Does West Willow shooting prove that Ypsi Township police are understaffed?

So, I’m reading this AnnArbor.com story about how, earlier this summer, a party in Ypsilanti Township, with some 200 people, got out of hand, resulting in a young woman being shot. It seems as though there were multiple calls to the police in advance of the shooting, from concerned neighbors who described the scene as a “riot,” but that the two policemen who finally responded, after over an hour had passed, by the way, decided not to break up the party. According to reports, they did not speak with anyone. In fact, they apparently did not get out of their patrol car until they were called back later that night, in response to the shooting. And, now, among other things, people are wondering whether the fact that the police were short-staffed played into that initial decision not to intervene.

Anyway, there’s a fascinating conversation taking place at AnnArbor.com, and it’s reminding me of a conversation we had here in the wake of another shooting that took place in the Township this summer. In that shooting, as you’ll recall, a young man was killed, in broad daylight, outside of the Washtenaw Avenue Kmart. Several of us, at the time, wondered if perhaps this murder may have been avoided, had there been more of a police presence in the Township. (Our neighbors in the Township have a well-documented aversion to paying taxes for public safety officers, or anything else for that matter.) Following is one of the responses we received from Township residents:

…If there were an police officer standing at the scene of the crime, they still would have acted after the fact and would have been unable to stop it.

Those who live in the city have no standing to dictate how the township handles its affairs. Maybe the township should change its name to avoid this habitual tendency.

And things got more interesting a week or so later, when we brought up the possibility of the City and Township coming together to provide police and fire services. During that conversation, the following was said by another Township resident:

Believe it or not, I actually am aware West Willow is in the same Twp I am, however worlds apart. Yes, I do feel safe in my neighborhood south of 94. Its the reason I purchased a home there. When deciding where to buy my home, low crime outweighed the ability to live in other parts of the city where I may not have to drive as far to grab some Bombadills (RIP), check out a show at the Elbow, or even go to Haabs. It was a choice I made. So no, I do not want an increase in taxes to pay for more police. No noticeable change in my life will happen if it passes except an increased bill. All additional law enforcement resources will go toward areas like West Willow which need the increased presence. If it passes, I will pay the increase and go along my merry way. No complaints. But I certainly don’t support it in My Life. Not too hard to understand!

Another reader contributed the following numbers, which would seem to confirm the assertion that people in the Township value their money more than they do public safety officers, or the public good:

Ypsi City: 34.5 police officers for 22,000 people in 4.5 sq mi = 1 officer per 638 people; 0.13 sq mi per officer.

EMU: 29 police officers (plus 7 dispatchers/support staff) for 23,000 students in 1.25 sq mi = 1 officer per 793 students; .04 sq mi per officer

Ypsi Twp: 31 sheriff’s deputies for 49,000 people in 31.8 sq mi = 1 deputy per 1580 people; 1 sq mi per deputy.

The voters of Ypsilanti Township have made it pretty clear that they don’t want to pay for policing.

I guess we’ll see soon enough. As I understand it, a police millage will be on the ballot in the Township on November 2.

And, I’m not sure why exactly, but I think the following is somehow relevant.

Oh, and one more thing. I found this comment, left by a West Willow resident named Angela Barbash, in the AnnArbor.com thread, to be interesting.

Regarding the cost of an officer, as Brenda Stumbo explained to me in reference to the letter that has gone out, the county charges us $160k per officer. About $65k of that is salary, another $35k is benefits for a total of $100k per officer. The other $60k is “county administration” costs… what exactly that entailed she was not able to say, so I’ve asked for a breakdown. She also indicated that the 92% rise in cost was in the “county administration” category, not police pay. Seems dubious.

Unlike the City, the Township doesn’t employ their own officers, but instead contracts them from the County. If what Ms. Barbash is saying is true, though, I don’t know why they would continue under such an arrangement. Couldn’t they provide administration for an amount less that $60,000 per officer?

I’m sorry this isn’t an extremely well thought out post, but I don’t have much time this evening. I promise to do better next time.

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65 Comments

  1. Edge Of Violence
    Posted October 7, 2010 at 9:08 pm | Permalink

    THANK GOD the Ann Arbor News is referring to it as “West Willow”! I would hate to think what happens in my south Ypsilanti Township farm has ANYTHING

  2. Randall
    Posted October 7, 2010 at 10:12 pm | Permalink

    The State can take over failed school districts. It can appoint financial managers to take over failed municipalities who don’t pay their bills. Ypsilanti Township is willingly failing a large portion of its residents in public safety. It is not paying its bills.

    Ypsilanti Township is a failure in providing the most basic level of services to many of its residents. It is obligated to provide services to everyone in its jurisdiction. It fails consciously, intentionally. It is a failure of state.

    The State of Michigan, or county, should be authorized to take over policing and collect appropriate levels of taxation from citizens.

    If we can take over failed school districts, why not failed public safety?

    As an aside, if I were anywhere near Cayuga that night, I’d be contacting a reputable attorney and make the township pay for their collective failure. Settlements are one place the courts are willing to hold taxpayers accountable. And if I were an attorney, I’d be knocking on doors.

  3. Mike Shecket
    Posted October 7, 2010 at 11:37 pm | Permalink

    I’m sorry this isn’t an extremely well thought out post, but I don’t have much time this evening. I promise to do better next time. I promise.

    I’s warnin’ ya! This is yer last chance, Maynard! One more lousy post and YER FIRED!

  4. John Galt
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 6:06 am | Permalink

    This Township sounds like my kind of place. I have plenty of guns, so why in the hell should I pay anyone to do my policing? All that matters is that I keep my money. To hell with everyone else.

  5. Peter Larson
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 6:16 am | Permalink

    Wait a minute. You mean, even though Ypsi Township residents have tons of guns, they didn’t go out and break up the party themselves?

  6. EOS
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 6:21 am | Permalink

    The County charges to the Township for dedicated patrols are excessive. In part, they are retaliatory for the township’s participation in a campaign to vote down the county millage request to build an expensive, giant jail. The current charges are more than double what an independent agency, hired by the county, determined would be a fair assessment to charge for each patrol. When the county altered the multi-year commitment that the Township had agreed to pay for police services, the township sued and lost. The judge determined that the County sets the price and alters it as they choose – the Townships can take it or leave it.

    The last millage for police services in the Township failed and the county has done absolutely nothing to reduce or contain the cost of sheriff patrols; instead it has charged the Township an additional 92% in costs. As much as Mr. Irwin talks about the rest of the county subsidizing the Township for policing costs, he admitted at a County board meeting, when the Township suggested that they just might stop contracting for any patrols, that the charges assessed for the Sheriff department to every taxpayer in the County would need to increase if Ypsilanti Township chose not to contract for dedicated patrols. The administration and staffing costs for the Sheriff department would still remain at current levels, at least in the short term, even if the department did not provide any patrols to the Townships. The County is required to maintain a force sufficient to meet their current State and Federal obligations for emergency response. And the Township will be required to continue to pay a County millage for the Sheriff department in addition to any new policing costs, whether or not we have a single dedicated patrol, albeit we will save that portion of the additional charges we currently pay for each patrol.

    So what should the Township do now? First, vote against the millage this November. Second, contact your County Commissioner and let them know you want them to better control the costs of government at the County level, and to provide services within the budget constraints of the average county taxpayer. And finally, contact the Township trustees and encourage them to consider alternatives to County Sheriff patrols other than merging services with the City of Ypsilanti, where not only are the costs of policing significantly higher than other adjacent communities, but who also are in such a financial bind that they will have no means to pay their share of the costs in just a few years and have no ability to raise any significant amount by increasing millage rates due to being near the maximum rate already. We need a secure police force at a reasonable cost and that won’t be accomplished by merging with a financially distressed city on the verge of receivership.

  7. Robert
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 6:52 am | Permalink

    Sounds like a great party.

  8. Edward
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 8:13 am | Permalink

    Every six moths or so we discuss the annexation of the township by the city. I, up until now, have liked the idea. Right now, though, I’m not sure. It seems to me that the attitude there is too different. There’s no sense of common good. It’s every man for himself. Here in the city, I don’t get that same feeling. I don’t hear people on one said of Michigan Avenue saying that we don’t need more social services, because they’re only of use to those individuals on the other side. There seems to be a common understanding that we’re in this together, and, in order to be successful, we need to all do our parts. Maybe those commenting here aren’t a representative sampling, though. That’s what I’ve told myself in the past. But reading through the comments on AnnArbor.com, I’m not so sure. My sense now is that people move to the township because they don’t want to be a part of a community. They certainly don’t want to pay for it. My opinion now is that we should encourage them to change their name, and post guards at the border, in hopes of keeping their crime from spreading, like a cancer, into our town.

  9. Kathy M
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 10:38 am | Permalink

    Call me what you like, but I think there’s something to be said for providing police and fire services for just those who pay for them. (Not through taxes.) What would be so bad about, instead of paying taxes, just taking that money and hiring a private security firm? I for one would feel safer.

  10. Peter Larson
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 10:58 am | Permalink

    The problem is that bot everyone in a community can afford it as well as the people who “opt out” for whatever reason. This is fine for them but not so fine when the neighboring house catches on fire.

  11. dragon
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 11:05 am | Permalink

    Kathy
    What does your private security firm do with the person they catch breaking into your house? I think the cost of setting up their own court system, prison and personnel (judges, guards, etc.) would put the initial cost of your private security substantially higher than the existing system.

  12. Burt Reynolds
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 11:19 am | Permalink

    While I stand by my quote Mark put in his story, now I know how celebrities feel when they say things “were taken out of context.” Thanks Mark! I hope people will read my other comments including how I am a HUGE supporter of Ypsi proper. I just feel indifferent in this one aspect, albeit as huge as it is.

  13. Ted
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 1:25 pm | Permalink

    Courts can be for the rich. All the wealthy people in an area, can get together and hire a judge, like this Ave Maria law school grad we’ve been talking about, someone who understands the values of the community, and realizes who it is that’s paying his salary. As for jails, we wouldn’t need them. We’d put the criminals to work for us, like in the olden times. If a man tried to steal my pig, for instance, he’d be branded, and he’d become my property for life.

  14. Edward
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 2:51 pm | Permalink

    For those who haven’t read the AnnArbor.com story, here’s the time line of events:

    * 12:56 a.m.: First 911 call about the Cayuga Street block party

    * 1:01 a.m.: Second 911 call about the block party. Caller estimates 200 people are there.

    * 2:06 a.m.: Deputies Daniel Buffa and Erin Larkin respond to the neighborhood, and Buffa calls it a “mess.” The deputies leave without talking to anyone at the party or calling for back-up.

    * 2:26 a.m.: A man calls 911 reporting his daughter called, telling him someone is trying to shoot his son in the West Willow neighborhood. Dispatchers learn the shooting could occur in the middle of Eugene Avenue, which is near where it intersects with Cayuga Street. A dispatcher says, “We’ll have someone go check the area.” No patrol cars respond.

    * 2:48 a.m.: Dispatchers receive the first of 35 different 911 calls pertaining to the shooting. Callers report shots fired on Oswego Avenue and Cayuga Street.

    * 2:49 a.m.: A 911 caller reports a woman is shot in her side on Cayuga Street.

    * 2:52 a.m.: A 911 caller erroneously reports the victim is pregnant.

    * 2:54 a.m.: Final 911 call comes in of shots heard in the neighborhood. Dispatcher tells a woman at the scene to apply pressure to the gunshot wound.

    * 2:59 a.m.: After meeting in the staging area outside the scene, deputies reach the shooting victim, learn she is not pregnant and provide first-aid.

    * 3:04 a.m.: Paramedics reach the shooting victim, who is taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and survives.

    * Sources: Patrol car videos, 911 calls, interviews with Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department officials. Note: The sheriff’s department denied a Freedom of Information Act request for incident reports, citing the ongoing investigation.

  15. Jeremy
    Posted October 8, 2010 at 11:56 pm | Permalink

    Kathy, when was the last time you saw Robocop?

  16. lorie thom
    Posted October 9, 2010 at 10:40 am | Permalink

    I don’t know about understaffed – sounds like the mutual aid agreements worked in doing their work for them(more ypsi, emu and other police than sheriff) but certainly under the current arrangement, the 1700 houses in West Willow are under-served.

    Here is my question: Derrick Jackson says that West Willow has about 7% of the population in Ypsi Township and accounts for about 7% of the reported crimes. I drive through that neighborhood from time to time and I see crime happening like live on the streets every time. I have come to the conclusion that most crime doesn’t even get reported.

    How does crime get measured when the crime rate is so high and culturally accepted that people don’t report it. Or people feel obligated not to report it for whatever reason. (there is a great rumor floating around here about a south-side community *leader* here who has a police scanner and outs callers mentioned on the police radios to the community as a snitch)

    Example: I have had friends who’s cars have been broken into. Some of them here have just shrugged their shoulders like its a normal thing and their fault and not reported it. Its more of a pain to report it than just clean it up and repair the damage and it happens often enough its become a more of a pain to report it than just cleaning up.

    Where I grew up, small town, very little crime. Someone breaking into an unlocked car is front page news and usually rounded up within 24 hrs. Often also branded as a criminal publicly and permanently – our county has all the charges on file on line available to anyone.

    I know this small town thing has its downsides but I have never been able to comprehend the way crime is talked about and understood and tolerated here.

  17. Emma
    Posted October 9, 2010 at 12:16 pm | Permalink

    This situation is a perfect example of why the police aren’t called. They’re, for the most part, unpleasant and don’t do anything about the issue anyway. If the officers who were initially called to this “block party” would’ve gotten out of the car and done ANYTHING maybe this discussion wouldn’t be taking place.

  18. Peter Larson
    Posted October 9, 2010 at 12:37 pm | Permalink

    If everyone at the party would have had guns, none of this would have happened.

  19. Mark Higbee
    Posted October 9, 2010 at 7:10 pm | Permalink

    I dispute the validity of Lorie Thom’s observation that in West Willow “the crime rate is so high and culturally accepted that people don’t report it”. You say you personally observe crimes under way when you drive thru that area; do you report these crimes? What makes you assume that all people in a given area “culturally accept” crime? These words and charges of yours reflect an long, controversial history, and I wonder if your casual observations are shaped by an unawareness of that history. Just askin’.

    And oh – those rumors of a “leader” on the south side calling out those who report crimes and whose calls are announced on the police radio: Sounds like a pure BS rumor to me. Are you even sure that police dispatchers name the callers who report crimes when they radio officers in the field? What are the sources of your information?

    And Lorie, crimes are underreported every where. That is fact, one of the most well established facts in criminology. There are plenty of reasons for not reporting crimes. Fear of the police, distrust of them, competing demands for one’s time, and the belief that doing so will not result in arrests or the return of stolen property are some reasons for that. Not saying people shouldn’t report crime – they should – but there are plenty of reasons people don’t. Sometimes people driving thru a neigbhorhood even imagine they see crimes being committed and fail to report it, for who knows what reason.

    Peace.

  20. lorie thom
    Posted October 9, 2010 at 8:24 pm | Permalink

    mark,

    you have a good point, i have been worn down over the years of living here thats for sure. I report only what happens *to me*. guilty for sure.

    as for the rumor – I’m glad it sounds like B.S. to you. I know you are intellectual mountain of a man so I’ll take for what its worth.

    I get that crime is under reported everywhere. I am asking how one might measure the rate of under-reporting. Does one community or another under-report crime and for what reason? How is that studied?

  21. Sickem
    Posted October 9, 2010 at 9:52 pm | Permalink

    Higbee,

    You got anything to say on policing levels in township and the seeming disparity of response amongst neighborhoods depending on social makeup, or are you with EOS on this one? As someone who claims to care about such things, I find it odd that it takes a comment from a local political rival to draw you out of the woodwork. Of all the comments made, this is the one that you think is the most vital to “dispute”? Did you even read anything else or are you just sitting around waiting for “Lorie” to say something so you can pounce? Be honest.

    Peace.

  22. EOS
    Posted October 10, 2010 at 5:45 am | Permalink

    It wasn’t very many years ago, when the Sheriffs responded to another out of control block party in this neighborhood, and they were shot at by an individual with a shotgun hiding in one of the houses. That person was never apprehended to my knowledge. Two deputies in one vehicle, with no backup, made the rational choice not to confront this crowd. The Township pays a substantial price for 28 dedicated patrols in addition to paying their share of the overall force. That’s 9.3 deputies per shift. Until we get the coverage that we are currently paying for, it would be ludicrous to contract for additional non-existent patrols. Were all the patrols busy responding to crimes in the new subdivisions or cornfields?

    When the first calls came to 911, most of the deputies in the county were in the cities helping to disperse the bar crowds after closing. 200 people in the street, drinking and using drugs at 2 AM in the morning, is a common occurrence in this neighborhood on hot summer nights. County task forces and Federal agents have worked hard in this neighborhood, busting drug rings and gangs and successfully prosecuting many with the help of residents.

    Crime is regularly reported in this neighborhood, with an active neighborhood watch program that has strong ties with the Sheriff department. What can police do in this situation? Can they impose curfews for adults in this neighborhood? How can they crack down harder on this neighborhood and avoid accusations of racial bias? More money, more police, and more midnight basketball games don’t do anything to address the root cause of crime.

  23. Peter Larson
    Posted October 10, 2010 at 11:21 am | Permalink

    Are you saying that the root cause of crime is black people? Cause that’s what I think you’re saying.

  24. Mark Higbee
    Posted October 10, 2010 at 3:58 pm | Permalink

    Sickem,

    I have no idea who you are, and I barely recall who Lorie Thom is, for what that’s worth. Don’t think i’ve ever meet her and didn’t reallize we were local political rivals. (Am I in local politics? Don’t really think of myself that way). but Lorie’s comment caught my attention and motivated me to comment because of its careless claim that some peoples and some areas are “culturally” tolerant of high crime. Usually, in American history, such ideas are related to racist perspectives, deliberate or not. So I tried to call that comment out on that point. I’m satisfied with her reply – she admits she under reports crimes that she claims to see in West Willow. I take that as a withdrawal of her indictment of that neighborhood for being some how crime friendly.

    And while I’ve not seriously studied policing in Ypsi Township, I imagine that the West Willow area is under served by police agencies. Poor areas are usually the most under policed areas; high crime areas get fewer patrols, etc., than areas with more richer folks and lower crime rates. Why, Sickem, do you imagine that i am responsible for commenting on all the issues raised on MM.com? If you have a dispute with what I might say, take it on directly, please, even if you must hide your true identity, rather than faulting me for addressing a real concern. (And yes, I do think the assumptions made by about race, poverty, crime, and policing are real concerns….the comment i responded to was a find example of such assumptions).

  25. EOS
    Posted October 10, 2010 at 10:42 pm | Permalink

    Peter,

    Criminal activity is not the direct result of poverty, race, or disadvantage. People commit crimes because they are hopeless. They’ve lost all hope that they will ever achieve the “good life” without the advantage that the crime will afford them. The root cause? They don’t know Jesus.

    “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD.” Jeremiah 17:6-8

    “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
    Romans 15:12-14

  26. Michael Schils
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 8:13 am | Permalink

    EOS, you seem fond of ending many of your jokes with the “Jesus!” punchline. But when one considers the violent history of christianity (and religion in general), the joke is no longer funny.

    Since you seem to be implying that West Willows’s problem is a lack of god-belief, please explain how exactly you determined that. How are you so sure the WW community believes in JC any less than your own? Or does the Jesus have to be the same color as yours?

    Interesting that you mention your concern that the Sheriff’s officers “avoid accusations of racial bias” when you urge them to “crack down”. Your suggestion that a curfew may have to be enforced on the “adults” indicates that you are willing to punish the entire neighborhood for the actions of a few. Your veil is way too thin, EOS.

    And how do you even pretend to know that “drinking and using drugs at 2 AM in the morning, is a common occurrence in this neighborhood (West Willow) on hot summer nights”. I’m guessing its just a pre-conceived notion of yours…

  27. Joe Miller
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 8:21 am | Permalink

    What they need is a good dose of Sharia Law, like the people of Dearborn. And I think that EOS would make a wonderful enforcer of said Law, as he knows what God thinks.

  28. Peter Larson
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 8:56 am | Permalink

    I will attest that I have little tolerance of bigotry, but can give a person a tad bit of respect if he or she is willing to own up to said bigotry.

    At least then a conversation can begin. Running into a corner and holding up a picture of Jesus (whom I don’t know, nor accept) is simply cowardice.

  29. lorie thom
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 9:05 am | Permalink

    @ Mark,
    again, your intellectual mechanisms terminology games are amazing.

    I said I only reported crime that happens to me. No geography. I did not ask if some *peoples* are more culturally tolerant of crime, I asked if some communities were more tolerant and if some under reported based on what reasons.

    My question remains: Is there a way to measure the rate of under-reporting?

  30. Kim
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 9:08 am | Permalink

    We need to deploy an all volunteer force on Segways, armed with tasers.

  31. James
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 10:53 am | Permalink

    Puppets on seways with tasers would be even better.

  32. Stephen
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 12:41 pm | Permalink

    Someone has to make a local movie in the ‘cop buddy ‘ genre, starring Mark’s puppet and Steve Pierce. I’m envisioning it being part Paul Blart Mall Cop, part 48 Hrs, and part Magic.

  33. Chaely
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 4:20 pm | Permalink

    I think the fact that I recently got a letter from the Washtenaw Cty Sheriff’s dept pleading for residents to vote to pass a millage so they don’t have to lay off more officers is telling. They’ve cut like 2/3 of their department in the last few years and as someone who lives in a part of town where calling the cops is a common activity I can attest to the fact that their response time is not great & they realize that.

  34. Alice
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 4:24 pm | Permalink

    If you cared about your family, you’d live in a better neighborhood.

  35. Peter Larson
    Posted October 11, 2010 at 8:59 pm | Permalink

    Do police do anything anymore? Traffic enforcement is almost nonexistent anymore.

  36. EOS
    Posted October 12, 2010 at 1:47 am | Permalink

    Michael,

    Jesus, while he walked on Earth, was a dark skinned Palestinian Jew.

    I wasn’t advocating curfews and crack downs on this neighborhood, merely pointing out the difficulties encountered by the Sheriff in his attempts to reduce crime in this neighborhood. If I advocated anything, it was to not spend more money on more cops.

    I don’t pretend to know what occurs in the streets in the middle of the night in West Willow. I have never been a part of that crowd. My knowledge of frequent street parties is based only on what has been repeatedly reported in the newspapers and online.

    If I were to guess, I’d bet that there are significantly more born again Christians in West Willow than in my neighborhood. Of the 1700 homes in the neighborhood, only 200 people were out in the street in the middle of the night. These 200 people may very well believe in Jesus. But, even the devil believes in Jesus. I wrote that they didn’t know Jesus. It is quite evident by their actions that they haven’t placed their trust in Jesus and completely surrendered their lives to Jesus. Jesus preached non-violence and submission to the governing authorities, unless the authorities tried to impose laws against His will.

  37. Knox
    Posted October 12, 2010 at 6:42 am | Permalink

    So he just turned white when he went to heaven? Does that happen to all good people? Is it their reward?

  38. Michael Schils
    Posted October 12, 2010 at 10:08 pm | Permalink

    EoS, when you mentioned curfews and crackdowns in the context of what you were thinking the Sheriff could do, I assumed you were IN SUPPORT of these forms of collective punishment against the people of West Willow. But now you say that you weren’t actually advocating these actions you brought up.

    Well, ok, my bad, but to avoid a similar misunderstanding in the future, perhaps you could make it a point to mention that you ARE NOT in support of the ideas you come up with, if such is truly the case.

    Likewise, you could be misunderstood by what you wrote in your last comment:

    “…These 200 people may very well believe in Jesus. But, even the devil believes in Jesus…”

    Now without your clarification, EOS, some reader wandering in here may wonder if you were actually comparing the West Willow partiers to the Prince of Darkness. (Just because they were still up and awake WAY past your bedtime?)

    EOS, your claim of knowing who KNOWS (and not just BELIEVES in) Jesus is worthless to our discussion here as such a claim is unprovable. You should save such rhetoric for places where those of a similar persuasion gather. Like, your church.

    To avoid the trap of hypocrisy, Jesus (in Matthew 6) told his disciples not to make a public show of their praying or their other expressions of faith. JC said he doesn’t need public validation (and neither should you).

    I’m asking you to read this part of your “good book” again, EOS. This is the Jesus you should “know”.

  39. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 6:42 am | Permalink

    Michael,

    There’s nothing I can write that would ameliorate your lack of reading comprehension skills and reasoning ability.

  40. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 6:52 am | Permalink

    “I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.
    Luke 12:7-9

  41. Robert
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 7:32 am | Permalink

    I still have that $100 bounty out on EOS’s true identity in case anybody is interested in doing the detective work.

  42. lorie thom
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 7:50 am | Permalink

    @Robert EOS espousing all this stuff via his pseudonym should just, well, it goes to his credibility.

  43. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 8:25 am | Permalink

    Keep your money Robert. Why do you care? It’s not like my knowing your name makes any difference at all. I still know nothing about you other than what you have written.

    Lorie, credibility is a result of confirmation via fact checking. Posting anonymously does not alter the facts. At least I consistently use the same pseudonym and don’t comment on my comments as a few do.

  44. Robert
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 8:37 am | Permalink

    Ok, $200.

  45. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 8:49 am | Permalink

    Do I hear $1000?

  46. Robert
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:03 am | Permalink

    Unlike myself, I believe the outing of your true identity will do a lot to influence your comments here.

  47. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:12 am | Permalink

    It wouldn’t influence my comments. It would only make a difference to someone who wants to personally attack me and then, if and only if, they had a clue who I was even if they knew my name. I sincerely doubt that anyone on this blog knows me.

  48. Peter Larson
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:18 am | Permalink

    It obviously would make a difference, if you are afraid of being attacked personally.

  49. Peter Larson
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:21 am | Permalink

    Just call up every pool cleaning company in Ypsi and start a conversation about the need to get rid of public schools and transportation in Ypsi and see what kind of response you get.

    You can start here:

    Perfect Pools Inc
    2075 Ellsworth Rd, Ypsilanti, MI 48197-4804
    (734) 487-3989

    Maybe it was ytown, I get my rightists confused.

  50. James
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:22 am | Permalink

    If EOS is ever outed and eventually attacked and stalked by Robert, I hope EOS will get a shopping spree at a toy store in Ann Arbor.

  51. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:25 am | Permalink

    Are my comments so objectionable that the majority of everyone on this site would prefer I not participate?

  52. Peter Larson
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:41 am | Permalink

    Is that a rhetorical question?

  53. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:45 am | Permalink

    No.

  54. Robert
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 9:54 am | Permalink

    I am certain your comments would be different if you were not hiding behind a pseudonym. There is a reason you do it is because you are afraid of being personally attacked by people who know you personally. I don’t know you personally, but you’ve given me enough clues to know you portray yourself very differently when allowed anonymity than you do when people know how you actually live your life.

  55. Ted
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 10:06 am | Permalink

    I disagree, but I enjoy the comments left by EOS.

  56. Dan
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 10:18 am | Permalink

    I found EOS

    It seems she has a history. From Wikipedia

    The following are lovers of Eos, described in various myths, and her children by them.
    Orion-killed by Artemis over jealousy
    With Astraeus-married
    Boreas-north wind
    Eurus-east wind
    Notus-south wind
    Zephyrus-west wind
    Eosphoros-morning star
    Hesperos-evening star
    Phainon-Saturn
    Phaethon-Jupiter
    Pyroeis-Mars
    Stilbon-Mercury
    With Tithonus-kidnapped
    Emathion
    Memnon
    With Cephalus-kidnapped
    Phaëton
    Tithonos
    With Zeus
    Carae

  57. Peter Larson
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 10:19 am | Permalink

    I find bigots to be scientifically interesting.

  58. Angela Barbash
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 2:18 pm | Permalink

    Interesting conversation here… Higbee gave me a heads up today that MM had picked the story up. It appears from the comments though that no one who actually lives in West Willow has been a part of this, so I’ll pipe in for some perspective.

    For clarification, we have 1200 homes here. And five churches. I don’t think JC is as absent as some might think. Furthermore, based on our first hand experience of the party that night, the majority of the 200 people at the party appears to us to both be from *outside* West Willow, and *minors*. We watched them come and go up and down the block from 10pm on and could spot how young they were. Also, once the 911 calls started rolling in, if you listen to them you’ll notice that the majority of the people calling had no idea what the name of the street was or any of the house numbers in order to give to dispatch.

    Those of us who lived through this experience this summer strongly believe that it was a lack of effectiveness on the part of the Sheriff’s department. The officers could have called in a mutual aid call at 2am when they came by, or they could have at the very least reported the situation for what it really was to alert the Sergeant to the problem.

    Someone asked what they were busy doing that night — they were looking for an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s who had wandered away from her home. Another officer was at St. Joe’s for medical attention after he had gotten into an altercation with a drunk. His partner was processing that drunk at the jail. No one was policing the downtown bar crowd.

    And for the gal that theorized why crime goes unreported, and how to count those crimes — you left one big reason off your list: retaliation. When you report a crime your name goes on the report, and then you get the guy’s defense attorney knocking on your door two weeks later (personally experienced). Furthermore, how can you count something that no one is willing to talk about? I propose it’s not possible.

    Finally, if you don’t know much about West Willow (which it appears that not many here do), please watch this video we just debuted Monday night at our neighborhood association meeting:

    http://www.youtube.com/user/NWWNA

    And here is an article I wrote and posted to aa.com in response to the comments people made there:

    http://www.annarbor.com/community/community_wall/west_willow_community_fights_back_against_negative_perceptions/

    While things aren’t perfect here, they aren’t as bad as everyone thinks. We have the most active and dedicated neighborhood watch program in the Township, and the only citizen patrol program in the County.

    Thanks, and regards.
    Angela Barbash
    President, New West Willow Neighborhood Association

  59. lorie thom
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 4:01 pm | Permalink

    Hi Angela,

    Thank you for the response. I appreciate it. Since my comment, I have heard from a series of people both in your neighborhood and other neighborhoods in the city and township that feel this is a large problem.

  60. kjc
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 4:54 pm | Permalink

    Thanks, Angela, for an informed point of view.

  61. Peter Larson
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 4:55 pm | Permalink

    Angela, this is a great video. Keep up the great work!

  62. wetdolphinmissile
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 6:05 pm | Permalink

    Thanks Angela, not only for the perspective but for also getting back to the topic of police staffing. As entertaining as EOS and his followers and fans are this is a serious issue to the entire community not just the West Wilow neighborhood. Ypsi Twp, Ypsi City and Pittsfield Twp have a lot of reasons for cooperating with each other. Better policing and safer neighborhoods.

  63. Angela Barbash
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 8:35 pm | Permalink

    Yes, the staffing is a huge debate. We’re concerned that if we approve more officers then we will have the same problem, just magnified. While many (arguably, most) of the deputies strive to do the best job possible, many just ‘get by’. I’ve been on a half dozen or more ride alongs in the last 9 months just to get a handle on this situation. What I’ve seen is a separate post unto itself… needless to say, many of them do get caught up in just blind patrolling with little proactive or investigative work being done. Their leadership contends that they’re moving in this direction, but with a Sheriff who came from the jail and who has not actually worked the road patrol at all in his career, we’re dubious.

    Also, the letter shipped out to Township residents doesn’t actually articulate what the money will be spent on. They *imply* that the 7 deputies that we lost (even though we didn’t actually lose them, they just went to county-wide service, which does include us) would be rehired, but the letter doesn’t actually *say* that.

    I should point out that I also sent a very detailed 9 question letter to all of the board members, to which I received one reply (Karen Lovejoy Roe) that half answered half the questions. Disappointing…

    I’m not as opposed as some to the idea of a central Ypsilanti police department. Obviously there are long standing concerns between the two sets of residents about their own governments’ ability to control costs. Most of all we want to control oversight. We have no authority over the Sheriff’s department as it stands now — we can squawk, but that’s about all. I’m curious to see what the independent contractors will surmise after the comprehensive study we’re hiring them to conduct. I hope most of all that they are ‘creative’ in how they re-purpose existing property, vehicles, etc. when lining up their starting capital costs. I’m afraid they’ll have a tendency to ‘go for the nines’, at the cost of the tax payers.

    We’ll see…

    And thanks for watching the video :) Please take the time to share it with your local email list. Our goal is to get this video spread widely across the County.

    Regards,
    Angela

  64. EOS
    Posted October 13, 2010 at 11:29 pm | Permalink

    Angela,

    I appreciate your input. I share your concerns about the ability of the County to adequately police the Township with the current Board of Commissioners. However, we would have the same lack of oversight in policing matters by partnering with the city as we now have with contracting patrols with the county. Do you think we might be better off in the long run by establishing our own force and allowing Ypsilanti City and the other townships to contract patrols from us? If we are going to be paying for infrastructure in addition to the county sheriff, should it not be in our own jurisdiction with the costs and level of services determined by our own choices, that are optimized for our benefit, and not assume the financial burdens of the city’s aging structures? Why should we consider an equal partnership with the city when we assume 75% of the joint costs? Wouldn’t it be more prudent to stay with the current system as long as it is a more cost effective choice than paying at two levels, and wait before we entrust our public safety options to a community facing a fast approaching budgetary crisis?

  65. Sheila
    Posted January 11, 2014 at 10:13 am | Permalink

    The only thing the shootings in West Willow prove is that those people are animals with no regard for human life.

2 Trackbacks

  1. […] encourage those interested in the subject to read through our recent conversations on the seemingly insufficient policing of Ypsi Township and the possibility of the City and Township joining together to provide police […]

  2. By Policing by video in Ypsilanti Township on April 6, 2011 at 9:51 pm

    […] we’ve established here in the past, folks in Ypsi Township are reluctant at best to pay for police service, in spite of their soaring crime rate. Sure, they may pass an occasional millage when the murder […]

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