This is what we're consenting to if we say/do nothing. If you think this does not affect you, where you live, I beg you to reconsider. Tyranny will spread like a cancer.
Dates & Location: up to and including July 20, 2025 — Melvindale, Michigan
Subject: End the Protection of “Cash Cow” Officers Who Violate Citizens’ Rights
When prosecutors and community leaders look the other way as abusive officers violate citizens’ rights—just because those officers generate revenue—they undermine justice and endanger us all.
The reality is simple:
Mr. Furman’s case is a prime example. Retaining “high-earning” officers who harm the public is not just morally wrong—it is financially and socially destructive. These officers are not an asset; they are a liability that drains resources, erodes trust, and tarnishes the reputation of entire departments.
The best outcomes come from removing bad officers as soon as their misconduct is clear. This keeps public servants focused on their true role—serving and protecting—not abusing and exploiting the communities they are meant to safeguard.
We demand:
Call to Action: Contact the Melvindale Mayor and Prosecutor today. Tell them to stop protecting “cash cow” officers at the expense of citizens’ rights, community trust, and taxpayer dollars. If we allow this to happen in Melvindale, it will continue to spread to communities around the country.
This platform doesn’t just connect individuals to government — it builds collective momentum. With every mailed letter, the pressure grows. With every update to the counter, the will of the people becomes harder to dismiss. In a digital age where real voices are often buried by algorithms and inbox filters, we’re bringing civic engagement back into the physical world — where it has weight, friction, and undeniable presence.
Our only goal is to facilitate this objective by making it easier to exert pressure using physical paper to express dissatisfaction when the government actors that we pay to serve us, are extorting, abusing, and violating the rights of WE THE PEOPLE. If you are so inclined to print and mail this yourself, please feel free to do this. We are not gatekeepers, only facilitators! If you feel the weight of this logistical challenge, for less than the price of adding air to your tires, we will: print, fold, stuff, stamp, and USPS mail your grievance on your behalf.
All pressure is good pressure, feel free to copy and paste our grievance into an email if you're not concerned with exerting the physical weight of a paper document on your public servants.
Lawrence J. Coogan - Prosecuting Attorney
4146 Oakwood Boulevard
Melvindale, MI 48122
Nicole M. Shkira - Melvindale Mayor
Municipal Offices
3100 Oakwood Blvd.
Melvindale, MI 48122
I am submitting this grievance to address a deeply troubling and corrosive pattern in our justice system: the continued employment and protection of law enforcement officers who criminally violate citizens’ rights—not because they are fit to serve, but because they are perceived as “cash cows” for their communities.
While municipalities and prosecutors may see a short-term financial gain from officers who generate high numbers of arrests, fines, and fees, the long-term damage is far greater. When these officers abuse their authority, the community ultimately pays the price in multiple ways:
Loss of public trust: Once residents realize their police force prioritizes revenue over justice, faith in law enforcement and local government erodes.
Financial liability: Departments that shield bad officers often end up indemnifying them in lawsuits, paying out costly settlements or judgments with taxpayer money.
Administrative burdens: Investigations, disciplinary hearings, terminations, and—worse—rehirings (as in the case of Mr. Furman) drain time and resources from departments already stretched thin.
This is not just a matter of poor policy—it is a violation of the public trust and, in many cases, the constitutional rights of the very people officers are sworn to protect. In the end, the community suffers twice: once from the abuse itself, and again from the financial and reputational fallout.
The best path forward is clear: root out bad officers at the first signs of misconduct. Protecting “high-earning” officers who prey on citizens is not a public service—it is legalized exploitation. The police are meant to serve and protect, not to function as revenue agents feeding on the people they police.
I am calling for:
Independent review of officer conduct records, with a focus on those generating disproportionate revenues through fines and fees.
Immediate removal of officers found to have engaged in rights violations, rather than shielding them for perceived financial benefit.
Public transparency in disciplinary and termination records, so communities can see whether their officers are being held accountable.
Policy reforms that prioritize public safety and constitutional rights over revenue generation.
We must reject the dangerous idea that constitutional violations are an acceptable cost of doing business. Communities do not need to pay for their own abuse. Law enforcement must return to its rightful purpose: to serve the public, not exploit it.
This is not just a demand for justice in one case—it is a call to prevent the spread of unchecked abuse. If we do not confront injustice at its source, we allow it to metastasize across the country. We owe it to ourselves, and to each other, to ensure our public institutions serve us—not harm us.
Sincerely,
[Concerned Citizen's Name]
[City, State]