Protesters plan to rally outside of Detroit’s Public Safety Headquarters on Friday afternoon following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.
The rally against police brutality is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the downtown headquarters at 1301 Third St.
“The Latest Murder of George Floyd at the hands of racist police officers has sparked a nationwide demonstration against police brutality,” protest organizers wrote on a Facebook event.
Protesters are encouraged to wear masks and gloves, and practice social-distancing. The demonstration is also calling for an end to mass prison incarceration and facial-recognition technology.
Among the speakers at Detroit’s rally are Meeko Williams, of Hydrate Detroit; Wayne County prosecutor candidate Victoria Burton-Harris; Detroit Police Commissioner Willie Burton; Detroit Charter Commissioner Joanna Underwood; Dr. Ahmed Ghanim, founder of Metro-Detroit Political Action Network; and Jazmine Middlebrooks of March for Black Women Detroit.
On Thursday, Detroit Police Chief James Craig condemned the killing of Floyd and said he supported disciplinary action against the officers involved.
The protests in Minneapolis turned violent for the third straight night as some demonstrators set fire to businesses and a police precinct.
Late Thursday night, President Trump called the protesters “THUGS” and said, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
....These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2020
Twitter flagged the tweet.
"This Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence," the company wrote. "However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."
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