DETROIT, MI — A Black Lives Matter group is calling for the resignation of Detroit’s police chief after he criticized them.
The protesting group, Detroit Will Breathe, on Thursday joined other civil rights groups in demanding Detroit Police Chief James Craig step down as the city’s police chief, accusing him of encouraging police brutality and violating their right to peaceful protests.
The chief had called the group “untruthful” and said that Detroit residents were “fed up” with the group, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The Detroit News reported Craig noted a video that the group posted to its Facebook page in which a speaker is applauded for saying demonstrators should shun nonviolent protests and be “less nice to police.”
On Aug. 24, Deputy Chief Todd Bettison sent the group a message during a news briefing at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters:
“To Detroit Will Breathe: You’re not welcome. Go.”
The purpose of the news briefing was to discuss why police arrested 44 supporters of Detroit Will Breathe the day before.
According to Detroit Free Press, Black Lives Matter protesters had blocked off and were occupying a downtown stretch of Woodward Avenue around midnight Saturday when police ordered them to disperse or face arrest. The protesters did not disperse and instead insulted the police.
Craig said officers waited more than an hour and issued at least eight warnings before advancing on the gathering and making arrests:
“We have been very patient.”
Protesters were charged with misdemeanors of disorderly conduct, blocking traffic and disobeying a lawful order by a police officer.
Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood said protesters were given many warnings for over an hour to disperse as they had shut down lanes of traffic and were not marching. Kirkwood said they shut down the street and were in violation of city ordinances in doing so, but the protesters refused to disperse.
Out of the 44 people arrested, Craig confirmed that 16 were from Detroit, 27 were from other cities in Michigan and one was from California.
One Ann Arbor man was charged with a felony for carrying a baton and wearing body armor.
Craig also criticized the protesters as manipulative for claiming police brutality while ignoring the actions of their comrades, who he says have thrown objects at police and damaged police vehicles during previous clashes.
The chief called the group’s leaders “masterful with the message.” However, he added:
“But one thing about a message: no matter how masterful you might be, when you’re untruthful, it just doesn’t go very far. Detroiters are fed up.”
Craig said residents do not support Detroit Will Breathe, which has issued demands including the defunding of police and, more recently, the removal of more than three dozen federal agents who recently arrived in Detroit to help police fight the rash of gun violence plaguing Detroit, according to Detroit Free Press.
Craig explained the city’s current vibe:
“I’ve had a chance over the last several weeks to see many Detroiters. They are sick and tired of the disruption in their neighborhoods — our neighborhoods.
“Defunding the police is not something they want here in Detroit. In fact, what I’m constantly told, ‘Chief you need to hire more police officers. And we want you to have the equipment necessary to effectively do your job.’ Removing federal agents is not what they want.”
Detroit Free Press reached out to Detroit Will Breathe leader Tristan Taylor for a comment, but did not get one.
Craig said that while it had been six weeks since protesters last clashed with police, his officers were in riot gear because Detroit Will Breathe had departed from its practice of simply marching through the city:
“I am not going to let any group set up a Seattle zone of lawlessness here in the city of Detroit. That is non-negotiable.”
The chief credited police tactics and residents who oppose outside agitators for helping the city avoid rioting and vandalism that has destroyed cities like Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland.
Around midnight Saturday, Detroit Will Breathe had posted on its Facebook page a message that it would occupy a section of Woodward until federal agents leave town.
Craig displayed the same Facebook post at his Monday briefing.
One man, Kevin Kwart, claimed he was offering protesters a safe place at his apartment in the Woodward section when Detroit police allegedly tackled and injured him.
Kevin Kwart says he was offeringprotesters a safe place in his Woodward apartment building when Detroit police tackled and beat him last night. He was arrested and issued 3 tickets. He says he plans to file a complaint. Police tell me they will investigate alleged abuses. @freep pic.twitter.com/akraceWSL9
— m.l. elrick (@elrick) August 23, 2020
Sgt. Kirkwood said police received a video from the night showing alleged excessive use of force by officers, and it has been handed over to the department’s internal professional standards office for review.
A Twitter user named Kayleigh Waterman, who is followed by Barack Obama, posted videos from the Aug. 23 protests, claiming police were assaulting “peaceful protesters.”
Detroit Police Department assaulting peaceful protestors an hour ago. See thread for videos. #detroitwillbreathe @DETWILLBREATHE pic.twitter.com/ZNg3dOm0y1
— Kayleigh Waterman (@Kayleighmw) August 23, 2020
A GoFundMe fundraiser was created on June 7 for Detroit Will Breathe and shows $81,480 were raised.
Detroit Will Breathe https://t.co/X0HPc6GvWB
— Andrea (@Forsureafedera1) August 23, 2020
The fundraiser is currently disabled, but an update was posted on Sept. 3 by one of the page’s organizers, Nakia Wallace:
“An important update:
“Detroit Will Breathe has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Detroit, Mayor Duggan, Chief Craig, and officers of the Detroit Police Department.
“We are temporarily disabling the donate button on this campaign in order to re-route fundraising efforts to help with legal/litigation costs.
“If you are interested in supporting, sharing, or simply learning more about the lawsuit, please head to our other fundraiser here:
https://www.gofundme.com/detroit-will-breathe-federal-lawsuit-fund
“Once we determine more funds are needed in this general fund, we will turn the donate button back on.
“In the meantime, we thank each and every one of you for your support and for helping to keep the movement strong.”
The update was signed, “In Solidarity, Detroit Will Breathe.”
The latest GoFundMe fundraiser, Detroit Will Breathe Federal Lawsuit Fund, created Sept. 4, has raised $8,594 to pay for legal expenses as of this writing.
The latest fundraiser claims in part:
“Detroit Will Breathe is asking supporters to donate to help with legal expenses, specifically, the costs of litigation. These costs can be high and will likely include, for example (not an exhaustive list):
“Filing fees for court filings: for example, it costs $400 just to file a complaint.
“Costs of discovery: our attorneys will be taking the depositions of Mayor Duggan, Chief Craig, and the individual police officers named as defendants, some of whom are yet to be identified. More defendants may also be added as the case proceeds. Our plaintiffs will also have their depositions taken. We will have to pay court reporters for the deposition transcripts to be used in briefing and trial; which typically cost around $800-$1500 per each individual.
“Expert witnesses: To seek a court-ordered injunction against DPD’s abusive and unlawful tactics, we will have to employ expert witnesses which can also cost money.
“This GoFundMe has been set up separately from Detroit Will Breathe’s General Fund in an effort to be transparent.
“The money in the General Fund has already been used for other types of expenses, for example: water and snacks for participants of our marches, rent for our meeting space, gas for support cars, supplies for street medics, printing costs for flyers, megaphones and other audio equipment, etc.
“While litigation and legal costs are certainly part of the effort to sustain and empower the movement as a whole, we want to be sure everyone is able to have as much information as possible before deciding to make their donation to a legal cause.
“We have decided to temporarily disable the donation button on the General Fund in order to focus on raising money for litigation costs exclusively.”
The police chief noted three incidents caught on camera are being investigated by the department’s professional standards unit:
“When you resist, that’s when force is used. As I’ve oftentimes said, whenever we have to use force, it never looks good. Force, in and of itself, doesn’t mean brutality.”
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