Candidate Profile: Stephen Boyle For State House

Stephen Boyle, a Detroit resident is running for State House District 3.

By ​Joey Oliver​, Patch Staff
Oct 12, 2020 10:50 am ET | Updated Oct 13, 2020 7:54 pm ET

Stephen Boyle, a Detroit resident is running for State House District 3. (Kristin Borden/Patch)

Stephen Boyle, a Detroit resident is running for State House District 3.

Age:​ 59

Party affiliation:​ Green Party

Family:​One daughter

Occupation:​Self Employed Business Consultant (15 years)

Previous elected experience:​None

Candidate Profile: Stephen Boyle For State House
Family members in government:​Nobody is in government or politics

Campaign website:​ ​http://StephenBoyleNow.com

The single most pressing issue facing our state is _​Mental Health​_, and this is what I
intend to do about it.
Many people are suffering from mild to severe trauma. Most of the time this is heavily
influenced by societal pressures. We need broadscale mental health education for
wellness and to promote peaceful dialogues in wide communities, as well as within many
families. Fostering the development of more community groups which can bring in
participatory sessions to relieve stress can change the attitudes of so many. This would
include substance use discussions as well.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this
post?
I've walked throughout District 3 several years encouraging people to get out and vote.
We have to bring people who are systems thinkers in that can evaluate how our people
are impacted by laws, policies and procedures. Having an eye toward how agencies are
connected and how to handle issues brought forward by constituents matters to them and
the greater community.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this
job?
I started community organizing in 2011 with Occupy Detroit. Learned a lot of what not to
do and listened to elders on how to improve. I've pulled legal standings to see how we
could get petroleum coke removed from illegal dumping on the Detroit riverfront and we
got that done, with an ordinance change following a few years later. I've guided people
with questions and concerns how to navigate pathways to solutions with government
agencies and service providers. As a State Representative I fully expect to be a conduit
for the concerns of those I serve during sessions of the legislature.

What steps should state government take to bolster economic recovery from the
coronavirus pandemic for local businesses?
I know that within District 3 we have an intense need for infrastructure work.
40% of the households in half of House District 3 are without internet access. Everything
has gone digital and my people are stuck in a Digital Divide due to economic hardship
Candidate Profile: Stephen Boyle For State House
and community division. This area also has longer times between buses and many don't
have a vehicle.
Boost the economic recovery with wiring the people for achievement in the modern
world. Then when we tout a website for information or app on the phone people can
actually use it. Hold training sessions through community service groups. Increase grant
funds available for addressing communities suffering from Digital Divide.

How will you address the calls for racial justice and police reform?
Our police need more than Police Reform that comes from within. There has to be much
more training on social injustices and perceptions. It is extremely dismissive for officers
to refer to common people as perpetrators. Detroit Police implemented facial recognition
technology without procedures and policies for over a year - this is an injustice that the
civilian oversight board should have been calling out immediately. They claim it's newer
technology... as a student at Wayne State University I know computer vision was being
researched in 1980. The experiment on the people, paid for by the people, demonstrating
its effectiveness and flaws to a GLOBAL audience is a sad statement on how distant and
uncaring and underserving our society has become.
We need to be looking at various forms of reparations and that should include addressing
the stock of homes in land banks giving them to families and individuals in need.
Establish programs to elevate self sufficiency and bring about self worth and community
worth as well.
Our children shouldn't have to walk into school as suspects being monitored. This simply
shows our interest is higher on policing than mending our society.
Stop turning people incarcerated into a cash crop for investors in privatized prisons and
their products. If we're working prisoners then they should be entitled to organize as well.

List other issues that define your campaign platform:

We've got housing stock that has gone derelict for far too long. Our homeless population
continues to be at risk without solutions in a city of empty houses.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I'm going to be conducting town hall listening sessions regularly. I'm not backing down
on the human right to dignity and service for the community.