Howell, Michigan looks to hire PR firm to combat city's reputation of racism, homophobia
HOWELL, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - The city of Howell has had multiple incidents involving racism and homophobia make headlines, and the city's answer is to hire a PR firm to revamp its reputation.
"People are going to continue to not come here. Just because you say, 'We're not a sundown town,' doesn't mean that people know that is true," said Julie Ohashi, co-founder of Stand Against Extremism LivCo.
Past reporting had shed light on a troubled history in Howell, including a period in the '70s when Ku Klux Klan gatherings were allegedly held on the farm of KKK Grand Dragon Robert E. Miles, who, according to reports, held white supremacist rallies and was also sentenced for a school bus bombing.
In November, there were reports of a Neo-Nazi demonstration outside a performance of the play The Diary of Anne Frank.
"We've tried to do everything possible to point out all the good things that we do here, But still, there's a lot of people, especially from Detroit, that don't want to step foot here," Mayor Bob Ellis told CBS News Detroit.
Ellis says the city is working on hiring a PR firm to help the city and its officials respond better to these incidents and improve the area's reputation. The city has not set a budget, but Ellis says he's interested in finding out what the firms can offer.
"This is a serious problem for the city and so I think we're going to provide the resources that are appropriate for it," he said.
But community members say hiring a PR firm wouldn't get to the root of the problem.
"The underlying issue is obviously racism. Racism hasn't gone away in Howell or Livingston County just because, you know, a former Grand Dragon is long deceased," said Meg Koenemann, a co-founder of the group.
Ohashi says she's not confident a PR strategy will be adequate.
"I'm not 100% sure what they can accomplish. Maybe they can rename Howell and try to rebrand it from a corporate-level view, but I don't really see how effective that's going to be," she said.
Ellis says the city is working to narrow down their options for a PR firm over the next couple of months.
