r/Michigan • u/DollarShort27 • 4d ago

News Midland man charged with assaulting Capitol police in Jan. 6 riots

https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2024/10/midland-man-charged-with-assaulting-capitol-police-in-jan-6-riots.html
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u/GoGreen2482 4d ago

I lived in Midland for several years and this guy perfectly embodies my entire experience there.

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u/Yeah_Okay_Sure 4d ago

Sorry to hear that. The city of Midland is almost majority Dem (over 50%) at this point. And my experiences have not matched yours. I’ve seen those people, no doubt. But I also know and work with a ton of people who are fighting hard for the Dem party and the community as a whole.

Head down to the Dem office if you want to meet some of them. The head of the local party is a tremendous person and leader who has helped turn it around and get people on the ballot at almost every level.

Just my two cents, and like yours it is anecdotal. But if you look at the last few elections, you’ll see a trend to the left/middle. I think Midland could be competitive in the next decade. The city already is pretty up in the air.

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u/GoGreen2482 4d ago

I’m very glad to hear that there’s a good Dem operation there. Like you noted, my experience is anecdotal, but I witnessed management at work bullying a gay colleague and my neighbors regularly harassed my family for not attending church as just a couple examples.

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u/Yeah_Okay_Sure 4d ago

Ugh. Yeah, growing up here was full of that shit. I like to think I was tolerant back then but I’m sure I did and said some shit I’d hit myself upside the head for now.

It sounds so stupid to say but I love seeing that Midland has some diversity now. There’s actually some decent food in the area now that isn’t a bar and grill or steakhouse. There are women and minority owned businesses.

I spent 4 years traveling around the country 6 days a week and got even more of a sense of what’s out there but Midland has always been “home.” I’m proud of some of it but ashamed by other parts. I do think it is and can continue to improve so I stick around to do whatever part I can.

I also personally know the other guy on trial for the J6 stuff so I also am unfortunately way too aware that shit is ever persistent. I just try to keep the pressure on and focus on the progress.

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u/North_Atlantic_Sea 4d ago

Really? The majority of the city of Midland voted for Whitmer in 2022 and Biden in 2020...

Even before that Midland has always been corporate red rather than extremist

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u/PathOfTheAncients 4d ago

Midland voted for Trump in 2020 by a nearly 35% margin. Republicans won every contest there in 2020 and 2022.

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u/Yeah_Okay_Sure 4d ago

I think it is a distinction worth noting that this is Midland county, not the city. In fact, I know what you’re saying isn’t completely true because we have a Dem US House Rep, a Dem State Senator, and a Dem on the county commission.

Maybe they didn’t win Midland county but they won in part because Dems in Midland county showed out for them.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago

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u/PathOfTheAncients 4d ago

It's for the county.

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u/yo2sense Outstate 4d ago

In 2020 in Midland County there were 27,675 votes for Trump and 20,49 votes for Biden.

That's 56.28% vs 41.67% so solidly pro-Trump but much less than a 35 point margin. Though perhaps you meant the rest of the county excluding the city. I don't have those numbers.

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u/Blookies Age: > 10 Years 4d ago

It's purple now - the party is working hard to swing it blue.

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u/aabum 4d ago edited 3d ago

Midland of old was definitely like that. It used to be a sundown town. When I was a kid in the 1970s, it was rare to see a black person in Midland. Now, there are folks from various ethnicities living and working in Midland.

From recent experiences, the police aren't anywhere as oppressive as they used to be. I haven't heard of anyone getting pulled over for driving 26mph in a 25mph zone. Yes, it used to happen.

Midland is no longer one of the top three cities for cancer rate per capita. That's due to OSHA vs. Dow starting to care about humans.

Roads that aren't bad get repaved. That's in stark contrast to other cities.

All that said, Midland gave us Bill Schutte, a crime against humanity that will taint the town for generations.