It began in a living room in Southfield. Six people around a table in February, trying to figure out what to do about the federal lawyers who had just leased office space five minutes from their neighborhood.

Those lawyers work for the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, arguing deportation cases on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They are the legal architecture behind ICE’s immigration raids.

The building is One Towne Square, an 18-story office tower on the Lodge Freeway. The owner, a company called Redico, says the lease prohibits law enforcement or detention on the premises.

The neighbors say that’s not enough, and the number of them pushing back is growing. Six people in a living room became 150 at a recent rally. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, State Senator Jeremy Moss, and faith leaders also showed up.

At the center of all this is Lauren Fink. She co-founded the Southfield Neighbors Action Committee in that living room in Southfield with her husband, Cameron. She joined Robyn Vincent on The Metro to talk about what it means to be a good neighbor when people around you are in trouble.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

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The Department of Homeland Security have identified the man who rammed his vehicle into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield as 41-year-old Ayman Mohammad Ghazali. He was a legal U.S. citizen who immigrated from Lebanon.

NPR sources have confirmed his brothers and two of his brother’s children were killed in a recent Israeli air strike on Lebanon. His parents were also hospitalized in that attack, sources say.

Law enforcement examining the case in Michigan say their investigation is ongoing and have not yet shared a motive.

Ghazali was killed in an exchange of gunfire involving building security at Temple Israel. A security guard was struck when the attacker crashed into the building, but nobody inside the synagogue was killed.

Alerts of an active shooter situation around Temple Israel in West Bloomfield were issued Thursday afternoon after a man armed with a rifle rammed his truck into the building.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at a short briefing that security engaged the shooter on the scene. A source told the Detroit News that the attacker was killed, though they cannot verify how he died at this time.

Shortly before 1 p.m., the attacker drove into the synagogue and down a hallway before exchanging fire with Temple Israel security. The truck ignited, creating plumes of smoke that could be seen from the road. Law enforcement is searching for potential explosives.

One security officer was knocked unconscious by the attack, but everyone else on the premise is unharmed—including teachers and students attending the early childhood center.

In a statement posted to Facebook Temple Israel thanked teachers, staff, officers, families, and neighbors for their quick action and care. 

The FBI is now leading the investigation into the attacker and motive.

Located at 5725 Walnut Lake Road, Temple Israel is one of the largest reform synagogues in the U.S.

State police said in a statement on X that troopers will be increasing patrols surrounding other places of worship in the area.

Sheriff Bouchard noted that he had been coordinating with local law enforcement and faith centers frequently over the last two weeks in preparation for such an attack after the U.S. and Israel began striking Iran.

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Last updated: 8:38 p.m.