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Michigan Chronicle
Vol. 85 – No. 43 | June 29 - July 5, 2022
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Ray Washington Should Remain as Sheriff By Michigan Chronicle Editorial Board Wayne County Sheriff Ray Washington has been on the job for more than a year and stepped into the position after his predecessor’s untimely death to COVID-19. In his endorsement editorial board interview with Michigan Chronicle, Sheriff Washington discusses his readiness for the role following the late Sheriff Benny Napoleon’s death, his career experience, combating crime, addressing jail staffing issues, and bridging relations with the Black community and law enforcement. Washington oversees three jail facilities, Road Patrol, a Marine Unit, a Mounted Unit, and other law enforcement activities in collaboration with the 43 cities and townships in his jurisdiction which covers 673 square miles.
Roe v. Wade Overturned,
Washington believes this moment of his career has come full circle. He began his law enforcement journey as a recruiter for the Wayne County Sheriff’s department at 23-years-old.
Supreme Court Removes 50 Years of Abortion Rights
By Sherri Kolade In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court voted to overturn the decades-old Roe v. Wade ruling that created the constitutional right to abort in the U.S. in 1973, NBC News reported. The court’s decision created a ripple effect of protests and outpouring of mixed reactions that is also anticipated to give individual states the ability to set their own abortion laws “without concern of running afoul of Roe,” according to the article, which for nearly 50 years had granted abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy. Nearly half the states are anticipated to outlaw or “severely restrict abortion” due to the Supreme Court’s decision, which is tied to a highly restrictive and recent Mississippi abortion law, according to the article. The court’s only three liberal justices filed a dissenting opinion to the decision. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the article. Attorney General Dana Nessel today issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which has now overturned Roe v. Wade, the seminal 1973 court decision that granted women in all 50 states the constitutional right to control their own reproductive health choices. As a result of today’s decision, the legality of abortion care will now be left up to each state to decide. “Although we knew this was coming after the leak of Justice Alito’s draft decision, it doesn’t make it any less shocking or unnerving that Americans will lose a fundamental right they’ve had for nearly my entire lifetime,” Nessel said in a statement. “To millions of Michiganders, this isn’t some abstract fight about social issues. These are kitchen table concerns that impact our ability to be economically stable, continue our education, and plan for our future. We all have our own personal beliefs about abortion; the decision of whether to terminate a pregnancy is a deeply personal one that should not be controlled by the state. There’s a big difference between
He signed up to become a member of the Detroit Police department in 1978, however layoffs at time kept him away from the agency’s force. He was hired in 1983 where Ray Washington joined the jail division of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. Before-long, Washington was called back by DPD in 1985 and after 14 years would realize the necessity to be elevated within the department. “I was having so much fun protecting and serving as a police officer, what stood out was I needed to start getting promoted so I could be in a position to lead,” said Sherriff Washington. He has enjoyed a wide-ranging field of work, including as a patrol officer, investigative officer which included the Narcotics, Violent Crimes, Traffic Enforcement and Gang Squad divisions. He would be promoted to sergeant in 1999 and then lieutenant in 2001 after studying and testing for the positions and later serving in an executive role leading whole units of a department. He says he always wanted to be a public servant and believes his experience has prepared him to take on the next full term as Wayne County Sheriff. “I prepared myself to be a leader and I think these advancements in DPD and in the Sherriff’s office is what makes we ready to fulfill this duty.” Washington comes into the positions after an emotional blow to the agency following the death of Sheriff Napoleon. It was shocking and sad news for the office and area
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adhering to your own personal beliefs and forcing others to abide by them.” Nessel pointed out that Michigan is among the 26 states with an existing law on the books, dating back to 1931, that criminalizes abortion and makes it a felony to perform one, and has no exceptions for rape or incest. The law could be interpreted so that anyone, from the receptionist who schedules the appointment to a billing administrator, could be charged with “aiding and abetting” the termination of a pregnancy. That would have a chilling effect on all reproductive care in Michigan, she added, putting women at risk of injury and death. “As I’ve repeatedly made clear, I will not use the resources of the Attorney General’s office to enforce an unconstitutional law that will allow the state into our bedrooms and doctor’s appointments, interfering with our fundamental reproductive rights,” Nessel said. “As long as I’m in office, I will not prosecute women, girls, or their doctors for seeking or providing abortion services. Nor will my staff seek licensure discipline against medical professionals who safely perform these procedures.” Nessel’s opponent for attorney general, Republican Matt DePerno, has said repeatedly that he’s against abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or a dire medical emergency – no exceptions. “My opponent even claims there is no such thing as a life-saving medical procedure that would require terminating a pregnancy – an idea that doctors, nurses, and anyone who has experienced an ectopic pregnancy knows is unequivocally false. And if DePerno wins the November election, he will have the authority to charge people in every county across Michigan.” Nessel said the overturning of Roe will have additional negative consequences. “I’ve been putting domestic violence advocates on high alert: expect to see an increase in partner assault cases, including homicides, because of Roe being overturned. If women can’t exercise their right to terminate a pregnancy, that will leave them anchored to their abusers for the rest of their lives. Being forced to carry a fetus would cause catastrophic harm to women al-
ready in a precarious situation.” Nessel urged voters who want to maintain their reproductive rights to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November. Many Black advocacy groups assert that the SCOTUS decision is closely linked with race. Gynecological experiments and forced sterilizations have historically impacted Black women in the U.S., per ABC News. “We all need to be able to determine how many children we’re going to have if we’re going to have children. We all have a human right to make decisions about our bodies,” said Toni Bond, the scholar who coined the phrase “reproductive justice” in the 90s to separate the concerns of Black women from those of white feminists. Black women are also more likely to die from childbirth than white women. A federal study reports that college-educated Black women are five times more likely to die from pregnancy than white women who went to college. The access and expense of health care and police brutality are other factors that especially concern Black women. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also made a statement on the ruling. “Today is a sad day for America as an unelected group of conservative judges act squarely against the will of the people and medical expertise. We can all sense the despair that tens of millions of Americans—our neighbors, family members and friends—are feeling right now. However we personally feel about abortion, health—not politics— should drive important medical decisions,” Whitmer said. “I will fight like hell to protect every Michiganders’ right to make decisions about their own body with the advice of a medical professional they trust. I will not give in or give up for my kids, your kids, and the future of our great state.” Lt. Gov. Gilchrist also released a statement. “Today is a tragic day for Americans and Michiganders. Against medical expertise and the overwhelming majority of Americans who support this consti-
the vote, and there is no better time for us to show our power,” NNPA Chair Karen Carter Richards stated during the announcement at the national convention in the Big Easy.
NNPA Newswire
Ahead of the all-important 2022 midterm elections, reports show that more than 55 million Americans remain unregistered to vote – and about 10 million are African Americans who are eligible to vote but who are unregistered.
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NNPA and Transformative Justice Coalition Announce National GOTV Campaign Targeting 10 Million More Black Voters By Stacy M. Brown
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Whether the reason is because of apathy, suppression, or other means, the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and the Transformative Justice Coalition seek to get to the bottom of why, with so much at stake, voter registration and GOTV mobilization remain lacking notably among Black Americans across the nation. During the national conven-
“Let us take the lead and not be on the tail-end so we can show the present-day power of the Black Press,” continued Richards, who publishes the Houston Forward Times.
tion marking the 195th-anniversary celebration of the Black Press of America in New Orleans, leaders of both organizations announced a get-out-to-vote cam-
paign aimed at registering and mobilizing GOTV for 10 million more African Americans to vote in time for the 2022 midterms. “The NNPA has talked about
“This is a great opportunity for us; we’ve got to make this happen.” Attorney Barbara Arnwine, the founder, and president of the Transformative Justice Coalition, and her board chair and fellow lawyer Daryl Jones, told a captivated panel that their organization had recorded 72 voter suppression tactics to prevent
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