SHELBY TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Police arrested several people participating in a protest in Shelby Township.
It happened Saturday afternoon, near the intersection of 23 Mile Road and Van Dyke.
Demonstrators have held multiple protests in Shelby Township after Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide made racist comments about protests on social media.
Shelide was suspended, but returned to work shortly after.
Photos from the scene Saturday show a tense situation unfold with police in riot gear.
Police officers said the protest was blocking traffic and people were warned before they made arrests.
“We weren’t hurting anyone. We were doing what we always do which is exercise our right to assemble,” said one person involved in the initial protest. "We were moving. It’s not like we were having a party in the street -- we were moving. Then they stopped us and they were throwing people down. They were violating people.”
Detroit Will Breathe reported a woman who was protesting was strip searched by the Shelby police.
On Twitter, Rep. Rashida Tlaib said more needs to be done to protect protesters and their First and Fourth amendment rights -- freedom of speech and prohibited unreasonable searches.
Detroit Will Breathe said protesters they marched to the Shelby Township Police Department for jail support -- to check on detainees, see if they post bail and have a lawyer -- where they said they were attacked by police.
Police said people were trying to break into the jail.
Video of a police officer allegedly kneeling on a protester’s neck quickly went viral.
The video -- which contains profanity and violence -- can be seen here.
Shelby police said they would release its footage of the protest soon.