DETROIT – A journalist was among a group of people wrestled to the ground and cuffed Tuesday night after what was up until that point a peaceful protest in Detroit.
Protesters and police were in a standoff at about 8:30 p.m. in the area of Outer Drive East and Gratiot Avenue. Protesters remained peaceful and held their ground until police began making arrests around 8:45 p.m. The city’s curfew is 8 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Watch the arrests in the video above.
Detroit Free Press reporter Darcie Moran was among the crowd. She was taken to the ground and cuffed by officers until one of them noticed her media badge and let her go.
Local 4′s Tim Pamplin captured the moment:
In this clip you see Detroit @freep reporter @darciegmoran face down, getting cuffed, until the cops notice her media permit. #GeorgeFloydProtests pic.twitter.com/S1Q3xaj5jR
— @Nightcam (@nightcam) June 3, 2020
Yes. This happened. I am fully okay. You can see a very nervous me awkwardly explaining what happened on our FB Live. I didn’t have time to lift up my media pass hanging on a lanyard in front. Officer apologized and found me again a few minutes later to apologize again. https://t.co/Bqt1c566JU
— Darcie Moran (@darciegmoran) June 3, 2020
Moran later shared the video on Twitter with a note:
“Yes. This happened. I am fully okay. You can see a very nervous me awkwardly explaining what happened on our FB Live. I didn’t have time to lift up my media pass hanging on a lanyard in front. Officer apologized and found me again a few minutes later to apologize again.”
Meanwhile, journalist Steve Neavling said he was “attacked, punched, kneed and elbowed by police” when officers moved in to make the arrests. Neavling is a reporter for the Metro Times and the founder of Motor City Muckraker:
Just got attacked, punched, kneed and elbowed by police, who threw my phone and broke my glasses. More worried about the protesters. Mass arrests. Out of control in Detroit. That was police brutality. pic.twitter.com/o4dSZ8uMVN
— Motor City Muckraker (@MCmuckraker) June 3, 2020
Tuesday marked the fifth night of protests in Detroit against police brutality in the name of George Floyd. Floyd’s death has been ruled a homicide by a medical examiner who said the Minnesota man’s heart stopped while police restrained him and compressed his neck.
Police chief: ‘Repeated warnings’ to leave
Detroit police Chief James Craig said a member of the field force used pepper spray, and that they likely should not have done that. Craig said the person the officer was trying to arrest was resisting.
“Those who opted to run, we let them go,” Craig said. “This was a group that we gave repeated warnings.”
Craig said the protesters were passing out numbers for attorneys.
“There was a bigger concern. They were blocking the streets and clearly there was no effort on their part to disperse,” Craig said. “Our goal is not to arrest. We don’t want to ticket anybody.”
Video repeatedly shows protesters did not instigate violence against police, but they were arrested for violating curfew.
Detroit’s 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. was put into place on Sunday after the first two days of protesting. Mayor Mike Duggan says he was forced to act and implement the curfew as he witnessed higher numbers of protestors coming in from outside the city.
Tuesday night arrests count
Detroit police announced Wednesday morning that 127 people were arrested Tuesday night -- 60 males and 67 females.
Of those arrested, 47 are from the city of Detroit. The rest are from places across the state including Ortonville, Ewardsburg, Metamora and Kimball Township.
Others are from out of state places including La Jolla, Calif., Bronx, N.Y., Purchase, N.Y., and Woodside, N.Y.
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