What happened to Je Donna Dinges in Grosse Pointe Park last month when her neighbor attempted to terrorize her by displaying a Ku Klux Klan flag just goes to show that diversity remains our strength – and the lack of tolerance for diversity remains one of our greatest weaknesses.
Thankfully, nearly 800 members of the Grosse Pointe Park community rallied to her support, demonstrating the sort of goodwill and sense of community that one would hope to see in this instance. Unfortunately, Ms. Dinges did not initially receive that level of support from her own police department or elected members of her city council except for Darci McConnell, the one lone Black member, the first to ever be sworn in as a council member in the history of Grosse Pointe Park last November.
And the fact that Darci McConnell is the first African American to ever serve on the Grosse Pointe Park City Council should serve as a glaring red flag indicating why these kinds of incidents continue to happen in the Pointes, is because there’s a lack of perspective from those in authority. Unfortunately, being a racially tolerant and welcoming community is not what the Pointes has historically been known for, at least not to Black people. And the only way that reputation of exclusivity and fear of diversity gets erased is by making sure that there is an increasing number of Black and Brown people in positions where they can impact the ingrained intolerant culture.
On January 6, the entire nation witnessed an upheaval of domestic terrorism dedicated to the overthrow of the government, and it featured a sordid collection of known white supremacist groups. Shamefully, it was the first time the Confederate flag, a potent symbol of racial hatred and white supremacy, had ever been waved inside of the United States Capitol. Although some like to say that this is not who we are as a nation, the truth is that this is exactly who we are, and what happened to Ms. Dinges is further proof of that. The only way we change who we are is purposefully and aggressively. We can’t afford to wait for change to come on its own schedule because there is no schedule for the eradication of racism. The goal of the entire ‘move slower ‘ issue is to stop forward movement at all.
So last month when I heard about what happened to Je Donna Dinges, I was sickened and upset, but I would be lying if I said I was shocked. The rise in visible racist behavior that has been galloping across the nation in recent years could hardly be expected to leapfrog over Wayne County, and the aggressive display of the Ku Klux Klan flag in the window and other forms of harassment experienced by Dinges’ makes it clear that our communities are not immune.
I also can hardly ignore the history of racism that has long been prevalent in the Grosse Pointes any more than I can ignore the brutal racial history of Detroit or Dearborn. Ignoring these uncomfortable aspects of our history won’t make them fade away, and we should certainly know that by now. Confronting the type of racist behavior experienced by Je Donna Dinges is the only way to deal with the problem, but first it has to be acknowledged.
According to the NAACP of Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods, “The Grosse Pointe Park patrol force is 100% white and male. No person of color has ever patrolled the city streets and only one woman appears to have done so in the city’s 71-year history. That fact must change. A modern, diverse police force would have a very different response to investigating acts of ethnic intimidation and potential domestic terrorism.”
And according to news reports, Ms. Dinges has repeatedly complained about her neighbor’s behavior over a lengthy period of time, only to be effectively ignored by the local police department. Her own words, repeated in the Detroit Free Press from a conference call she had with city officials and police, best express her frustrations:
“The culture in this community is broken, the culture in this community says that Black and Brown people are not safe. It’s in this country, and this community is in this country. If Black and Brown people felt safe with the police, being spoken to by the police, being dealt with by the police and calling the police, we would call you. I didn’t call you because I didn’t think you cared.”
Je Donna Dinges deserves better, Grosse Pointe Park deserves better, and Wayne County deserves better. There is no time like the present to remedy the past.
About Post Author
