Peaceful protests over the death of George Floyd are leading to important and urgent conversations about race and justice throughout the country, from dinner tables to board rooms (even on Zoom).
But in Detroit, one demand by protesters — to eliminate Project Green Light — could hurt the city more than it helps.
City officials argue the real-time video surveillance initiative that started in 2016 has reduced crime and has wide community support.
In a press briefing this month, Mayor Mike Duggan said: "When (protesters) take a position that we should get rid of Green Light, the great majority of community activists in Detroit don't agree with that."
I'm not a "community activist" by definition, but as a crime victim and 30-year city resident, I'm with the mayor on this one. I suspect other crime victims — and many business owners — will be, too.
When I was carjacked on Jefferson Avenue around 6:30 a.m. in 2008, I believe the crooks targeted me when I stopped to get gas. I was rear-ended a half-block away. Would that have happened if the crooks knew they were on "candid camera"?
Today, the Green Light map on the city's website shows most commercial corridors are saturated by cameras. The cost to a business is under $5,000 for equipment and monthly fees to maintain that vary, but are about $3,000 a year.
The investment seems to pay off — and might actually reduce the cost of business insurance.
Since Project Green Light was created, carjackings have dropped nearly 60 percent in one review. A city report in 2019 showed 222 occurring during January-June in 2015 and 94 during that same period in 2019. During that same time, the city also improved street lighting and hired more patrol officers.
What critics see as "mass surveillance," I see as business owners securing their premises by monitoring activity to keep their customers and employees safe. It's one tool among many in community policing.
Let's remember: High crime rates and poor schools have pushed residents out of Detroit for decades.
Duggan is focused on increasing Detroit's population as fervently as Detroit public schools chief Nikolai Vitti is on improving education in the city.
The bigger question, I think, is what happens after a suspect is identified and enters the justice system. If guilty, does the punishment fit the crime? Is the guilty party a candidate for a program to address underlying issues that led to the crime? Without some kind of intervention, is he or she liable to commit a crime again?
That's an important conversation policy makers and community leaders must have.
Meanwhile, I suspect many Detroiters feel safer stopping for gas, visiting a convenience store or shopping for groceries when they see a Green Light.
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June 21, 2020 at 11:03AM
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Commentary: Project Green Light has helped make city safer - Crain's Detroit Business
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