Detroit — Protests continued Monday in Metro Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan, with demonstrators in downtown Detroit, Grand Rapids and Troy calling for justice after…
Detroit — Protests continued Monday in Metro Detroit and elsewhere in Michigan, with demonstrators in downtown Detroit, Grand Rapids and Troy calling for justice after the death of George Floyd during a police incident last week in Minneapolis.
A 10-mile long march attended by several hundred demonstrators stretched from downtown Detroit to the city’s southwest section, marking the fourth straight day of protests in Michigan’s largest city.
In Grand Rapids, protesters faced off against National Guard troops, Michigan State Police and city officers, who chased and arrested participants who violated the city’s 7 p.m. curfew. Detroit marchers also broke Mayor Mike Duggan’s 8 p.m. curfew but as darkness fell, police had apparently taken no action to force participants off the streets or make arrests, and participants dispersed peacefully.
In Lansing, where a Sunday demonstration protesting police brutality resulted in thousands of dollars in damage to private and public property, Mayor Andy Schor declared a curfew about 9 p.m. Monday, saying it would last until 5 a.m. Tuesday.
In a tweet Monday evening, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer expressed support for the marchers’ cause but called for protesters to go home as night fell.
«To those who have taken to the streets to peacefully protest the structural inequities Black Americans face every day — I’m with you,» the governor wrote. «Tonight, I urge you to stay home and stay safe. Tomorrow, find a peaceful protest to join and make your voice heard.»
The Detroit march ended with some participants encouraging others to disperse as police formed a blockade to downtown, telling protesters over a loudspeaker they were in violation of the curfew and needed to leave.
Willie Burton, a member of the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners, called Monday’s protest “peaceful and civil” and criticized the actions of some officers during previous demonstrations.
“It’s disturbing when you are woken up out of your sleep and you heard that a number of arrests were made,” he said. “It’s alarming and disturbing to hear that a curfew was put in place to slam the door on democracy. We still have a lot of work to do here in the city of Detroit when it comes to policies and regulations.»
The organizers of the Detroit protest assembled next to the parking lot of Detroit’s Public Safety headquarters building. On past nights, groups convened their demonstrations in the lot and along the grass out in front of the police building.
