Dearborn city council meeting location changed amid disruption concern
Dearborn police chief warns agitators may be at next council meeting
Chief Issa Shahin said police are aware that individuals and groups from outside the Dearborn community may come to next week’s city council meeting.
The Dearborn City Council meeting next week is changing location amid security preparations for potential outsider disruptions.
Dearborn City Council meeting
The backstory:
Dearborn’s City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 18.
The Dearborn police chief and The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) are urging the community to skip the meeting amid reports that outside agitators may be in attendance.
What we know:
Chief Issa Shahin said police are aware that individuals and groups from outside the Dearborn community may come to next week’s city council meeting.
What we don't know:
Shahin didn’t elaborate on what individuals or groups may be attending, or how police were aware of their possible presence, but CAIR-MI released a statement Thursday saying anti-Islam agitator Jake Lang was reportedly expected.
What they're saying:
On Friday, the location of the meeting changed to the Henry Ford Centennial Library.
Dearborn’s City Council President, Mike Sareini, said on social media that the decision to move the meeting was made under the advice of the police chief.
Earlier, Chief Shahin said in a video message on Facebook that police have a safety plan in place, and that there will be an enhanced presence of police officers that night.
He and Sareini are also asking residents to stay home and not engage the meeting unless you have official business before the council.
"If your goal is to engage with demonstrators, we ask you to stay home," Shahin said.
Who is Jake Lang?
FILE PHOTO - In Dallas, Texas, Jake Lang is removed by police for violating decorum rules while speaking in opposition to the proposed construction of a mosque and two temples during a city council meeting in Frisco, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Smiley N.
The backstory:
Lang is a pardoned January 6th rioter and far-right influencer and activist.
He was charged with assaulting an officer and other offenses during the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He was later freed from prison as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping act of clemency.
According to CAIR-MI, Lang, who has frequented Dearborn and Hamtramck numerous times in recent months, has committed provocative acts including an attempt to burn the Qur’an in front of the Islamic Center of America which is the largest mosque in the country.
Dearborn, Mich. Muslim population
By the numbers:
Dearborn is home to one of the largest Arab American and Muslim populations in the country.
Nearly half of the city’s 110,000 residents are of Arab descent.
The Source: Information in this article was taken from comments made by Dearborn City Council President Mike Sareini, Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahi and CAIR-MI, previous FOX 2 reporting and background information from FOX News Digital.