Friday evening was supposed to be a time of unity in Detroit.
To boost morale two and a half months into the coronavirus pandemic and remind people of the importance of filling out the census, the City of Detroit put on an “Everybody vs. COVID-19” livestream music festival featuring some of the biggest local hip-hop artists. During a taped segment, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer even donned a coveted pair of Cartier “Buffs” sunglasses, a distinctly Detroit status symbol, while introducing rapper Gmac Cash — the culmination of a weeks-long social media gag rooted in community support. In April, as armed right-wing protesters began showing up in Lansing in opposition to Whitmer’s stay-at-home order, Black Twitter came to the defense of the governor, dubbing her “Big Gretch” and praising her for her strong leadership in keeping the coronavirus at bay, which has ravaged Detroit particularly hard. At some point someone Photoshopped a pair of Buffs on a picture of Whitmer, which Cash used as the artwork for his viral track of the same name. A meme was coming to life.
“I’m looking forward to accepting the many cookout invitations that were sent my way. But until then,” Whitmer said, dramatically pausing as she donned the Buffs, “stay home, stay smart, and stay safe.”
The moment was clearly meant to be a showstopper, and in better times, it certainly would have been. But just as it was happening, civil unrest was boiling over in Detroit as police clashed with protesters.
Earlier that week, on Memorial Day, Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin killed 46-year-old George Floyd after pinning him down to the ground and kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes, all for the crime of allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a deli. The incident was caught on video and swiftly circulated around the internet, calling to mind the 2014 death of Eric Garner in New York City, who was tackled to the ground by police and put in a chokehold for allegedly selling unlicensed cigarettes. Garner’s last words uttered became a rallying cry to the Black Lives Matter movement: “I can’t breathe.” The exact phrase was echoed by Floyd as onlookers pleaded for Chauvin to stop.
As protests started in Minneapolis, in Detroit, Police Chief James Craig attempted to get ahead of the situation. In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, he said he supported the Minneapolis Police Department’s firing of the four officers involved in Floyd’s killing, which he called a “murder.” Beyond that, he said that based on the video evidence, he believed Chauvin should be arrested — becoming the first major-city police chief to do so.
Craig pointed out that his own department has disciplined its own officers in the past, citing several examples — including one as recently as March of this year, when an off-duty cop pulled a gun during a dispute at a party. He also said he issued a memo to the department reiterating its use-of-force policy, which prohibits neck restraints, and also emphasized the importance of de-escalation in altercations.
“Based on my 44 years of experience, I can tell you that when even one officer engages in excessive force, we all share the disappointment for the dishonor it brings to our badge,” he said. “Those of us in law enforcement take a solemn oath to protect and serve with courage, integrity, and respect. And that’s what the community expects.”
On Wednesday, as officials deliberated charging Chauvin, protesters looted a Target store near Minneapolis’s Third police precinct — a symbolic act, as the company is headquartered in the city. On Thursday evening, they burned down the precinct while fireworks burst in the sky — providing an incredibly on-the-nose answer to the question posed by Detroit’s famous summer of civil unrest in 1967: “riot or rebellion?” Tensions were further stoked when President Donald Trump tweeted “when the looting starts, the shooting starts,” which Twitter flagged for violating its rules prohibiting inciting violence.
On Friday morning, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. That afternoon, a Black Lives Matter rally was held outside Detroit’s Public Safety Headquarters.
Things started off peacefully, with DPD officers handing out face masks and hand sanitizer to the participants. As the rally turned into a march, police even served as an escort. Officials said they estimated the rally drew a crowd of some 1,500 protesters, who were largely peaceful.
Given the circumstances, it’s not surprising that this Black Lives Matter protest took off in a way that no other has. People have been cooped up in quarantine for weeks, isolated from each other. Millions of people are unemployed with no sign of when their next paycheck is coming. Many likely decided to brave the risk of exposure to the virus simply because they have nothing left to lose.
As the march headed into Corktown, something changed in the crowd, with protesters starting to throw bottles and rocks at police. At one point, someone smashed a police car’s windows. Initially, police officers retreated from the attacks. But when the march returned to the police headquarters, they were met with a line of officers clad in black riot gear. As night fell, the clashes continued, with police deploying tear gas into the crowd. Amid the melée, a 21-year-old man was shot and killed, though it’s not yet clear whether it was connected to the protests.
Speaking to reporters on Friday night, Craig, who recently recovered from COVID-19 as one of the city’s first high-profile people to come down with the virus, questioned why people would even risk transmitting it by protesting in Detroit — where the illness has killed more than 1,300 and forced 600 DPD officers into quarantine in March.
“If you really believe Black Lives Matter, we’re still battling COVID,” he said. “I’m a COVID survivor. African-Americans are two to three times more likely to either get COVID or die from COVID. So do us a favor: If you live outside the city, why don’t you protest in your hometown? If you do want to come down and make a statement, do it in a peaceful way.”
On Saturday, Mayor Mike Duggan called a press conference with Craig and several Black community leaders and activists to denounce the violence and call for peace. Using a line that was repeated by officials in municipalities across the country, they blamed “outside agitators” for infiltrating the peaceful protests and escalating the conflict. In Detroit’s case, that meant white people from the surrounding suburbs.
Indeed, photos and video from the protests showed a diverse crowd, not reflective of Detroit’s majority-Black demographics. Of course, that could just be testament to the continued rise and mainstreaming of the Black Lives Matter movement. In 2016, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality — bringing more exposure to the cause, but getting him blackballed from the league. Shortly after, America elected Trump, who turned what was once a dog-whistle for racism in the GOP into a blaring bullhorn.
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