Ferndale Inclusion Network Carrying Forward with Fight Against Racism
(Crystal A. Proxmire, June 23, 2023)
Ferndale, MI – An anti-racism project started within Citizens for Fair Ferndale is moving forward on their own path, announcing that they are now an independent community group.
“We’re spreading our wings,” said FIN member Kat LaTosch. “Our mission is that Ferndale Inclusion Network seeks to create a just and racially equitable Ferndale that embodies a culture of inclusion and belonging for all.”
Guided by an collaboration without formal leadership, a “planning committee” means that each person has an equal voice and discussions are guided by consensus. Current FIN Planning Committee members are Sandra Dukhie, Kathleen LaTosch, Lindsay TerHaar, Prasad Venugopal, and Eliza Webb.
Oakland County Times spoke with Venugopal and LaTosch about the group and what they hope to accomplish.
LaTosch said that FIN “started with school families concerned over how black students were treated, and how they were having the police called on them.” The group has ties to the Ferndale School Board as Dukhie is the President, LaTosch’s wife Jennifer serves on the board, and Venugopal’s wife Mary Fulmer is also on the School Board. Ferndale Schools also has a more diverse population than the city of Ferndale as a whole, as students come from in the district from Ferndale, Oak Park, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak Township. Plus there are students from other nearby cities as part of school of choice. There are also Ferndale residents on the east side who are part of Hazel Park Schools.
FIN members connected with school leadership as well as municipal leadership to come up with solutions. One such effort was a community discussion on the pattern of people calling the police more often on people of color looking “suspicious” compared to “suspicious person” calls about white people.
“People in Ferndale have to realize we are all the people who live here, and the people who work here, and go to school here. We are all part of the community,” Venugopal said.
FIN members were also part of discussions with the City on anti-racism efforts. “We were provided copies of the resolution of June 2020 and asked for our input,” Venugopal said. “We wanted more specific actions included, like having a citizens oversight board, which the city did implement.”
As they move forward independently, FIN remains engaged in community discussions.
More recently they’ve been vocal against the Flock license plate surveillance system approved by Ferndale City Council. The camera-based system records license plate numbers and compares them to a database to identify vehicles registered to drivers with warrants, those reported stolen, and those which may be connected to missing persons or criminal suspects. If a crime occurs in Ferndale, reviewing the list can help identify potential suspects.
LaTosh and Venugopal say that by having twice as many cameras along 8 Mile as compared to other city borders further increases policing of black communities. “They’re multiplying the effect of over policing black Americans,” LaTosch said. “And who is going to be showing up on those hot lists?”
In addition to the increased policing, FIN members were concerned with the process. “The anti-racism resolution says that all issues will be looked at through the lens of equity,” LaTosch said. “The city passed that technology even though there were still many outstanding questions raised.”
Venugopal added “No civil liberty organizations or racial equity organizations were part of the discussions. Our main request was do not pass this until we have this kind of a conversation.”
Flock has been approved for a trial run, and FIN intends to be part of discussions when renewal comes up.
Another concern for FIN is strengthening the relationships with Oak Park and Royal Oak Township residents. A physical barrier is in place with the City’s storage yard located on the border with the Township. “Land use and development is one way that cities can create division or create welcoming borders with our neighbors,” she said. “Now that we know better, we can do better.”
Future goals for FIN include six key strategies:
1 – Amplifying the voices and issues of racial justice
2 – Center lived experiences
3 – Expand the community’s understanding of systemic racism
4 – Learn about and reckon with our racial history
5 – Advocating for policies that are transparent and accountable to the community
6 – Shifting our individual collective behavior
“As we grow on our own, FIN has a laser focus on raising the tough issues and looking deeper at the systems specific to racism,” LaTosch said. “We encourage anyone doing racial justice work or who cares about ending racism to get involved and be part of those conversations.”
To learn more, find Ferndale Inclusion Network on Facebook.
