GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Tuesday night's City Commission meeting in Grand Rapids ended early for the second time.
The meeting ended during public comment when decorum and order were lost. Many of the residents speaking out, sharing their frustrations over the shooting death of Patrick Lyoya.
“These buildings mean more to you than any black person. This can all go down. [Expletive] your property,” one resident said.
It was after swearing that Mayor Rosalyn Bliss cut the person's microphone during public comment. The next speaker continued to use the same language, and Bliss cut their microphone too. Shortly after that, she ended the meeting when members of the public approached City Commissioners at their seats.
“My personal reaction is disappointment,” said Bliss.
Bliss says she's been told by multiple people that they don't feel comfortable attending City Commission meetings if they continue to fall out of order. There are standing rules against disruptive behavior in city meetings that Bliss must abide by. She says this is the case no matter what is being discussed, and that order and decorum are an essential part of the process for local leaders.
“I want to be very clear I want people regardless of the issue they’re talking about, if they’re angry, outraged, passionate, I want them to be able to express themselves," said Bliss.
However, there are rules. Bliss says she needs to keep public meetings safe spaces for free speech for all residents.
“Regardless of where you fall on the spectrum, or what your opinion is, we want to make sure that you can come up to the podium and be heard,” said Bliss.
Bliss says city leaders and commissioners are meeting with neighborhood leaders in their respective wards and encourages people to reach out to their leaders directly in order to express their concerns.
She hopes the next meeting will go better than the last two and understands people's frustrations. However, abiding by the existing decorum policies and maintaining an open discussion is part of her job.
