After a woman attempted to run Kent County Health Department director Adam London off the road just hours after he issued a mask mandate for some schools last month, the health officer issued a plea to the Kent County Board of Commissioners.

“I need help,” London wrote in an Aug. 22 email to the county commissioners, which Michigan Advance received today after filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Kent County Board of Commissioners last week. “My team and I are broken. I’m about done. I’ve done my job to the best of my ability. I’ve given just about everything to Kent County, and now I’ve given some more of my safety.”

London’s email followed his announcement on Aug. 20 that masks would be required for anyone in preschool through sixth grade school buildings in Kent County in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Kids under 12 are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Photo via the Kent County Health Department Facebook page

The decision to mandate masks in schools is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and a long list of groups local to Kent County, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Mercy Health Saint Mary’s, and Metro Health — University of Michigan Health, among others.

Despite this support, London and other members of the Kent County Health Department have received vitriolic criticism, as well as threats of violence, over the mandate. At an Aug. 26 Kent County Board of Commissioners meeting, a large and often raucous crowd spewed harsh and aggressive words for London, who had to attend the meeting virtually due to concerns for his physical safety.

“I had a woman try to run me off the road at 70+ miles per hour…twice, on Friday night,” London wrote in his Aug. 22 email to commissioners. “I think we have all seen the aggression and violence displayed at meetings across the nation during the past week.”

“There is nothing to be gained by entertaining such people with dialog,” London continued. “In many cases, these are the same people who dismiss the plot against the governor [Gretchen Whitmer] as “just guys joking around” and the January 6th insurrection [at the U.S. Capitol] as a peaceful patriotic protest. I think it is a grave mistake to unnecessarily give them targets and platforms. There is a sickness in America far more insidious than COVID. You are more empowered to fight this disease than I am.”

https://michiganadvance.com/2021/09/20/kent-co-health-director-tells-commissioners-after-almost-being-run-off-the-road-i-need-help/