JUDY PUTNAM
But these are not usual times.
Today, open government laws are truly about life-and-death matters. We continue to fight the deadly coronavirus pandemic, struggle to come to grips with policing practices that discriminate against people of color and debate the election process that is so key to the survival of a democratic society.
This week is the 16th anniversary of Sunshine Week, established in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, now called the News Leaders Association. Simply stated, it’s your right to know.
Across the country, citizens and journalists are using open government laws at the local, state and federal levels to request data on nursing home deaths from COVID-19, release investigations of police shootings, and provide information on federally funded small business loans. These are needed efforts to shed light on actions of public bodies.
March 16, 2021
The website of the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office gives high praise to its special operations unit.
“The Special Operation Division prosecutors and investigators handle complex criminal and civil cases,” the county claims. “These sensitive cases require a thorough and often lengthy investigation to ensure that justice is served.”
The reality is more complicated and sometimes tawdry, involving a police unit that took cars from low-income individuals for allegedly committing low-level offenses.
The scheme involved Wayne County law enforcement officers staking out Detroit marijuana dispensaries in 2017 and 2018. They would observe individuals driving away away from a dispensary and then pull them over. If the individuals did not have a medical-marijuana card with them, officers would seize the vehicle for being a crime vehicle. But in many or most cases, the county brought no criminal charges against the individuals.
But these are not usual times.
Today, open government laws are truly about life-and-death matters. We continue to fight the deadly coronavirus pandemic, struggle to come to grips with policing practices that discriminate against people of color and debate the election process that is so key to the survival of a democratic society.
This week is the 16th anniversary of Sunshine Week, established in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, now called the News Leaders Association. Simply stated, it’s your right to know.
Across the country, citizens and journalists are using open government laws at the local, state and federal levels to request data on nursing home deaths from COVID-19, release investigations of police shootings, and provide information on federally funded small business loans. These are needed efforts to shed light on actions of public bodies.
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