January 24, 2022
Mark Washington
Grand Rapids City Manager
300 Monroe Avenue NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Dear Mr. Washington,
Libertarians seek a society based on personal liberty and responsibility. The most desirable method of realizing such a society is to follow the natural order that arises when the inalienable rights of individuals to life, liberty and property ownership are respected and protected.
As you make your decision in the selection of the new police chief, we hope that the respect for the rights of the individual is of top priority to the selected candidate. We ask that you ensure the candidate opposes any form of discrimination by the police based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or any other group or individual identification. Each person has the same inalienable rights that the city has a duty to protect. Every citizen that violates the rights of another should be subject to criminal prosecution and held personally liable for any injuries caused by their actions regardless of their position in society, be they government official, police officer or common citizen.
For the city police to have a good relationship with the people they serve, we believe that government transparency is essential to public accountability. Complaints of police misconduct should be open to public scrutiny. The people must be able to expect that those under the supervision of the Police Chief will be held to a high standard.
Having the above as an important part of your decision process will go a long way toward ensuring lasting peace and liberty in our community.
Sincerely,
Steve Fox
Chair
Libertarians of West Michigan
