Police called in to quell alleged disturbance at Warren City Hall – Macomb Daily

Authorities said police were called to Warren City Hall late Monday afternoon after several reports of a riot involving a small crowd of people who were not allowed to vote after polls closed.

However, according to a police spokesman, when officers arrived at the town hall, which is located about 50 meters from the police station, they found no signs of disturbance and no arrests were made.

“The initial information was that 20 people were concerned about the issue of voting in the City Hall,” said Lieutenant Jan Gajewski in a press note.

Gajewski said that the incident occurred on Monday around 4:20 p.m., when the police received information about the incident. Officers arrived at City Hall approximately four minutes later and contacted City Clerk Sonja Buffa and members of her staff.

Buffa told officers there were no active disturbances occurring at the time. Her staff said one resident was upset because she wasn’t allowed to vote after 4 p.m., because polling stations close at that time.

Buffy employees told the officers that the woman had left the scene before the officers arrived,” Gajewski said.

On Monday evening, Buffa sent an email to the Macomb Daily urging the newspaper to file a Freedom of Information request to investigate the alleged disruption.

“One voter was upset at 4:10 p.m., voting ended at 4 p.m. After she left, we heard reports of 20 people disturbing the peace from the police,” the official wrote in her email.

Meanwhile, Warren will be one of six communities that the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division will monitor on Election Day for any voting rights violations.

In addition to Warren, other Michigan cities will also be monitored, including Detroit, Hamtramck, Ann Arbor, Flint and Grand Rapids. All six communities voted overwhelmingly Democratic in the 2020 presidential election.

The Justice Department announced Friday that it will monitor a total of 86 sites.

According to the statement, reports of disruptions at polling stations should be reported first to local election officials. Incidents of violence, threats or voter intimidation should be reported to local police by dialing 911 and then to the Department of Justice.

You can make a report to the Department of Justice by calling toll-free 800-253-3931 or by visiting civilrights.justice.gov.

Originally published: November 4, 2024 at 6:32 pm EST