Tag Archives: public safety

This weekend’s many violent crimes, what they mean about our community, and how we should respond

By Mark | October 21, 2013

While I was away this past weekend, it would seem all hell broke loose in Ypsilanti. An Eastern Michigan University student athlete by the name of Demarius Reed was shot to death in an apparent robbery on Friday morning, after leaving a party at the University Green Apartments, at the 700 block of West Clark […]

Posted in Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Abe's Coney Island, armed robbery, city income tax, Demarius Reed, dice, Eastern Michigan University, EMU, EMU Police Department, full moon, gun violence, hunter's moon, Laura Dickinson, Leforge, local income tax, Orange Taylor, Peninsular Place Apartments, perception of crime, Pete Murdock, police investigations, Putnam Residence Hall, rape, robbery, Steve Pierce, Stop City Income Tax, street lights, Susan Martin, Tony DiGiusti, University Green Apartments, vans, violence, Walton Residence Hall, Ypsilanti police department | 68 Comments

City Manager Ralph Lange indicates that Ypsilanti is moving toward a hybrid police/fire scheme in which public safety officers will be expected to fight fires, save lives, pursue suspects and dispense lethal force

By Mark | March 11, 2013

It would seem that Ralph Lange, our new city manager, has made up his mind that we should merge Ypsilanti’s Police and Fire departments in hopes of further delaying landfall of the category-five fiscal storm gathering on the horizon. He’s admittedly in a tough spot, and I’m sympathetic. He’s trying to radically cut spending, in […]

Posted in Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Brian Robb, city income tax, city services, class warfare, consolidation of services, Emergency Financial Manager, Emergency Manager, hypocrisy, Karen Maurer, local income tax, mutual aid, perfect storm, PSO, public safety officer, Ralph Lange, redistribution of wealth, Rick Snyder, Steve Pierce, Stop City Income Tax, taxes, the concentration of wealth, threats to the middle class, Water Street, wealth inequality, Ypsilanti Fire Department, Ypsilanti police department | 45 Comments

State of the City 2013: Shaping Ypsilanti

By Mark | March 5, 2013

The following was sent out this evening by Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber. I thought that I’d pass it along for those of you who don’t happen to be on his mailing list. (A PDF version, which includes relevant links and accompanying graphs, can be found here.) For the most part, I think Mayor Schreiber does […]

Posted in Ypsilanti | Also tagged AATA, Administrative Hearings Bureau, city income tax, Climate Action Plan, Corner brewery, Cross Street, Dreamland Theater, Eastern Michigan University, EMU, Facade Improvement Program, Family Dollar, Ford, Growing Hope, gun control, guns, Hamilton Crossing, historic district, historic preservation, Hope Clinic, Jon Ichesco, Krampus Ball, LED street lights, manufacturing, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, Michigan House Bill 5225, Mittenfest, Non-Motorized Transportation Plan, Parkview Apartments, Paul Schreiber, porn, public transportation, Ralph Lange, Recreation Department, Reimagine Washtenaw, Rutherford Pool, Shadow Art Fair, Shape Ypsilanti, Smith Furniture, State of the City, street lights, Sweetwaters, tax incentives, Ted's Campus Drugs, VIsteon, Water Street, Water Street Redevelopment Project, Welch Hall, Ypsilanti City Council, Ypsilanti City Master Plan, Ypsilanti Fire Department, Ypsilanti police department, zoning | 47 Comments

On the further downsizing, and possible merging of Ypsilanti’s police and fire departments

By Mark | October 17, 2012

According to AnnArbor.com, our elected leaders are apparently “weighing a plan to combine the city’s police and fire departments” into a single public safety entity, in hopes of cutting costs even further during this unprecedented period of sharply rising costs and falling revenues. Here’s a clip. …The proposal would cross-train police officers and firefighters, cutting […]

Posted in Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged budget cuts, class warfare, Georgia, Jon Ichesco, Ken Hobbs, local income tax, Pete Murdock, prisoners, public employee unions, regional aurhority, SCIT, Stop City Income Tax, Ypsilanti Fire Department, Ypsilanti police department | 40 Comments

How are things in Ypsi likely to change, if the city income tax doesn’t pass?

By Mark | January 26, 2012

Our last few posts about the proposed city income tax have not only initiated a lot of good, substantive conversations, but they’ve also led to quite a few more questions. Case in point… a couple of days ago, I received the following note from a reader of this site named Erika. Hi Mark, thanks for […]