What Detroit police are doing to keep protests peaceful

City under curfew

DETROIT – Thousands took to the streets in Michigan over the weekend to protest police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week.

The Local 4 Defenders are getting an inside look at the police tactics being used to keep Detroit from seeing the destruction seen in many other cities across the country.

MORE: Grand Rapids clean-up underway after night of fiery protests

Detroit is under a curfew, which goes into effect at 8 p.m. Local 4 Defenders cameras were in Downtown Detroit during the day on Monday and got video of the Nike store along Woodward Avenue get boarded up.

Not because it was broken into during three nights of protests, but a preventative measure in case because the city knows the nights of unrest are not over.

READ: Detroit police say outsiders coming to city to turn protests into chaos

For the most part in Detroit, that has not happened because Detroit police and the FBI have teamed up to identify groups who came into town to incident violence.

READ: Detroit curfew extended after protesters armed with railroad spikes, fireworks concealed in boxes target officers

As other cities burned, and police departments around the country stood down -- Detroit ramped things up by implementing an 8 p.m. curfew. They could see when the sun went down, true protesters went home and outside instigators took to the streets.


About the Author:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.