Liberal Unfriendly Place: Grand Rapids, MI

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Grand Rapids certainly is one of the most opressive cities, from its embedded Calvinist Theology all the way down to its staunch anti gay attitude. Grand rapids not only lacks diversity, but it is a city without any real look for the future. It is truly the most conservative city outiside the Bible Belt. The sun shines but three days a year on Grand Rapids.....We Liberals Roam elsewhere! ...and another comment...

I am glad to see Grand Rapids finally on the list. While pockets of liberalism still survive, such as myself and one brave soul whom I see displaying a "Keep abortion safe and legal" on his car, this has to be one of the most crazily conservative towns in America. One only has to peruse the Grand Rapids Press to see what I mean. After wading through propagandists such as Linda Bowles and Cal Thomas on the editorial page, one only has to look at the letters to the editor (or "Public Pulse") and see letter after letter denouncing Clinton, abortion, homosexuals, Clinton, non-Christians, Clinton, the government, bikinis, liberals, Clinton, etc. You can even ask the Press if they have a conservative bias. They don't hide it. In fact, they take pride in it.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Grand Rapids is that one can't swing one's own dead cat without hitting a (usually Calvanist)church. Yet, every good churchgoer here is absolutely convinced that they are 'under seige' from Washington, who, among other things, is trying to 'push the homosexual lifestyle upon us'. If you are a liberal considering living here, be prepared for a lot of head-shaking when you hear about the antics the locals are always getting into.

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I'd like to add a comment about Grand Rapids. I just graduated from Rockford High School. My family moved to Rockford (ten miles north of GR) in the beginning of my freshman year. From the very beginning my opininated liberal beliefs caused students as well as teachers to tell me I was dead wrong or even worse, "going to hell." At the beginning of my senior year, I decided to totally express my political sympathies. A group of seven (in a 1800 person school) started a "Young Dems Club", we were harassed a huge amount. Grand Rapids is certainly not a tolerant city and could even be called oppressive. But my "Doing my best to piss off the Radical Right" bumper sticker is sure appropriate!

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Thank God! Voices of sanity from an insane city! I just couldn't take it anymore and left, but I applaud the brave souls who stay on in the face of jaw-dropping intolerance, where a sense of humor is sometimes the only defense. Example: people in Jenison will socially scorn you for mowing your lawn on Sunday. The Hospice that serves West Michigan was overrun with Christian kooks who attempted to convert the terminally ill patients sent to them, and were rumored to refuse service to Jews entirely. I worked with people who honestly believed that if an infant died before it was baptised, it would roast for all eternity in the fiery pits of hell. These are some very, very wacked-out people. GR has the most churches per capita of any city in the U.S. Not coincidentally, it also has the most BARS per capita of any city in the U.S. Go figure. Hang in there, homies.

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I spent 8 years in Grand Rapids, before having the good sense to leave for New York City. As one who was born in Detroit and who had relatives who lived briefly in Grand Rapids, I always thought of the place as being "small town," but never in my life could I have imagined what I would encounter once I moved there. In my first month in the city, I applied for an editorial position at Grand Rapids Magazine, which is essentially a monthly magazine for rich, bored, white people who live in East Grand Rapids. (Well, that's what the publisher told me during my interview.) Part of my application process included filling out a personal questionaire, which asked, among other things, the nature of my spiritual beliefs. Apparently, Grand Rapids operates under a different system of laws and morals than the rest of the country. Needless to say, I set my employment sights elsewhere. Eventually I became editor of a monthly arts magazine called On-the-Town. The company who owned the magazine didn't give the publication much attention, and as long as I made money, I was pretty much given free reign to do as I saw fit. Under my editorship, the magazine became one of the few--maybe the only--liberal voice in the West Michigan area. Naturally, I had my share of religious freaks who swore I was going to hell for what I printed. One of my editorials focused on how corporate-owned stores like Target and Best Buy--stores that were new to Grand Rapids only four years ago--were putting local mom-and-pop stores out of business. I was branded a "Communist," a "Marxist," a "Pinko," and a "Red"--pretty archaic terms, even for Grand Rapids. And all for pointing out that big business was putting our neighborhood stores out of business. I could go on, and please, encourage me to do so. Grand Rapids is hell on earth. It is easily one of the most vile places in America, and for all of its claims of Christian righteousness, it is a hotbed of racism, self-loathing, public fear, repression, and as one could only deduce, hypocrisy. God damned Grand Rapids, but the fools who live there think they were blessed.

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Grand Rapids is a fine place to live. I've lived in 3 other states in the Midwest and Grand Rapids is the best. It has ploblems like any other community. However, it has more good than bad.

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I have lived all over the United States, having been in the military most of my life. I string of bad luck brought me to Grand Rapids and I was flabbergasted at the "ULTRA conservative" attitude everywhere. I honestly didn't think anyone could be as narrow minded as the people in that area.

I finally had to leave a few friends behind to save my sanity. LA is most definitely the other extreme, but at least differences are everywhere and not relegated to Hall and Division street as in GR.

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Grand Rapids absolutely has no liberal mainstream. In fact, it has no liberal streams running through it at all. However, the city comprises a very diverse group of people and only the conservatives choose to have any voice because the others live in a culture as stagnate as conservatism and haven't the power to make changes. I am just an average guy who hates conservatism and questions liberalism much of the time, but basically avoids Grand Rapids not because the conservatives may harrass me for any reason, but because it has become such a dangerous city. Perhaps the oppression has engendered this disposition. Holland, Michigan(a half-hour west of GR) is actually the bastion of religious conservatism in West Michigan, which sheds its light on GR. It has epitomized how conservatism works very well. The farmers and businessmen in the community have asked migrant labor to come here for decades to pick their fruits and tend to the packaging, but have never offered any room for advancement. Actually I think they have expected them to return home after every season. Anyway, there is a huge Hispanic-American and illegal Hispanic population in GR and Holland now and both cities are wondering what to do about it. I wouldn't recommend moving here; both society's winners and losers are out to get you. The conservative establishment has made its own bed and now let them sleep in it.

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All of my family members grew up in Grand Rapids, MI. I must say being that I am forced to visit there frequently, it doesn't seem too threatening. It's basically just a town full of old white people who go to church a lot.