Jeff Smith

1 week ago | griid.org | Jeff Smith

It has been eleven months since I last update the DeVos Family Reader. As always, there has been plenty to report on regarding the most powerful family in West Michigan. In Howard Zinn’s monumental book, A People’s History of the United States, he constantly juxtaposes the amazing things that people did to fight for liberation and the people behind the systems of oppression that social movements were fighting against.

1 week ago | griid.org | Jeff Smith

Editor’s note:This is Part III of a three part series on movement work, strategies and tactics for the current political climate in the US. Last week, I began a three part series on why we shouldn’t rely on politicians, the political system or over-reliance on specific tactics in order to create change and work to build the kind of world that we want to see.

1 week ago | griid.org | Jeff Smith

It has been 18 months since the Israeli government began their most recent assault on Gaza and the West Bank. The retaliation for the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel, has escalated to what the international community has called genocide, therefore, GRIID will be providing weekly links to information and analysis that we think can better inform us of what is happening, along with the role that the US government is playing.

2 weeks ago | griid.org | Jeff Smith

Editor’s note:This is Part II of a three part series on movement work, strategies and tactics for the current political climate in the US. Yesterday, I began a three part series on why we shouldn’t rely on politicians, the political system or over-reliance on specific tactics in order to create change and work to build the kind of world that we want to see.

2 weeks ago | griid.org | Jeff Smith

In Episode #1 of the TV series featuring the GRPD, called All Access Grand Rapids, we first hear from GRPD Police Chief Eric Winstrom. This makes complete sense, since not only is Winstrom a slick PR person, he always wants to control the narrative about the GRPD.