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Residents urge action on crypto-ATM fraud, raise police FOIA concerns and seek community-garden support
Summary
During public comment, residents told the council about a disputed traffic stop and FOIA process, AARP urged limits on cryptocurrency kiosks and offered a model ordinance, and community-garden advocates requested lease terms that reduce barriers ahead of the growing season.
Public comment at the March 10 Warren council meeting included multiple issues from residents and community organizations.
Rob Roberts described a traffic stop on Dec. 19, 2025 and said dashcam and bodycam video he obtained by FOIA contradicted an officer’s statements; he said the magistrate refused to review the video in his case and urged the council to be attentive to potential problems in the system.
Kathleen Simlar, representing AARP Michigan, urged the council to act on a growing problem with cryptocurrency kiosks. Simlar said there are 22 crypto kiosks in Warren and that the FBI reported Michiganders lost more than $125,000,000 to crypto-kiosk scams in 2024, with 85% of victims over age 60. She presented a model ordinance used by other Michigan communities that would impose safeguards such as daily or monthly limits on kiosk transactions and urged Warren to adopt similar protections.
Community gardeners and advocates — including Jeff Matthews of the South Warren Community Garden and Joel Rutherford — urged council support for a climate action plan and for lease terms that remove barriers to community gardening. Matthews said the garden is negotiating a lease extension with the mayor’s office and asked staff and legal for flexibility so the garden can begin the growing season.
Council members acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to follow up where appropriate. No formal council action on the crypto kiosks or community-garden leases occurred in the meeting.
Next steps: Council requested staff review AARP’s model ordinance and return with options; staff also agreed to follow up with the community garden on lease details.
