Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has a lot on her plate. In the past two months, her state has seen both armed anti-lockdown demonstrations and a protest movement calling for sweeping changes to the criminal justice system, all while combating coronavirus. Handling these successive protests has required a careful balancing act for the Democratic governor.
"We've been known for a number of protests here in Michigan and they've come from very different angles, but the fact of the matter is I support people's First Amendment rights," Whitmer told Cheddar.
Last week, Whitmer marched near Detroit with protesters calling for social justice reforms.
"I do believe this change in terms of policing in our country is long overdue and I wanted to make my voice known on that front, but I did wear a mask," she said. "I did not shake or hug people or give high fives like we usually do when we recognize one another."
"We stood in solidarity, and we did it safely," the governor added.
The governor outlined some of the reforms she'd like to see the state implement to address the protest movement that has followed George Floyd's death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
"We have taken direct action here in Michigan to start the education process of our police forces," Whitmer said.
Those reforms include mental health checks for police officers, training in de-escalation tactics, and greater diversity within the police force. She has expressed support for calls to "defund" the police, but her administration has not yet put forward specific measures.
Whitmer also stressed the importance of not wasting the political opportunity presented by the protests.
"This can't just be a moment in time. This has to be the opportunity that we all take to do better, to fix the problem," she told Cheddar.
However, the governor stressed that police reforms are only a part of the problem and that larger systemic changes are necessary to address inequality.
"This is about investment in communities," she said. "What we're really missing in this country is real investment in communities, rebuilding communities through creating opportunity and leveling the playing field, ensuring that every child, no matter if you're a child in poverty or a child of color, that you've got an excellent education available to you, knowing that you've got opportunities and access to transportation, and good-paying jobs, and healthcare."
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Erika Alexander and Whitney Dow, directors of 'The Big Payback,' join Cheddar News to discuss their new film, 'The Big Payback.' It premieres Saturday, June 11 at the Tribeca Festival.
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The House select committee investigating the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill is opening its landmark series of public hearings. Cheddar News speaks with Mike Sozan, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress who explains how to follow the hearings and what to expect.
Claudia Rosenbaum, freelance reporter for Vanity Fair, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the race for Los Angeles mayor.
Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer, forced a runoff with the longtime Democratic Rep. Karen Bass, who had been the favorite in the race until an ad blitz from Caruso leaning on the city's issues with crime and homelessness.
Survivors of Larry Nassar, including Olympian Simone Biles, are seeking $1 billion in damages from the FBI due to its failure to investigate the former gymnastics team doctor convicted of committing years of serial sexual abuse of minors. Jack Queen, a senior reporter at Law360, joined Cheddar News to break down the legal grounds of this case. "This is one of the biggest black eyes that the Bureau has faced in generations, quite frankly, and the FBI has taken full responsibility and admitted that it completely botched this investigation," he said. "So, there's a lot of pressure to settle."
The House has passed some of the most aggressive gun-control measures in years, including raising the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 and banning high-capacity magazines. Daniel Webster, Co-Director of the Center for Gun Violence Solutions, explains why this legislation has little chance to pass in the Senate, and what else can be done to curb gun violence in this country.
We are already starting to feel the effects of summer. Heat waves in Texas and California are already sending temperatures soaring. That could spell trouble for the nation's power supply. there are new concerns about outages in many areas of the country. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier explains the two main causes of blackouts, and what states are doing to keep the lights on and the air conditioning running.
