Last summer the Chelsea Police Department issued tickets to Black Lives Matter protesters for blocking traffic in the town, just west of Ann Arbor. Now city council is asking police to drop the charges.
At a meeting last night, council members debated whether they had the power to direct the police to drop the charges, ultimately changing the language of the motion to just a recommendation.
Council voted unanimously in favor. Here's council member Jen Kwas.
I look back at history like a lot of the residents have brought up, and I think how many laws we've overturned and we’ve changed because they were wrong. Yes, they’re laws, but we don’t abide by these racist laws any longer.
The vast majority of Chelsea residents who spoke also wanted the charges dropped, calling it a first step in creating a more welcoming community for people of color.