City of Harper Woods

resolution adopted october 19, 2020 by city council

RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF TRANSFORMATIVE AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

WHEREAS, the mission of the City of Harper Woods is expressly for the benefit of the governed and in service to our residents;

WHEREAS, the City of Harper Woods strives for justice, equity, and compassion in all human relations;

WHEREAS, the City of Harper Woods should serve as a beacon of peace, liberty, and justice for all;

WHEREAS, allowing injustice to go unchallenged violates the mission of our City;

WHEREAS, tragic and violent deaths have occurred because of institutionalized racism and police brutality that disproportionately impacts African Americans and persons of color;

WHEREAS, the City of Harper Woods Public Safety Department is committed to excellence in law enforcement, the preservation of life, and officers are held to the highest standards of loyalty, integrity and honesty, and are expected to work toward critical responsibilities including de-escalation, crisis intervention, and community policing;

WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Council of Harper Woods recognizes that we must advance substantive law enforcement policies to create a community that ensures the rights of all our residents;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council of Harper Woods will do whatever is within our power to protect the residents of this City from all forms of oppression;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council of Harper Woods will work with organizations and our community toward justice, with the recognition of the interconnected nature of racism and systemic oppression based on socio-economic status, ability, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, and language;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council of Harper Woods recognize the fight for diversity, accessibility, equality, equity, and civil rights continues, and we urge all people to demand justice against racist and discriminatory practices;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council of Harper Woods recognize the importance of, and commits to, developing and establishing just and inclusive policies and practices designed to dismantle racism and all forms of oppression;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Mayor and City Council will work actively to enhance educational efforts aimed at understanding, dismantling, and addressing racism and how it affects health, education, human services, social services and economic development in our Public Safety, Court, and Government as a whole;

SO FINALLY, we collectively announce that the Mayor and City Council of Harper Woods are committed to fair, transformative, and restorative actions and policies that are accountable to our community, and that we will actively work to eliminate racism and other forms of injustice by working to make organizational structures more inclusive, enact changes in our policies, systems, practices and perceptions, so that we can create a fair and just community for all residents;

Election Information

The City highly encourages absentee voting for the General Presidential Election to be held on November 3, 2020 to help keep our residents as safe as possible due to COVID-19. Precinct workers will be wearing face masks/shields and gloves and will also have hand sanitizer available for resident use. Social distancing guidelines may impact the amount of time you will spend waiting in line. The 6' spacing requirement will affect how many voting booths are available in a precinct and how many people will be allowed into a polling place at one time.

Absentee Voter Applications are available on line at Michigan.gov/vote and they are also available at www.harperwoodscity.org on our elections page.

All Ballots can be returned by placing them in the drop box in the front lobby of City Hall at any time, or dropped off in person during regular business hours.

Reminder: You can also sign up to become a permanent absentee voter at Michigan.gov/vote or on your application.

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