A large organization sounds the alarm about the crime in Grand Rapids.
FOX17 is learning Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce has sent a letter to the city. In it, there's a list of serious and graphic issues.
Josh Lunger with Chamber says issues are only increasing.
He says he's hearing a lot about customers acting aggressively towards employees. Lunger adds that it takes police too long to respond in some cases.
"This summer has been pretty rough," Lunger told FOX17.
Lunger is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the Grand Rapids Chamber.
"I don't want to go into the graphic details, but it's in the ladder there. But it involves indecent behavior that, again, is just blatantly unacceptable. And it's happening on a fairly regular basis," Lunger said.
He sent this two-page letter. In it is more than a dozen complaints he says he heard from members in downtown Grand Rapids.
"We need everyone to understand what's going on. And we need to be able to address it rapidly," he said.
One example, Lunger writes how a young woman was leaving work at the end of her day and was physically attacked and sprayed with an unknown liquid.
He comments that Grand Rapids Police Department's response time is a problem.
"So what we're seeing is 40 minutes is what I've been told anecdotally from a bunch of calls to get there. And by the oftentimes, they say that the person that was engaged in the behavior is already gone," Lunger said.
Lunger says he's noticing the number of violent crimes in the city is causing issues with police.
"I don't want say frustration, because they don't blame the department. And the department has been very helpful and engaging and trying to solve some pretty late troublesome issues. But with all the violence going on, it's kind of getting stretched thin," he said.
FOX17 connected with the City about the issues in this letter. They sent us this statement.
The City is aware of the email and has been actively involved in addressing some of the safety concerns in the downtown area over the past months. Additionally, we have already committed to discussing public safety throughout the month of July beginning this Tuesday with a briefing on the recently completed National Community Survey and agenda items related to police staffing and resourcing. That will be followed with an in-depth discussion on public safety at our July 26 meeting when the Chief will share his observations and intentions for moving the department forward and improving public safety across the City so that all people are safe and feel safe at all times.
"I don't want to make it point the finger, because I do really appreciate some of the work that city staff and the GRPD have done. But it's if we don't talk about it, then it's not going to get any better," Lunger said.
