Media
A Ripple in Ann Arbor
Originated and produced by Ann Arbor City Council Member Cynthia Harrison, the short documentary film A Ripple in Ann Arbor tells the story of the search for a serial rapist in Ann Arbor in the 1990s, the unfocused and invasive tactics used by police to find the perpetrator, and the innocent man who took the city to court to expose these tactics and reclaim his dignity, weaving interviews with people who lived these events with primary source materials.
Directed by filmmaker Aliyah Mitchell in partnership with the Ann Arbor District Library Archives, the film was released on November 9, 2025, in a truth and reconciliation event at the Michigan Theater. Following the showing of the film, a panel discussion of local civic and law enforcement leaders discussed the events and offered a formal apology to those affected.
The AADL Archives has many additional materials to explore relating to this topic, including dozens of Ann Arbor News articles that appear in the film. Michigan Daily articles are courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library:
1:02 - Police Suspect Serial Rapist - Michigan Daily, May 11, 1994
1:13 - Manhunt For Rapist Intensifies - Michigan Daily, October 17, 1994
2:21 - 5 Police Officers Receive Special Valor Citations - Ann Arbor News, June 24, 1991
3:00 - Police Give Public Improved Profile Of Serial Rapist - Ann Arbor News, June 30, 1994
6:27 - Rites Honor Gailbreath - Ann Arbor News, May 13, 1994
9:28 - Residents Resent Living In Fear - Ann Arbor News, May 13, 1994
10:35 - Public Seeks Action On Serial Rapist - Ann Arbor News, May 12, 1994
10:37 - Police Take Hit At Rapist Forum - Ann Arbor News, August 3, 1995
11:11 - Tenants Union & HRP Plot Renter Survival Tactics - Ann Arbor Sun, October 11, 1974
17:42 - Women & Safety - Ann Arbor News, November 15, 1994
20:28 - Coalition For Community Unity - Ann Arbor News, August 1, 1994
21:42 - Description Used Of Rapist Worries Some - Ann Arbor News, May 15, 1994
22:30 - Reward In Serial Rapist Case Grows - Ann Arbor News, October 29, 1994
24:22, 24:57 & 25:16 - Blacks Feel Wounded By Suspicion - Ann Arbor News, January 25, 1995
25:04 - Police Vow To Return Samples Eventually - Ann Arbor News, July 16, 1995
27:45 - More Consideration Of Blacks Urged In City Planning - Ann Arbor News, March 20, 1972
31:04 - Kurt Berggren For District Court Election Editorials - Agenda, November 1990
31:35 - Search For Serial Rapist Prompts Civil Rights Suit - Ann Arbor News, April 4, 1995
31:59 - 2nd Serial Attacker Suspected - Ann Arbor News, November 1, 1994
32:07 - Police Find Clues In Molester Hunt - Ann Arbor News, November 19, 1994
32:23 - Ann Arbor Man Gets 16-20 Years For Sexual Assault - Ann Arbor News, November 18, 1997
32:53 - Cabbie Describes Tension of Pursuit - Ann Arbor News, January 10, 1995
33:16 - Women Feel Sense of Relief - Ann Arbor News, March 3, 1995
33:23 - 5 Stories That Rocked Our Summer - Agenda, September 1995
33:28 - ‘92 DNA Tests Link Man To Serial Rapes - Michigan Daily, January 9, 1995
33:38 - Police Take Hit At Rapist Forum - Ann Arbor News, August 3, 1995
33:46 - Man Wins Ruling on Blood Sample - Ann Arbor News, December 14, 1995
36:19 - Blood Samples Are Still Barrier - Ann Arbor News, July 14, 1995
36:48 - Man Sues A2 Police Over Harassment In Rape Case - Michigan Daily, April 4, 1995
41:46 - Black Men Recount Pain Of Being Suspected In Rapes - Ann Arbor News, December 11, 1994
45:13 - Public Concerned About Racism Allegations - Ann Arbor News, November 15, 1994
Media
JCC Conversations | Attorney Alan Levine
Our guest on Conservations will be Alan Levine, one of a trio of pro bono heroes who scored a $26-mln verdict against Charlottesville rally organizers.
Hear the inspiring story of how he spent 4 weeks in “a bubble of hate and violence” as he cross examined the white supremacists that organized and led the antisemitic and racist violence that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer and the injuring of dozens of others, including seven of the plaintiffs in the suit.
Media
Book Discussion | The Color of Law: a Forgotten History of how our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
Watch AADL staff and other community members as they discuss The Color of Law: a Forgotten History of how our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein.
This video originally appeared here on our YouTube channel, AADL.tv
Media
Author Event | Jill Grunenwald: Reading Behind Bars
Author Jill Grunenwald reads from her new book Reading Behind Bars: a True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian. After graduating with a Masters in Library and Information Science, Jill returned to Northeast Ohio and took a job as a librarian at an all-male, minimum security prison on the far west side of Cleveland. Reading Behind Bars is the true account of her experiences there.
Media
Author | Washington Post Associate Editor Steve Luxenberg: Separate: The Story of Plessy V. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation
Plessy v. Ferguson is synonymous with Jim Crow laws and the unjust legal doctrine of “separate but equal.” But few Americans know more than the name of the case and have just a superficial understanding of its origins and outcome. Joins us as award-winning author Steve Luxenberg discusses one of the most compelling and dramatic stories of the 19th century and his award-winning new book Separate: The Story of Plessy V. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation.
This sweeping, swiftly paced, and richly detailed book is essential reading for any American looking to understand racism, the long struggle for civil rights, and the deep, often surprising history of our nation’s most devastating divide. On June 7, 1892 Homer Plessy, a light-skinned Creole bought a first-class ticket on the East Louisiana Railroad, boarding the whites-only first-class car. The train conductor promptly arrested him. The resulting case Plessy v. Ferguson (Ferguson was the state judge that ruled against Plessy and upheld the state’s law) was argued before the Supreme Court in 1896. Drawing from letters, diaries, and archival collections, and weaving biography, history, and legal drama together on a grand scale, Luxenberg recreates the personalities and debates that informed the Court’s decision and shaped race relations for generations.
The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America’s Journey from Slavery to Segregation was named a New York Times Editor's Choice, and was longlisted for the 2019 Cundill History Prize. As a work in progress, it won the 2016 J. Anthony Lukas Award for excellence in nonfiction. Steve Luxenberg is an associate editor at The Washington Post and an award-winning author. During his forty years as an editor and reporter, Steve has overseen reporting that has earned many national honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes. His first book, the critically-acclaimed Annie’s Ghosts: A Journey into a Family Secret, was a 2010 Michigan Notable Book and the 2013-14 Great Michigan Read. Steve lives in Baltimore.
Media
Who Holds the Power: Policing in Ann Arbor
Who holds the power in Ann Arbor when it comes to law enforcement? What does that mean for those who are not in power? How has this all changed over time? A panel of local experts discuss the role of police around the city and on the University of Michigan campus.
This was the second of a series series of discussions addressing the question: Who holds the power in Ann Arbor? The series, a partnership with the Michigan Daily, was made possible by the Poynter College Media Project.
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Proving Innocence: Freeing the Wrongfully Convicted
The success of podcasts like Serial and documentaries like Making of a Murderer has drawn attention to the issue of wrongful convictions, and to flaws in the criminal justice system that allow these problems to persist.
In 2007, Bill Proctor, a journalist and reporter with WXYZ-TV Channel 7 in Detroit, founded Proving Innocence to investigate wrongful conviction claims and educate the public about the need for reforms. Bill talks about the cases that inspired him to take action, and brings along guest speakers who have experienced wrongful conviction and exoneration to share their perspectives.
Proctor was an award-winning journalist, reporter, producer, and anchorperson whose career of nearly forty years spanned electronic media, radio, television, and documentaries. He concluded his career as senior staff reporter for WXYZ-TV in Southfield, MI, retiring in May 2013.
Media
#3 Ann Arbor Stories: Martian Madness
On the night of March 20,1966, Frank Mannor’s six dogs started barking like they’d never done before. He went outside to shut them up and that’s when he saw what he saw. Something flying through the night sky. At first it looked like a shooting star, then it slowed. It changed color. And it landed in the woods a few hundred yards from his Dexter farmhouse.
Music by Diego & The Dissidents and The Dead Bodies.
Media
#2 Ann Arbor Stories: Death of a Policeman
Crime was never a big problem in Ann Arbor in 1935. There were occasional break-ins, robberies, stolen vehicles, assaults, a riot or protest or two, but Prohibition was over and the gangsters and bootleggers had moved on. An Ann Arbor police officer had never been killed in the line of duty, nor even died from a horse, car, or motorcycle accident while on duty. Not even a random heart attack. Until March 21, 1935.
Music by Ben Benjamin, and Aeroc made possible by Gholicense. Additional music by Chris Bathgate.
Media
Redistricting in Michigan: Should Politicians Choose Their Voters?
The League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area (LWV-AAA) hosted this educational Town Hall on redistricting. This talk explores how legislative lines are drawn in Michigan, who draws them, and why it is a critically important question for those concerned about fair representation. The speaker is Susan Smith, Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Michigan.
In Michigan, the district lines are drawn by elected officials in the legislature, effectively allowing politicians to choose their voters and giving the political party in power at the time a tremendous advantage. Topics discussed include: what are the ramifications of partisan-drawn districts that favor one party over another, is there a better and fairer way to do this, and what are the alternatives?