by Karen Henry

Ken Kolker of the Grand Rapids Press has written a series of denigrating, inaccurate, and biased articles about Margaret Chiara, US Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, who was among 8 US Attorneys recently fired by the Department of Justice. I spoke with Mr Kolker about his unfair and incomplete coverage and he suggested that I write an article for their Dissent column. I did so, submitted the article, and was informed it did not meet the general criteria for Dissent. I am submitting to you the article the Grand Rapids Press would not print.

The United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, Margaret Chiara, is among the eight who have been asked to resign. People in public service are open to public scrutiny and scrutiny is important. It is equally important to know the difference between justified evaluation and unjustified criticism. The Washington Post and New York Times made this distinction and in articles in their papers have stated they have discovered no reason for the firings. In Ms Chiara's situation, they have observed that she is against the death penalty (Michigan has never had the death penalty). Attorney General Ashcroft rejected a plea agreement by Ms Chiara's office in a murder case; Ms Chiara, of course, upheld the law and proceeded as directed by the Department of Justice. Later, in 2005, when the Department of Justice talked about removing United States Attorneys that were not "loyal Bushies", as their emails proclaimed, Ms Chiara's name came up. A similar fate was experienced by another United States Attorney who clashed with the Department of Justice over the death penalty.

I have been executive director of a Department of Justice anti-crime initiative for seven years. The initiative, Weed & Seed, is under the leadership of the United States Attorney's Office. The Grand Rapids Weed & Seed site has been a national model for more than 300 sites throughout the country, in part because of the participation of the United States Attorney's Office.

I have worked closely with the United States Attorney during her five-year tenure and have seen firsthand the successes of the office. I have served on the committees of the next three initiatives so I speak from knowledge and experience. In 2001, the Bush administration implemented Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide commitment to reduce gun crime in America. The United States Attorney tailored the PSN strategy to fit the unique gun crime problem in our district. Ms Chiara formed a task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement, and leaders of community-based organizations, to address this issue and to disseminate $1.3 million throughout the Western District of Michigan. The initiative is successful in reducing the number of felons in possession of firearms, educating youth on the perils of gun crime, and creating partnerships among law enforcement and community-based organizations.

Ms Chiara formed a group called BRIDGES (Building Respect in Diverse Groups to Enhance Sensitivity) in 2004 to build relationships in the Western District of Michigan between Arabs, Muslims, and law enforcement through mutual trust and understanding. BRIDGES meets monthly to educate each other and groups within our community about our communities and our work. We have organized practical and interactive discussions on matters of concern within law enforcement to Arabs and Muslims and accurate cultural presentations to law enforcement. All participants have benefited.

In 2006, the Attorney General and President announced Project Safe Childhood, an initiative which aims to combat technology-related sexual exploitation crimes against children. Project Safe Childhood is led by the United States Attorney, in partnership with Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. The goal is to investigate and prosecute crimes against children facilitated through the Internet or other electronic media and communications devices. Ms Chiara immediately formed a committee to explore ways of keeping our children safe from Internet predators and to inform the community of predator danger. This committee has a comprehensive strategic plan that addresses investigation, prosecution, information dissemination, and partnerships.

These successes illustrate a United States Attorney enthusiastically fulfilling the requirements of her job and having the foresight and talent to bring diverse groups and individuals together to find solutions to problems. These items should have been brought to our attention by a Grand Rapids Press reporter, not by a Grand Rapids Press reader.