The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com News 2 — Wednesday, April 14, 2021 TESS CROWLEY/Daily There is a frenzy of activity on the streets of Ann Arbor as spring shows its cheerful face. The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is publishing weekly on Wednesdays for the Winter 2021 semester by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. If you would like a current copy of the paper mailed to you, please visit store. pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-edition to place your order. BRITTANY BOWMAN Managing Editor babowm@umich.edu BARBARA COLLINS and LIAT WEINSTEIN Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Emma Ruberg, Hannah Mackay, Calder Lewis, Jasmin Lee, Francesca Duong, Kristina Zheng Investigative Editor: Sammy Sussman FOIA Manager: Ayse Eldes LIZ COOK and JOEL WEINER Editorial Page Editors tothedaily@michigandaily.com Senior Opinion Editors: Zack Blumberg, Andrew Gerace, Min Soo Kim, Mary Rolfes, Elayna Swift ELISE GODFRYD and ZOE PHILLIPS Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com ALLISON ENGKVIST and MADDIE HINKLEY Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com ANDIE HOROWITZ Managing Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com Deputy Editors: Isabelle Hasslund, Marisa Wright MADISON GAGNE and OLIVIA BRADISH Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com Senior Copy Editors: Caroline Atkinson, Anjali Chiravuri, Ethan Patrick, Kelsey Burke, Emily Wilson, Vanita Seed, Sophie Kephart, Rena McRoy PARTH DHYANI and NAITIAN ZHOU Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com IULIA DOBRIN and ANNIKA WANG Managing Video Editors video@michigandaily.com Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Noor Moughni, Maya Kadouh, Eliya Imtiaz, Jessica Kwon, Lola Yang Senior Sports Editors: Rian Ratnavale, Drew Cox, Lily Friedman, Jack Kingsley Senior Video Editors: Margaret Rudnick, Jordan Shefman Senior Social Media Editors: Kirti Aplash, Natalie Knight, Ria Dubey, Ryan Postman, Evan DeLorenzo, Atticus Raasch, Bella Morreale Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com ARTS SECTION arts@michigandaily.com SPORTS SECTION sports@michigandaily.com NEWS TIPS tipline@michigandaily.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR tothedaily@michigandaily.com EDITORIAL PAGE opinion@michigandaily.com TARA MOORE Business Manager tmooree@umich.edu CLAIRE HAO Editor in Chief cmhao@umich.edu PHOTOGRAPHY SECTION photo@michigandaily.com NEWSROOM news@michigandaily.com CORRECTIONS corrections@michigandaily.com LANE KIZZIAH and KENT SCHWARTZ Managing Sports Editors sports@michigandaily.com Senior Arts Editors: Andrew Pluta, Grace Tucker, Kari Anderson, Katie Beekman, Sophia Yoon Arts Beat Editors: Elizabeth Yoon, Peter Hummer, Mik Deitz, Sabriya Imami, Kaitlyn Fox, Anya Soller AYA SALIM and SHANNON STOCKING Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com Senior Layout Editor: Adam Bressler ANAMIKA KANNAN and GABRIJELA SKOKO Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com HALEY JOHNSON and ASHA LEWIS Managing Social Media Editors socialmedia@michigandaily.com Editorial Staff Business Staff Senior Photo Editors: Emma Mati, Miles Macklin, Becca Mahon, Julia Schachinger Assistant Photo Editors: Maddie Fox, Luke Hales, Jeremy Weine, Gabby Ceritano, Sophia Afendoulis RORI MILLER Creative Director EMILY OHL and GERALD SILL Managing Podcast Editors podeditors@michigandaily.com SCHUYLER JANZEN Sales Manager ADVERTISING WMG-contact@umich.edu JACK GRIEVE Digital Managing Editor jgrieve@umich.edu ALEX HARRING and SARAH SZALAI Co-Chairs of Access & Inclusion accessandinclusion@michigandaily.com Senior Podcast Editors: Doug McClure, Max Rosenzweig, Avin Katyal PUBLIC SAFETY U-M student Mahnoor Imran joins UMPD Oversight Commission After winning annual election, LSA sophomore aims to push for transparency LSA sophomore Mahnoor Imran will serve as the newest member of the University of Michigan Police Department Oversight Committee for the 2021-2022 academic year after winning the annual election on March 24 and 25. Imran received 121 votes. Engineering junior Josh Chapnick and LSA junior Justin Yuan, who both also ran for the position, received 54 and 14 votes, respectively. In a statement to the Michigan Daily, Yuan wrote that he didn’t announce an actual campaign or even really mean to run. As a member of the Young Democrats Socialists of America along with Imran, he voted with membership to unanimously endorse Imran for her write-in campaign. “I supported and continue to support Mahnoor for the UMPD oversight commission,” Yuan said. “She’s compassionate, competent and incredibly smart.” The function of the UMPD Oversight Committee is to help people with their grievances against U-M police officers or the U-M police department. The committee has a total of six members — two students, two faculty members and two staff members — who are nominated and elected by their peers. Students serve one-year terms, while faculty and staff serve two-year terms. Imran’s platform focused around fostering ties with the Advancing Public Safety Task Force created by University administration after the Graduate Employees Organization went on strike in Oct. 2020, with defunding the University Department of Safety and Security among their demands. Though this was not agreed upon in the University and GEO’s resolution, a variety of anti-racism initiatives — including the task force — were approved. Imran hopes to advance on the task force’s work during her term. “I wanted to push for transparency and accountability in the ways that are conducive to the kind of justice that I believe in,” Imran said. “My biggest concern is upholding public safety and public health in a way that centers community concerns.” Imran said she wants the community to recognize that having organizations such as the UMPD Oversight Committee is important because of the harm policing can cause. “We need people who can advocate for public safety in a more nuanced way that acknowledges that harm,” Imran said. “It’s definitely a very interesting space to enter, but I want to listen to everyone’s thoughts and what they have to say.” Sarah Peitzmeier, chair of the UMPD oversight committee, said having student representatives on the committee is a legal requirement and has also been very beneficial. “I certainly agree that it’s really important to have feedback and input from all different constituencies on campus,” Peitzmeier said. “Student perspectives need to be represented.” Imran agreed with Peitzmeier, saying students’ voices need to be amplified throughout campus, especially when she sees the change they are pushing for as a necessity. According to Peitzmeier, one of the committee’s main goals for this year is to expand the committee powers to increase transparency and responsibility within UMPD. Members also plan to work to adjust the committee’s bylaws allowing the committee to publish public reports on the committee’s work, for example, which they are not currently able to do because of vague wording in the bylaws. “We’re moving through the stages of negotiation processes and have had a very positive experience so far,” Peitzmeier said. “It seems like the PD is also invested in increasing community trust.” U-M Chief of Police Robert Neumann, who works directly with the oversight committee, wrote in an email to The Michigan Daily he supported expanding the committee’s power while maintaining operational efficiency. “I support any measure that enhances transparency and accountability while ensuring that legal and structural boundaries are not compromised,” Neumann wrote. “A process is underway to evaluate the Committee’s request, and I am supportive of steps that build confidence in our accountability.” In the face of increased public attention on policing practices, Neumann identified strengthening community ties and the promotion of community dialogue as two areas in which he hopes the department can improve. He also emphasized the increased importance of public accountability for police officers. “Accountability and the perception of accountability are essential components of sustaining the community partnerships necessary for serving the needs of our community,” Neumann wrote. “I see increased public attention to policing as an opportunity to learn and grow in the ongoing work to earn trust.” Imran said she hopes to use her platform to ensure people in a position of privilege will take on this obligation to do more for their community and that the support from her community was a major factor in her decision to run. “At the heart of it all was community,” Imran said. “I would not have been able to achieve this victory without the support of my friends and community members.” Daily Staff Reporter Ashna Mehra can be reached at ashmehra@ umich.edu. Daily News Contributor Michael Deeter can be reached at deetermi@umich.edu. ASHNA MEHRA & MICHAEL DEETER Daily Staff Reporter & For The Daily “Setting aside your tirade against the free press, the thoughtlessness and disregard you displayed for our LGBTQ residents in sharing such a quote is extremely concerning and hurtful,” Radina wrote. “In 2021, LGBTQ residents – especially LGBTQ youth – in one of the most progressive cities in Michigan should never be subjected to elected officials cavalierly utilizing homophobic slurs to insult their perceived adversaries or to advance a political point of view. It is disappointing. It is harmful. And frankly, it makes me question the sincerity of your supposed support for the LGBTQ community.” Hayner said on April 11 he supports the LGBTQ+ community and is disgusted by Radina’s suggestion that he has harmed anyone. He told The Daily he made the comment because he has been harassed by the media and believes some members of the press are not trustworthy. “I feel very strongly that some media can be trusted and some can’t,” Hayner said. “I feel strongly that way because that is how I have been treated … For (Radina) to suggest in any way that I don’t support individual rights … is disgusting and disturbing and it’s offensive to me. There is no questioning my commitment to human rights, to LGTBQ rights and to move in our society forward together with equality. And for him to even suggest that shows how little he knows about me.” Hayner is no stranger to controversy on the council. In December, MLive reported he had added a second floor to his Ann Arbor home without a permit. Hayner maintained he did nothing wrong, but has faced angry public commenters since the addition was reported. On the 11th, Hayner also defended quoting the excerpt to The Daily by adding he has friends who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, that the slur has been in print for decades and that it was used by Thompson, an acclaimed journalist, in an important piece of literature. Hayner said he has not been contacted by community members and, because the comment was not directed at anyone in particular and claimed that because the slur itself is “archaic” and “hardly ever hear(d)” anymore, it is not offensive. “If you take something out of context to stir up outrage, then you’re gonna get outrage,” Hayner said. “If you read things in context or you know where it came from or know what kind of person I am, you’re not outraged by it. If somebody is offended by seeing that word in print, take it up with the publisher.” Councilmembers have previously raised concerns about Hayner’s behavior on social media. As of April 11, Hayner told The Daily he had not seen Radina’s Facebook post but had a reply prepared to his email. Hayner added he felt it was wrong for Radina to publicly post about the quote before having a private conversation with him. In a comment on Radina’s Facebook post, Councilmember Jen Eyer, D-Ward 4, thanked Radina for speaking out and said she stands with the LGBTQ+ community. Washtenaw County Commissioner Katie Scott, D-District 9, posted a letter to the Ann Arbor City Council to her Facebook page the evening of April 11, urging them to “affirm the open and welcoming community we have in Ann Arbor,” and signed it from a “proud LGBTQ elected official.” “There must be a reckoning,” Scott wrote. “We have a choice to create a transformative culture here that supports each resident, or we have a choice to engage in perpetuating harmful stereotypes and being part of a regressive culture. By using quotes like this in a public forum, it paves the way for more hatred and homophobia; it legitimizes it. I’m here to stand up for the LGBTQ community today.” In his Facebook post, Radina questioned the intent of Hayner’s comments and Hayner’s unwillingness to apologize to Ann Arbor’s LGBTQ+ community. He added he feels angry and exhausted needing to respond to anti-LGBTQ+ hate a week after the anniversary of the election of Kathy Kozachenko, the first LGBTQ+ person elected to public office in the U.S. Kozachenko was elected to Ann Arbor City Council in 1974, when she was a 21-year-old student at the University of Michigan. “I am deeply disappointed, angry, exhausted, and frustrated that just a week after celebrating the anniversary of the first LGBTQ person elected to public office, I am being forced to address and condemn the reference of bigoted and homophobic language by one of my colleagues,” Radina wrote. “This also comes less than a week after some of us on Council had to dedicate time to educating our colleagues about the threat that white supremacy and white terrorism poses to the (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community.” In a statement to The Daily, Radina said he cannot comment on the consequences he believes Hayner should face since has not yet received a reply from Hayner. However, he said it is unequivocally Hayner’s responsibility to repair the harm he has caused toward the LGBTQ+ community. “It cannot be anyone else’s responsibility (to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community),” Radina said. “That, however, also requires a genuine acknowledgement and acceptance of the harm caused, true remorse and a real willingness to learn and do better.” Daily Staff Reporter Julia Rubin can be reached at julrubin@umich.edu. HAYNER From Page 1 PHOTO