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Vote on GR human rights ordinance postponed

Posted at 5:15 PM, May 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-10 17:16:12-04

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — City officials are postponing a vote on a proposed human rights ordinance that was scheduled for next week.

Grand Rapids commissioners were set to vote May 14 on an ordinance that would make it a misdemeanor to racially profile people and call police for “participating in their lives.”

A spokesperson said the city is continuing to work on final refinements of the ordinance being made based on comments made during a public hearing. Administrators requested to push the vote back to allow for a full review of the feedback.

If passed, people could receive a $500 fine for making unnecessary phone calls on people for living their lives. Grand Rapids police and dispatchers would also receive training to ask questions about why a call is being made.

Supporters say people who have a racial bias need to be called out, while those in opposition say the ordinance would be redundant.