Metro Detroit’s top law enforcement officers and other community leaders are inviting members of the community to join them in a Constitution Day commemoration on September 17, the 228th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The event will serve as an opportunity to reflect and pray upon the role of law enforcement officers in fulfilling the purpose of “We the People” in seeking “…to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” through the drafting of our U.S. Constitution in 1787.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon, Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham, and Detroit Police Chief James E. Craig will host the event. It will take place from 5 to 5:45 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2015 at the Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial located just north of the Oakland Circuit Court building at 1200 North Telegraph Road in Pontiac, Mich. It is free and open to the general public.
Participants will include:
- Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano
- Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly
- Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Warren
- Decorated veteran Detroit Police Officer Sheron Johnson
- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press & WDET-FM
- Pastor Marvin Walker, Faith Apostolic Church
- Pastor Larry Simmons, Baber Memorial AME Church & Executive Director, Brightmoor Alliance
- Clark Durant, founder, Cornerstone Schools
In different ways all will reflect upon and pray for our country, our Constitution, life and liberty and share an insight on the Constitution or the Declaration’s importance in our system of government, from law enforcement on the streets to deliberations in the state’s highest court.
“I am delighted to host this event with my fellow sheriffs and Chief Craig,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. “This is the perfect time and perfect place to begin what I hope will be an annual gathering to take place on a rotating basis around the region.”
“As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us, ‘the magnificent words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence’ are the core of who we are as Americans,” said Clark Durant, founding chair of the Cornerstone Schools and an organizer of the event along with Judge Michael Warren, the co-founder of Patriot Week. “It’s unprecedented and powerful that the top law enforcement officers from our largest Michigan counties and our largest Michigan city, together with judges from the three levels of our judicial system and a decorated veteran police officer who’s spent her career on the streets, would come together to share with the community their reflections on these two documents.”
“It’s especially meaningful that we will gather for this at a memorial that remembers those men and women from Michigan’s law enforcement community who gave, in President Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg, ‘the last full measure of devotion’ to their fellow citizens,” said Judge Michael Warren of the Oakland Circuit Court and a co-founder of Patriot Week.
The event is a Patriot Week celebration. Created in 2009 by Judge Warren and his daughter Leah, Patriot Week is an effort to “renew America’s spirit by celebrating the First Principles, Founding Fathers and other Patriots, vital documents and speeches, and flags that make America the greatest nation in world history.” It is anchored by the key dates of the anniversary of the September 11 attacks and Constitution Day on September 17.
About Patriot Week:
Patriot Week renews America’s spirit by celebrating the first principles Founding Fathers and other patriots, vital documents, speeches and flags that make America the greatest nation in world history.
Responding to the commercialization or loss of meaning of traditional national holidays, Patriot Week invigorates American citizens’ appreciation and understanding of their nation’s spirit. Anchored by the key dates of the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks and the anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17 (Constitution Day), Patriot Week develops themes and programming for each day during the week. Co-created in 2009 by Oakland County (Mich.) Judge Michael Warren and his then 10-year-old daughter Leah, Patriot Week has captured the imagination and support of citizens across the nation with events in nine states and the District of Columbia in 2014 and more expansion planned in 2015 and beyond. Resolutions or proclamations in Michigan, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, and Wisconsin have officially recognized Patriot Week in those states. For more information, visit www.PatriotWeek.org.
