The author of The Other Side of the River, the 1998 book about racial tensions between Benton Harbor and St. Joseph and the investigation into the death of Eric McGinnis, will be in Benton Harbor next week. Neighbors Organizing Against Racism Director Trenton Bowens tells WSJM News Alex Kotlowitz will speak with residents at the Boys and Girls Clubs teen center next Thursday. He says Kotlowitz will discuss the recent solving of the McGinnis case by the Michigan Attorney General.
“There are still questions, and we’re going to have a community conversation because the book doesn’t even mention certain segments of what the attorney general was saying,” Bowens said.
16-year-old Eric McGinnis was found dead in the St. Joseph River three days after he disappeared on May 17, 1991. The case was not solved for more than 30 years, and Alex Kotlowitz chronicled the investigation and frustration in Benton Harbor in his book. Bowens says although the McGinnis case is now solved, the question is about what’s next.
“With how Benton Harbor residents feel about going to St. Joe, does this validate what they’ve been saying for years? And how do we bridge the gap? How do we come together?”
Kotlowitz will speak at the teen center next Thursday at 5 p.m. Bowens says it will be a forum where people can ask questions. Everyone’s welcome and can park across the street at Benton Harbor High School.
