According to reports in various local corporate media outlets, Erik Prince, the founder of Blackwater USA will be speaking in Grand Rapids on May 19. Prince, who is a West Michigan native, will speak at a luncheon organized by the Grand Rapids Economic Club. According to the Grand Rapids Press, the speech was arranged by Prince's sister, Betsy DeVos, who is on the board of the Economic Club. The luncheon is open only to members of the economic club. Media reports said that it is unclear if Prince will take questions and none mentioned if media will be allowed to cover the event. Erik Prince generally tries to stay out of the public spotlight and rarely makes public appearances or grants interviews.

For many, Blackwater--like Halliburton--has become one of the most well-known private contractors assisting the US occupation of Iraq. An estimated 150,000 private contractors are currently in Iraq and more than 1,100 have been killed. Blackwater, a private mercenary army, has been involved in a number of controversial incidents involving the killing of Iraqi civilians. Moreover, Blackwater has been awarded several lucrative contracts, including providing security for former head of the occupation L. Paul Bremer.

Last year, Jeremy Scahill, author of the book Blackwater: Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army spoke in Holland, Michigan. Mediamouse.org has a video of his speech as well as an interview for those seeking additional information on Blackwater.