LANSING, Mich. – A deadly workplace shooting at Henry Ford Health’s main hospital is fueling new momentum in Lansing to remove financial barriers for domestic violence survivors seeking legal protection.
The August shooting in the hospital’s basement killed 49-year-old Latricia Green-Brown.
Authorities have said it was a domestic violence incident that unfolded at her workplace.
The tragedy has galvanized victim advocates and state lawmakers who say Michigan needs to do more to protect survivors before violence turns deadly.
“Nobody asks to be a victim of crime,” said Christine Kinal, CEO of HAVEN of Oakland County, which serves survivors of domestic and sexual violence. “Nobody gets up in the morning and says this is how I want my day to go, and unfortunately, it happens.”
For advocates, Green-Brown’s killing is part of a troubling pattern.
“Unfortunately, what we know is domestic violence is increasing. The intensity of this is pretty high,” said State Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit).
Chang is among a bipartisan group of lawmakers now pushing to change how Michigan handles the cost of personal protection orders (PPOs), which are court orders intended to help protect people from abuse, stalking, or threats.
Currently, survivors in Michigan can face fees associated with serving PPOs, the step that ensures the person named in the order is officially notified.
Advocates say that cost can be an impossible hurdle for people already in crisis.
In response, Chang has partnered with Republican Sen. Ruth Johnson to co-sponsor legislation that would eliminate the cost of serving PPOs across Michigan.
Their bills would make PPO services free for petitioners.
“Forty-three other states actually have made it so that the service of a PPO can happen free of charge to the person who has often gone through lots of traumas, gathered up the courage to fill out a PPO application, go before the judge, pay that PPO,” Chang said. “We shouldn’t be putting up a financial barrier.”
Victim advocates say those barriers are all too real.
“You know, safety should be a right, not a privilege. And cost is what makes it more of a privilege,” Kinal said. “When someone can’t afford, they have to choose between groceries, or paying rent, or getting a personal protection order served. That is not fair in and of itself.”
The push to remove PPO service fees has drawn strong support from organizations that work directly with survivors.
“This is an opportunity for us to improve system accountability and consistency,” said Jeni Hooper, Interim Executive Director of First Step, a nonprofit serving Wayne County survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
Advocates argue that when survivors take the difficult step of going to court, completing paperwork, and standing before a judge, the system should not then leave them stranded because they cannot afford service fees.
This year, lawmakers added $1 million to a statewide Personal Protection Order Fund.
The money is intended to help cover the costs law enforcement agencies incur when serving PPOs, making it easier to remove fees for survivors.
The bipartisan package sponsored by Sens. Chang and Johnson has already passed the Michigan Senate with overwhelming support.
The bills now move to the state House, where representatives will decide whether Michigan joins the majority of states that make the service of personal protection orders free for those seeking safety.
For advocates, the stakes are clear: every barrier removed is one more chance to prevent another tragedy like the one at Henry Ford Health.
“Safety should be a right,” Kinal said. “We need to make sure our laws reflect that.”