(WWJ) It started out with Detroit Police handing out masks and hand sanitizer to help keep protesters safe amid the pandemic; and ended with dozens of arrests and two injured officers, according to Mayor Mike Duggan.
Police Chief James Craig said during Saturday's press conference most of the protesters were “peaceful." More than 1,500 people gathered in downtown Detroit to demand justice for George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who died when a white police officer held a knee on his neck for several minutes outside a Minneapolis grocery store.
Craig said the organizers of the protesters "praised" the Detroit Police Department.
"They stressed that this had nothing to do with the work we do every single day. We were very appreciative of that," Craig said. "Some of the organizers, qutie frankly, have not always agreed with us. But they've always been willing to come to the table and have a discussion."
However; officers arrested 45 men and 15 women for “disorderly conduct,” according to Mayor Duggan.
Craig said 17 of the men and six of the women were from Detroit. The rest were from suburban communities including Westland, Sterling Heights, Grand Blanc, Farmington Hills, Dearborn, Brighton, Warren, Clarkston, Ann Arbor and Bay City.
Two officers were injured. Craig said one officer was struck in the head by a rock and had a concussion; another fell and injured his shoulder. Both are expected to recover.
Seven police cars were damaged. Officers did have to deploy tear gas, according to Craig, which is only done as a “last resort.”
“My message is simple,” Craig said. “If you want to disrupt, stay home.”
Mayor Mike Duggan said there is a difference between activism and destruction.
“I never lose sight of the fact that I was hired by a community that’s predominantly African American, and when members of our community watched a criminal police officer choke the life out of George Floyd, the pain they were feeling was more than just the pain of that one incident. It was residual and generational trauma of their own personal experiences that reignited memories by seeing this kind of terrible incident,” Duggan said.
Reverend Wendell Anthony, President of the Detroit Branch of the NAACP, said no African American man or woman is immune to the injustice in the criminal justice system.
“If Chief James Craig were to take off his uniform and find himself just traveling somewhere and have a stop, he too could become a victim,” Reverend Anthony said.
Duggan said he “applauded the peaceful protest.”
“When that huge peaceful protest marched through the streets of Detroit, it sent a powerful message across the country that the people of Detroit were speaking loudly and clearly for justice and an end to racial bigotry,” he told reporters. “…Chief Craig was the first major city police officer to call out this Minneapolis police officer for what he was, a murderer.”
More than 600 Detroit officers have been quarantined since the pandemic began; at least two died. Police Chief James Craig fought and survived COVID-19.
Still, the officers supported the protesters by handing out masks and hand sanitizer, according to Duggan.
“Our officers felt such a kinship with the protesters that they wanted to make sure they were safe, but somewhere along the line it turned,” Duggan said.
He is concerned this will push the COVID-19 case count back up and undermine Detroit's progress in fighting the virus.
“As I watched last night, I kept thinking about the 1,372 people in our city we’ve lost to COVID-19. We have nearly beaten this coronavirus. This is a week we should be talking about reopening restaurants, hair and nail salons, and getting people back to work,” Duggan said. “We nearly have this beaten and as I’m watching this crowd cramming in there, many of them with no masks on and no regard for the health of Detroiters...I’m thinking what happens if this spikes back up?”
“We can’t let that happen,” he said. “We’re asking in these protests that you turn to each other and not on each other.”
Reverend Charles Williams II, State President of the National Action Network, said he was in “disbelief” to see this happen in the midst of COVID-19.
“Individuals forcing our officers, forcing our community to break the boundaries of social distancing. These outsiders put our community in harm’s way…” Reverend Williams said. “Their blatant disregard for our officers, for our community members, our property, our tax dollars…how many officers, how many community residents will be struck with coronavirus because of them?"
Detroit and the world are in an all-out war against two pandemics, according to Anthony.
“When are we going to bring the nation together to inject a cure to this pandemic of racism and white supremacy? When are we going to level the curve on that?” Anthony said.
Craig says he received word more groups may gather for demonstrations Saturday night.
This is a developing story. Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 on-air, online and on Radio.com
To see more details about Friday's protest, click here.