DETROIT (WXYZ) — The top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Michigan announced she will be leaving her post before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison announced her resignation on Monday. She’s spent 22 years working at the U.S. attorney’s office, including three years as the leader of the office. She will step down on Jan. 19.
On Tuesday, I sat down with Ison as she reflected on a remarkable journey of public service and the issues she’s tackled in her hometown.
Watch more of our conversation with U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison in the video below:
“As I look back and reflect, I am still so proud of the great talent, the smart people who do the hard work, the heavy lifting in this office,” Ison said.
During her time at the U.S. attorney’s office, she’s accomplished many of her goals.
“Rebuilding community trust, restructuring our approach to violent crime and reinvigorating our prosecution of civil rights cases and protecting civil rights,” Ison said.
Specifically with a focus on reducing violent crime, Ison went after small groups committing the vast majority of the violence that victimized the community. She also proactively held countless Peacenic events to build bridges and improve trust.
Related video: Detroit deputy mayor, US attorney promote annual Peacenic event to curb violence
“I wanted it to be a picnic with a purpose and so that we were engaging with the community in a non-enforcement way. I'm convinced that we can’t always be there kicking in their doors, that we need to engage with them and build trust with them,” Ison said.
Those efforts include One Detroit and One Eastern District of Michigan violence reduction initiatives, which stress “focus, balance and fairness,” Ison said.
“We had Ceasefire Detroit, we have a faith-based leadership with Bishop Edgar Vann... the Michigan Department of Corrections because we wanted to focus on re-entry,” she said.
A native Detroiter, she says combating terrorism and stopping corruption in government also were top priorities.
“I’m very proud of how aggressive we have been in rooting out public corruption. Because again, that’s building public trust as well,” Ison said.
Looking back, she says protecting civil rights including those of inmates with disabilities and cracking down on pandemic-related schemes has also made a big difference.
“We’ve just been very aggressive with that as well in holding people accountable. And then when you hear what the people did with the money — designer purses and clothes and not even basic needs — then it really makes it just even more egregious,” she said.
In the community, I asked a Detroit pastor for his take on Ison’s journey and resignation.
“She made that plug in with clergy and with grassroots activists and did the One Detroit piece with all different chains of command,” Maurice “Pastor Mo” Hardwick said.
Video: U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison talks more about why she's stepping down and what's next
The founder of the Arab American Civil Rights League has also felt Ison’s impact.
“Being the first African American, Black female in that role, she was impactful. Reached out to the community and wanted to hear from the community what their issues, what their concerns were,” ACRL founder Nabih Ayad said.
As for resigning ahead of the incoming administration, she says it comes down to the new president choosing his own U.S. attorney.
“I have served under three Republican presidents and one Democratic president. I was appointed by a Democratic president but hired by a Republican U.S. attorney. It’s non-partisan and apolitical. We’re just about doing the work. We do the work for the people. We are public servants,” Ison said.
Ison says she’s still considering her future and next steps, but she’ll always be standing up for the community and serving in some capacity.
