Friend —

In the early hours of Sunday, August 23, Detroit Police brutalized and arrested dozens of peaceful protesters on Woodward Avenue.

Video footage confirms the full extent of the confrontation. In one clip, officers in riot gear approached demonstrators and clearly initiated a violent escalation. In another, police officers pepper-sprayed a demonstrator who was being held down by other officers. Worse still, another video shows a police officer brutally assaulting a man with a baton. The man’s hands were tied behind his back.

Detroit Police spokeswoman Nicole Kirkwood said the incident is under review. It is hard to keep a straight face reading that sentence—a brutalizing force with unchecked power is going to investigate itself for utilizing its brutal, unchecked power. We can only imagine how little effort they will commit to this review.

The script is playing out the way it always plays out: Engaged and active citizens who are exercising their right to peaceably assemble are met with violence by police. The police spin the confrontation as if they were provoked. Media outlets regurgitate this copaganda. Police pledge to do an internal review—and, shockingly, never find any evidence of wrongdoing.

Detroit PD—like all police forces—consistently align themselves with the wrong side of history.  That’s probably because police are just serving their historical purpose: brutalizing dissenters and minority communities in defense of capital and private property.

We stand with Detroit Will Breathe and all our comrades who have been in the streets for 87 days now. We encourage everyone to march and join those who are truly speaking up in defense of black lives. And we condemn the actions of Detroit Police Department on Sunday morning. They continue to prove our communities are not safe until we defund the police.

What can you do?

1.) Voice your disgust over DPD's actions at the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners meeting on Thursday at 3PM.

Need help preparing a statement? Join this 2:30PM meeting facilitated by a DSA member on our 'Defund The Police' campaign to get help with talking points or ask questions beforehand.

2.) Sign-up for our Defund the Police detailed updates that monitor the Detroit Police Department, Detroit City Council, and the Board of Police Commissioners to hold them accountable for their negligence, incompetence, and willful ignorance to the plight of black and brown folk who suffer at the hands of the corrupt police state.

3.) Tonight at 6PM join the Detroit Will Breathe mass meeting on police brutality to hear protesters testify to the DPD brutality yesterday, share your own experiences, and help mobilize for the work being done in the streets of Detroit. 

In solidarity,

Metro Detroit DSA

http://www.metrodetroitdsa.com/