By Ecorse Mayor Lamar Tidwell, Guest Columnist
Downriver is a practical region. As a retired police officer of over 25 years and elected school board member of Ecorse Public Schools, I’ve witnessed first-hand the public need to protect communities. People here care a lot less about extreme political slogans and a lot more about whether their neighborhoods are safe, their kids can walk to school, and help shows up when they dial 911.
Now, as Mayor of Ecorse, my utmost responsibility is to keep residents safe. Our state leaders should be crucial partners in this work. That is why I am disturbed by calls to “take a knee on police budgets” from a new State Senate Candidate running to represent Detroit and Downriver.
In a series of tweets, former State Rep. Abraham Aiyash previously stated, “Y’all know what would be cool? If all these politicians took a knee on police budgets… we’ve cut funding for roads and schools for decades. Why does cutting funding for police shock people?” As a downriver Mayor and retired law enforcement officer, I know that “Defund the Police” has no place in Michigan or Downriver politics. In fact, former Rep. Aiyash misunderstands what safety, dignity, and justice looks like.
All families deserve safe streets, timely emergency response, and professional first responders. In Downriver, we want accountability, professionalism, and trust in law enforcement. We do not want fewer officers on the street, longer response times, or departments stretched so thin that both residents and officers are put at risk. Public safety is not an abstract theory here. These policies impact whether a domestic violence call gets answered. Whether a mental health crisis gets handled safely. Whether an officer has the training and support to de-escalate a tense situation rather than make it worse. If we are serious about protecting our communities and strengthening trust between first responders and the people they serve, the path forward is clear.
First, we must invest in resources that protect both officers and community members. That means better training, modern equipment, body cameras, strong supervision, and clear use-of-force standards. It also means paying officers competitively so departments are not spread thin and so that they can recruit and retain professionals who reflect and respect the communities they serve.
Second, we should increase funding for proven community violence intervention efforts that help prevent crime before it happens and complement law enforcement, not replace it. Detroit has shown that focused investments in outreach, conflict mediation, and neighborhood-based prevention can drive down violence. Those strategies can pay dividends Downriver too, especially when paired with effective policing.
Third, we must continue pursuing real criminal justice reform. That includes accountability when standards are violated, transparency for the public, and a system that focuses on rehabilitation where appropriate while still taking violent crime seriously.
Finally, all politicians (certainly those looking to represent an entirely new community as former Rep. Aiyash is) must recognize a clear truth: reducing police presence and budgets while crime persists does not signal justice. It signals abandonment. We all want more safety, better safety, just safety.
Downriver does not need to “Defund the Police.” We do not need national slogans imported from social media. We need leadership rooted in reality, respect for our communities, and a commitment to safety that works for everyone.
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Mayor Lamar Tidwell serves as Mayor of Ecorse, is a retired police officer of over 25 years, and served as an elected school board member for Ecorse Public Schools.
