rapids. No one concerned yearns for another strike – particularly not the striker, – because he and his family suffer the most. But will the workers never wake up to their power, for they have it!”

6. The 1967 Rebellion

On July 25th,1967, an uprising in Grand Rapids began. For the next three days, in the predominantly black neighborhood, people sent a message to the city that they would not take any more abuse. As Will Mack of Black Past notes, “extreme poverty, joblessness, poor schooling and segregation….” were among the grievances of the community. On the second day, some white residents joined together and acted as vigilantes to try and suppress the uprising.   The Grand Rapids Police Department, unable to completely control the situation, relied heavily on reinforcements sent in by Governor George Romney. The Michigan State Police, arriving on the heels of neutralizing the rebellion in Detroit, engaged in a systemic crackdown that led to the arrests of 320 people and forty-four injuries. Over a thousand people participated in the uprising. This intersection where you are was one of the many spots in the city where police used tear gas against the rebels. 

The inequality that these uprisings sought to address never ended. Police brutality against the black community continues unchecked. In 2017, Officer Caleb Johnson pulled his gun on five black children as they were walking home. A few months later, Honestie Hodges, who was eleven-years-old at the time, was handcuffed and held at gunpoint. The officers involved were not disciplined for this action. The compounding racial discrimination helped fuel the uprising in 2020 and saw the return of tear gas to the streets of Grand Rapids.

7. Hopewell Burial Mounds

Before the Anishinaabe followed the manoomin west and settled in this area, the Hopewell lived here. Their territory extended from the Straits of Mackinac to New Orleans and ranged from West Virginia to Kansas. Grand Rapids was originally home to two sets of mounds, the Converse which was along the river, now called Ah-Nab-Awen Park, and the Norton group which is before you. These mounds were built sometime between 10 BCE and 400 CE. 

As you learned at the Plum Tree Orchard stop, those mounds, also called the Converse group, were leveled by colonizers while building the city of Grand Rapids. The Hopewell Burial Mounds before you are currently besieged by the highway and oil derricks which populate this area. These serve as a reminder that colonization is not something that happened long ago in the forgotten mist of time. It is happening right before your very eyes. 

8. 1836 Treaty of Washington D.C.

The Treaty of Washington D.C., sometimes called the Treaty of 1836, was signed between the United States, the Odawa and Ojibwe. The treaty encompasses 13 million acres and stretches from the southernmost point, where you stand, to Whitefish Point in the Upper Peninsula. The treaty guaranteed the rights of the Odawa and Ojibwe to hunt, fish, harvest, and worship. The Odawa and Ojibwe have been at the forefront of calling for the end of Line 5, Enbridge’s pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac, as its continued existence threatens these very rights. 

9. Carbon Infrastructure in West Michigan

Grand Rapids Storage #2, 4026870000, owned by Goodale Enterprises, LLC, a subsidiary of Atonne Group, this storage tank is one of many parts of carbon infrastructure that dot not only Millennium Park, but all of Michigan. When we discuss climate change and massive oil and gas corporations like ExxonMobil, BP, or Shell, we tend to ignore smaller players like Goodale Enterprises or Wolverine Gas & Oil.

Unfortunately for local activists, the permitting of these storage tanks and oil derricks is handled by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, in particular The Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division. This places the responsibility firmly in the hands of the governor. To decarbonize our world, we must confront the reality that while large oil corporations are a problem, we must uproot the fossil fuel industries in Michigan as well. 

10. 1821 Treaty of Chicago

The Treaty of Chicago, signed in 1821 between the United States, the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe ceded five million acres to the United States. It covers much of Grand Rapids at its northernmost and extends to Elkhart Indiana at its southernmost. Kalamazoo and Battle Creek are also part of this treaty. 

This is our last stop on the tour. Thank you so much for taking time to learn more about this land and the people who have struggled to make it a better place. This tour is part of the Grand Rapids DSA’s Strike & Bike fundraiser. All money raised will go to our mutual aid fund. 

The post Strike & Bike! appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

Update: At the morning meeting of the Committee of the Whole, the commission voted to approve both tax exemptions to Perrigo.

Generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Perrigo is building a new North American headquarters on Grand Rapids’ Medical Mile. This international company (based in Ireland, for tax purposes) with $5 Billion in annual revenue is seeking two 12 years of tax exemptions valued at $4.1 million. Of that money, Grand Rapids itself will lose out on $797,000 property tax revenue.

Please consider adding your voice to the movement of people demanding big business pays their fair share of taxes. Grand Rapids’ City Commissioners are planning to vote on the twelve year tax exemption. The Commission has complete control over granting these exemptions.

Call into Tuesday’s City Commission online meeting at 7pm to ask for our representatives to bargain for their community!

In his presentation to the City Commission on January 12th, Perrigo’s Executive VP, Ron Janish, explains Grand Rapids was selected over Chicago and Southwest Florida due to our proximity to their manufacturing operations, our tremendously skilled applicant pool, and our robust life science and healthcare community. We have something valuable to them. They don’t need a tax incentive. They want Grand Rapids!

“What Grand Rapids has to offer, frankly, is going to allow us to easily tap into a whole array of healthcare and innovation thought leaders that are right here in our own backyard.”

Only 50 of the 150 jobs will be newly created positions, the rest are current employees of Perrigo. Over the course of the 15 year lease, the workers of Perrigo will contribute $1.5 million in income, while Perrigo would only pay $1.1 million in property taxes.

Now, when many families are struggling, is not the time to be giving a multi-billion dollar business a tax break. The city has invested in making the city attractive to business. When a business selects the Medical Mile for their pharmaceutical headquarters, it’s time to cash in on that investment. Not give handouts to elites and shift the tax burden onto working people.

The post Call in to Tell the GR City Commission “Make Perrigo Pay It’s Fair Share” appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.