18 | JANUARY 12 • 2023 

T

he Dearborn man 
charged with ethnic 
intimidation after 
spewing antisemitic and racist 
remarks at parents and children 
in the Temple Beth El parking lot 
last month was bound over for 
trial on Jan. 5 by Bloomfield Hills 
Judge Kimberly Small. Small 
also continued his $1 million 
bond. The case will now move to 
Oakland County Circuit Court.
During the hearing of Hassan 
Chokr, 35, who appeared via 
video in 48th District Court, 
Small described his actions 
the morning of Dec. 2 at the 
Bloomfield Township temple: 

“The defendant’s words, his 
actions … were specifically 
intended to attempt to intimidate 
and harass the members of the 
Jewish community.
” 
According to his attorneys, 
Chokr suffers from mental ill-
ness. His attorneys also argued 
that his speech was protected by 
the First Amendment, but Small 
disagreed, saying Chokr’s words 
crossed the line from “distaste-
ful or discomforting” protected 
speech to threats, which are not 
protected. 
“The right to speech, to speak 
freely is not absolute,
” Small said. 
“
A state may punish those words, 
which by their very utterance, 

inflict injury, or tend to incite 
an immediate breach of peace, 
including fighting words, inciting 
or producing imminent lawless 
action and, specific to this case, 
true threats.
”
Small cited the previous court 
testimony of a mother 
who was dropping 
off her two toddlers 
at Temple Beth El 
that morning. As 
she walked through 
the parking lot, she 
testified that Chokr 
followed her slowly in 
his van and yelled, “Do 
you support the state 
of Israel?” 
 Small said in court the woman 
said, “His voice was scary, loud, 
aggressive, anger directed toward 
her and her daughters.
”
The witness testified that 
after she replied, “yes,
” Chokr 
responded with: “How dare you! 
You’re doomed. You will pay for 
this … F Israel. F Jews.
” The wit-

ness said she feared for the life of 
herself and her children. 
Small indicated the evidence 
showed Chokr targeted the syna-
gogue. “There’s nothing random 
about this, as the testimony in 
my mind showed defendant 
made a deliberate conscious 
choice about many things, 
the time, the place and the 
manner of his speech, his 
tone, his chosen victims, 
about the distance from the 
victims, what he said. 
“
And all of the circum-
stances go directly, in my 
mind, to the intent to intim-
idate,
” she added. “
A reason-
able person in his position would 
foresee that his statements would 
be interpreted by the children 
and the parents he was yelling at 
as a serious expression of intent 
to harm or assault.
”
Chokr remains in the Oakland 
County Jail. He faces other 
charges, including lying on a 
federal firearms form. 

OUR COMMUNITY
Man Charged with 
Ethnic Intimidation 
Bound Over for Trial

JN STAFF

Hassan Chokr

Gesher Human 
Services Announces 
New Chief 
Operating Officer
H

uman services and 
workforce rehabilita-
tion executive James 
Willis has been announced 
as the new executive vice 
president and chief operating 
officer of Gesher Human 
Services, one of the largest 
human service agencies in 
Metro Detroit. 
Willis, who has been with 
the nonprofit agency for 26 
years, has been promoted 
from his former position of 
vice president of vocational 
rehabilitation and workforce 
development. He will now 

oversee business operations 
of the Southfield-based 
organization, which aims 
to enhance the lives of job 
seekers, seniors, people with 
disabilities and those living 
with serious mental illnesses 
in metro Detroit. 
“Throughout his time at 
Gesher Human Services, 
James has worked tirelessly 
toward our mission of ensur-
ing that people with disabil-
ities can lead fulfilling lives, 
whether that is through day 
programming or working in 
the community,” said Gesher 

CEO Paul Blatt. 
As executive vice president 
and COO, Willis will be 
responsible for ensuring the 
organization’s program, fiscal 
and strategic goals are met, 
and key community needs 
are consistently addressed. 
He will also be responsible 
for designing and imple-
menting policies to further 
support agency culture and 
vision. 

“I am humbled to serve as 
the COO of an extraordinary 
organization and team of 
caring and compassionate 
professionals that has such 
a long history of providing 
services, support, and advo-
cacy for individuals in need 
across Metro Detroit. I look 
forward to the opportuni-
ty in carrying the work of 
building equity within our 
community,” Willis said. 

James 
Willis

