Howell, Michigan looks to hire PR firm to combat city’s reputation of racism, homophobia

CBS Detroit’s Howell, Mich. locationHowell’s response to the numerous racist and homophobic acts that have made headlines is to employ a public relations firm to improve the city’s image.

“People will still refrain from visiting this place. Julie Ohashi, co-founder of Stand Against Extremism LivCo, stated, “Just because you say, ‘We’re not a sundown town,’ doesn’t mean that people know that” is accurate.

Previous stories had shown a tumultuous past in Howell, including an era in the 1970s when KKK meetings were purportedly conducted on the property of KKK Grand Dragon Robert E. Miles, who was convicted of a school bus bombing and reportedly hosted white supremacist rallies.

A Neo-Nazi protest outside a presentation of The Diary of Anne Frank was reported in November.

“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 Detroit.

In order to help the city and its authorities respond more effectively to these tragedies and enhance the area’s reputation, Ellis said the city is in the process of hiring a public relations agency. Ellis says he wants to know what the companies can provide, but the city hasn’t set a budget.

“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 stated.

However, locals claim that employing a PR firm wouldn’t address the underlying issue.

“Clearly, racism is the root of the problem. Meg Koenemann, one of the group’s co-founders, stated that racism hasn’t disappeared in Howell or Livingston County simply because a previous Grand Dragon is no longer with us.

According to Ohashi, she doesn’t think a PR plan will be sufficient.

“I’m not entirely certain of their capabilities. Perhaps they could rename Howell and attempt to rebrand it from a business perspective, but I doubt it will be very successful,” she said.

Over the course of the next few months, Ellis adds, the city is trying to reduce the number of PR firms that they can choose from.

After covering Michigan’s capital for two years, Elle Meyers joined the CBS News Detroit staff in April 2023. Born in Oregon, Elle graduated from the University of Oregon (go Ducks!) with a double major in political science and journalism, two subjects that have helped her along the way to Detroit.

Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!