Thursday, July 14, 2016
Ann Arbor, MI
MichiganDaily.com

INDEX

NEWS ...................................
OPINION .............................. 
ARTS .....................................
CLASSIFIEDS.........................
SUDOKU................................
SPORTS..................................

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11

Vol. CXXVI, No. 124| © 2016 The Michigan Daily 
michigandaily.com

Nationwide police brutality sparks 
 

dialogue on local law enforcement

Over 1,000 march 
through downtown 

for Black Lives 
Matter protest 

By ANDREW HIYAMA

Daily Staff Reporter

More than 500 people gathered 

Wednesday at the Michigan Union 
to march through downtown Ann 
Arbor in protest of police brutality. 
After congregating at the Union, 
the protesters walked down State 
Street and Main Street, stopping 
several times along the way before 

regrouping at the Diag to have 
several people address the crowd. 
The Ann Arbor Police Department 
escorted 
the 
protest, 
directing 

traffic away.

The protest follows a recent 

streak of police violence — videos 
showing fatal police shootings of 
two men, Alton Sterling of Baton 
Rouge, Louisiana, and Philando 
Castile of St. Paul, Minnesota, 
launching a flurry of nationwide 
protests. A shootingspurred by a 
lone gunman last Thursday at a 
protest in Dallas claimed the lives 
of five police officers. A vigil for 
the victims was held last Thursday 
in Ann Arbor, and a smaller march 
Saturday through downtown was 

also organized in response.

Community-police 
relations 

in Ann Arbor have been sensitive 
since the 2014shooting death of Ann 
Arbor resident Aura Rosser by police 
officer David Ried. The county 
prosecuting attorney ruled Ried’s 
actions “lawful self defense,” though 
some residents were dissatisfied 
and skeptical of the results of the 
investigation.

In December 2015, the Ann Arbor 

Human Rights Commission put forth 
a 42-page report, recommending 
an independent audit of AAPD 
practices and the implementation 
of a civilian oversight board to 
independently review complaints 
against police officers. Although City 

Council voted in March to eagerly 
accept 
these 
recommendations, 

AAPD Chief Jim Baird expressed 
skepticism of the need for increased 
local oversight and stressed nothing 
be implemented until after an audit 
in a June memo.

Currently, the implementation 

of 
the 
HRC 
recommendations 

remains stalled, though money has 
been set aside in the city’s fiscal 
year 2017 budget for an auditor. City 
Councilmember Sumi Kailasapathy 
(D–Ward 1), who also is liaison to the 
HRC, told The Daily in an interview 
Wednesday she expects a resolution 
to hire an independent auditor soon 
— which would precede ordinance 
changes to implement an oversight 

body — but was unable to provide an 
exact timeline.

Kailasapathy 
added 
she 
did 

not believe the implementation of 
increased oversight was a reaction 
to deteriorating trust, but rather 
a 
check-and-balance 
on 
local 

government.

“This is not an indictment of our 

police force. This is about setting up 
checks and balances,” Kailasapathy 
said.

The atmosphere of the protest 

was high in energy, with marchers 
constantly chanting, “Hands up, 
don’t shoot,” as well as, “No justice, 
no peace” and “hey, hey, ho, ho, these 
racist cops have got to go!”

SINDUJA KILARU/Daily

Ann Arbor Pioneer High School senior Dea Chappell marches on State Street during a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday in wake of recent instances of police brutality across the nation 

NEWS
Four more years

City council votes to 

put term extension on 

November ballot proposal

>> SEE PAGE 2

OPINION
Prioritize Oversight

Police oversight commitee 

will keep city residents and 

police on the same page

>> SEE PAGE 4

ARTS
Can we trust ‘Mr. 
Robot’?
USA drama returns with 
dark, chilling premiere

>> SEE PAGE 6

SPORTS
Michigan vs. 
Notre Dame

After a three-year hiatus, 

the rivalry resumes in 2018

>> SEE PAGE 11

inside

See PROTEST, Page 9

