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

Police were called to Warren City Hall late Monday afternoon after several reports of a disturbance involving a small crowd of people who were not allowed to vote after the polls closed, authorities said.

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

“Initial information was that 20 people were upset about a voting problem at City Hall,” Lt. John Hajewski said in a news release.

Gajewski said the incident happened around 4:20 p.m. Monday when police received a report of the incident. Officers arrived at City Hall in approximately four minutes and contacted City Clerk Sonia Buffa and members of her staff.

Buffa told officers there was no active disturbance at the time. Her staff said one resident was upset because she was not allowed to vote after 4pm as polling stations close at that hour.

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

Buffa sent an email to the Macomb Daily Monday night urging the newspaper to file a Freedom of Information request to see the alleged violation.

“At 4:10 p.m., there was one voter who was upset, voting ended at 4:00 p.m. After she left, we heard reports of 20 people causing a disturbance from the police,” the clerk said in her email.

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

In addition to Warren, other Michigan cities to watch include Detroit, Hamtramck, Ann Arbor, Flint and Grand Rapids. In the 2020 presidential election, all six communities voted for Democrats.

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

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

Reports can be made to the Department of Justice by calling toll-free at 800-253-3931 or by visiting civilrights.justice.gov.

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