The Neighborhood Newsroom

              Author: Aly Bates // Family of Samuel Dajon Sterling during Saturday's rally Full event gallery      Yesterday evening a somber yet powerful rally took place outside the Burger King on 52nd Street and Eastern Avenue, as community members stood in solidarity with the family of Samuel Dajon Sterling . A 25 year old father and rapper who tragically lost his life at the hands of an unknown Detective Sergeant of the Michigan State police this past Wednesday. In an outpour of grief and an unwavering demand for justice, nearly 100 community members gathered just feet away from the area where Sterling’s life was cut short. The feeling of collective grief hovered over the event like a dark cloud, with many tears shed especially as family members bravely addressed the crowd. “I never could imagine losing my baby brother. Because now I don’t know how to go on. I don’t know how to live life without him, because we planned to liv...

  Author: Aly Bates   Image Courtesy of Su Dav via facebook/ Suriya Davenport being held at gunpoint by Kent County Deputies In a preliminary court hearing held this past Wednesday, April 10th, at the 63rd District Court, Suriya and Majer Davenport, a Black father and son, faced Judge Jeffery O’Hara on charges of assault and resisting arrest following a confrontation with their neighbor, Brett Butler.  The beginning of the conflict dates back to Sunday, March 10th, 2024 ,  when Brett Butler, a man who owns the property located behind the Davenport’s, contacted the Kent County Sheriff’s office seeking supervision as he planned to remove landscaping rocks from the Davenport’s driveway so he could retrieve a broken down vehicle that belonged to one of his sons. Butler, has an easement on the Davenport’s property that allows him to access the two track driveway that leads to his property. Despite being advised to wait until police arrived for assistance, Butler proceeded...

  Author: Aly Bates @alytheeactivist                                                                                       Full Image Gallery Here Yesterday afternoon a group of determined community members flooded the streets of downtown Grand Rapids united in the name of justice for Patrick Lyoya. A 26 year old Congolese refugee who lost his life at the hands of former Grand Rapids Police Officer, Christopher Schurr. The march organized by the Comrades Collective began at Fish Ladder Park around 2:30 PM, drawing a crowd of a little over 50 people, including Patrick’s parents and brothers.  Before taking to the streets organizers made sure to hold a moment of silence to honor not only Patrick Lyoya but also Tiffany Parnell, a local activist and revolutionary who t...

A water main break near Leonard St NE and Union Avenue NE has caused over 20,000 homes and businesses in the Grand Rapids area to experience a water crisis, leaving community members frustrated and struggling without access to safe drinking water. It all started on Sunday, March 17th, when a water main broke in a remote area. Around 1:30 pm, an emergency alert notified residents East of 131 and North of Hall Street of the water boil advisory. Although the broken main has since been fixed, the city is still in the process of flushing the system and testing the water for safety. Officials state that this entire process could take days. And warn that its unlikely that the issue will be fixed by Wednesday. Residents affected by the crisis have been urged by city officials to boil their water for at least two minutes before using it, to kill any harmful bacteria. To attest to the importance of boiling the water, a resident who unfortunately consumed the contaminated water on accident has re...

             Author: Aly Bates A prominent Black family from West Michigan finds themselves in the midst of a legal battle after a confrontation with their white neighbor escalated to a series of false accusations and wrongful arrests. Suriya Davenport and his two sons SuSu and Majer, faced a traumatic ordeal of being arrested on felony trespassing charges all while standing on their own property. It all started on Sunday, March 10th, 2024, when Suriya Davenport confronted his neighbor, who was allegedly causing damage to his property's driveway with a tractor that he borrowed from  another neighbor. Part of the confrontation was captured on a video that was shared via facebook. The video vividly depicts the neighbor using an orange tractor to dig up the Davenports’ driveway. As Suriya demands that the neighbor gets off of his property, the situation took a turn when the neighbor reportedly ran over Suriya's foot.         ...