WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — City of Warren council member Eddie Kabacinski is spending time at the Detroit Detention Center after trespassing at the TCF Center in Detroit.
On Wednesday Kabacinski tried to enter the center without a mask on. The incident was caught on video shared with 7 Action News.
You can hear Detroit police officers ask the councilman to put on his mask.
“I am not wearing a mask. There is no need to wear a mask,” said Kabacinski.
He refused to put his mask on inside TCF which is also a COVID-19 vaccination site.
“I have natural herd immunity. I’m fine,” Kabacinski explains to officers.
Warren County Commissioner Jonathan Kinloch recorded the altercation with his cell phone.
“I was baffled by the fact he was saying he was an elected official as if that meant he was exempt from something because he told the officer he didn’t recognize any of the authority he had,” said Kinloch.
After several minutes of going back and forth with officers, he was handcuffed and put in the back of a patrol car for trespassing.
Kabacinki’s colleagues on Warren City Council aren’t pleased with his actions.
“I think that is inappropriate and he does not represent the city council. We believe in law and order,” said City Council Secretary Mindy Moore.
This isn’t Kabacinski’s first arrest. In October 2020 he was arrested for impersonating a police officer and assault and battery. In August 2021 he was arrested for selling Trump-related merchandise without a peddlers permit.
“This is about the 3rd time. It’s frustrating for us,” she adds.
Councilwoman Moore wants him to focus on the district he represents.
“It’s a large part of the south end of Warren that has a lot of blight and crime problems. He needs to focus on what he was elected to do,” she adds.
The mayor of Warren Jim Fouts says the entire council is a problem.
“They all have issues. He stands out right now,” said Mayor Fouts.
He says the arrest is a distraction from work that really needs to be done like voting on development coming to the city.
“Put aside your differences and join me to work and serve the citizens of Warren,” he adds.
