The office of Goodman Acker in Southfield after much of the vandalism had been scrubbed June 4, 2024 | Ken Coleman
A University of Michigan regent says the vandalism of his Southfield-based law firm early Monday occurred because he is Jewish and is the definition of antisemitism.
Jordan Acker, a partner at Goodman Acker P.C., spoke Monday afternoon at a press conference held in front of the law firm’s offices on West 10 Mile Road where graffiti including phrases such as, “Free Palestine,” “Divest now” and “F–k you Acker,” were spray-painted on the building and sidewalk in front.
“I was not targeted here today because I am a regent,” said Acker. “I am a target of this because I am Jewish. This neighborhood is Jewish, and because some people, under the pretext of helping Palestinians, feel the obligation to single out Jews, especially liberal ones for an attack. It is unacceptable, it is un-American, and it must stop now.”
Also speaking at the conference was Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren, who said the department is investigating the incident as a hate crime. Surveillance video captured four individuals approaching the building on Monday at 1:39 a.m., he said. While one person acted as a lookout, the other three proceeded to vandalize the law firm with spray paint before fleeing approximately seven minutes later.
Barren said police are also collecting video surveillance evidence from surrounding buildings to hopefully identify the suspects’ vehicles and license plates and are coordinating efforts with the FBI, University of Michigan police and Huntington Woods police.
Acker, along with other U of M regents and officials, have been the focus of ongoing pro-Palestinian protests demanding the university divest itself from businesses and institutions connected to Israel since the Israel-Hamas war began in October. Those protests included “a masked intruder” coming to his home last month, and those of other regents, and leaving a list of demands.
However, Acker notes this incident is different, as he was the only one targeted.
“This action is the exact type of action that occurred on Jewish businesses in Germany and in Russia and other countries with severe antisemitism problems,” he said. “Before this becomes a problem that we can’t help, we must stamp it out now.”
Concurring with that sentiment was state Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield), a friend of Acker who’s also the only Jewish member of the Michigan Senate.
“Many of us have sounded the early alarms about what’s going on at our campuses,” Moss told the media. “We believe the protesters who tell Jews to go back to Poland. We believe the protesters who want to globalize an intifada right here. We believe the protesters who say all Zionists deserve to die. And when 90% of Jewish Americans support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish homeland, all of us are vulnerable to these public acts of hate for how we express our Judaism. This is antisemitism. These alarms are now blaring.”
Also condemning the incident was Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“Michigan has been a place where people from all backgrounds, religions, and cultures have lived together peacefully for decades,” Whitmer said in an emailed statement. “Violence, vandalism, threats, and intimidation are unacceptable, and what we saw today in Southfield is abhorrent. We must remain united in calling out hatred of any kind and continue working together toward peace in Michigan.”
One group who did not condemn the vandalism was the TAHRIR Coalition, a pro-Palestinian alliance of more than 80 student organizations.
“Pathetic that our regents waste an inordinate amount of time tweeting at their students yet can never bother to actually meet with us and have a good-faith discussion of divestment of $6B+ of our endowment from one of the worst genocides in recent history,” the group posted on social media in response to Acker.
University of Michigan President Santa Ono speaks at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols
However, University of Michigan President Santa Ono, who also has been a target of the coalition and other pro-Palestinian protestors, responded to the vandalism, saying it was “shocking and unacceptable” for its specific targeting of Acker.
“Singling out this dedicated public servant and defacing his workplace in the middle of the night is an act of antisemitic cowardice that Southfield police have indicated is being investigated as a hate crime,” said Ono. “Such harassment and attempts to intimidate have no place in a civil society and certainly no place in our university community,”
Other messages of support and condemnation came from state Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), who said “public acts of antisemitism should be universally condemned,” and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who said to “target a public official with hate and intimidation because of his Jewish heritage is an infuriating reminder of the horrors of antisemitism.”
Meanwhile, Southfield Police Sgt. Jared Womble told the Michigan Advance that the investigation in finding the perpetrators is active and ongoing.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact the Southfield Police Department at (248) 796-5500 reference complaint number 24-19826. However, if you would like to remain anonymous and earn a cash reward if your tip leads to an arrest, please call 1-800-SPEAK-UP,” said Womble.
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