After sex scandal, ex-Police Chief Ralph Godbee voices desire to move on, forgive

Detroit may not forget. But it does forgive.

Five days after Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee, a pastor, resigned amidst a sex scandal, he broke his silence on Twitter this weekend with meditations on forgiveness and overcoming struggles.

“Life is about laughing & living, in good times & bad,” Godbee tweeted. “Getting through whatever comes our way & looking back & smiling.” 

Gone is his profile image: A mustachioed chief in a pressed uniform. It’s replaced with a photo of him smiling and sporting sunglasses and an orange-and-blue Tigers hat and jersey.

Quoting Buddha, Godbee tweeted about his desire to move on and leave the past behind him.

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else,” Godbee wrote. “You are the one who gets burned.”

Dozens of friends and supporters wished him well.

Steve Neavling

Steve Neavling lives and works in Detroit as an investigative journalist. His stories have uncovered corruption, led to arrests and reforms and prompted FBI investigations.