Detroit, MI – On Saturday, April 18, the Detroit Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression held a rally at the corner of Clark Avenue and West Fisher Service Drive to demand that the Detroit City Council pass the People’s Bodycam Ordinance, a progressive city ordinance that would force the police to release body-worn camera footage from incidents of police violence. Banners were held by the road and over the highway overpass, with the slogans. “Stop protecting killer cops! Pass the People’s Bodycam Ordinance!” Protesters at the rally chanted, “When killer cops are on patrol, what’s the answer? Community control!”

Ten minutes into the rally, protesters were confronted by the Detroit Police Department, who insisted that the holding of a banner over the highway overpass was unlawful, and that several protesters would be issued citations for taking part in setting up the banner.

When pressed, none of the police officers were able to find the specific language stating that the display of a banner in such a fashion was illegal. Nevertheless, they stayed at the scene for 45 minutes, eventually confiscating the banner held on the overpass and informing protesters that they would be issued citations in the mail. During this time, the crowd continued chanting, this time directly at the police: “Biggest threat to the block? The chief and his racist cops!”

After an hour of chanting, Marcel Ulacia of DAARPR spoke about the People’s Bodycam Ordinance and its place in the larger struggle against police violence, stating, “This is year two of our struggle, and we’re in it for the long run. And it doesn’t end at our bodycam ordinance; our end goal is to fully establish community control of DPD and finally put them on the leash they’ve been needing since the founding of their institution.”

Kassandra Rodriguez from El Comité de Acción Comunitaria de Detroit told the crowd, “We will not stand aside while our city government surrenders our communities to ICE and police violence. Our city needs to serve us, and we, the people, should be the ones deciding how our communities get policed.”

Last to speak was Jacob Smith of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, who stated, “We need the People's Bodycam Ordinance so that the public can make their own judgement calls on police conduct, and we need to establish community control of the police so we can properly discipline these rabid dogs when they step out of line!”

After the speeches, protesters continued chanting for an additional half hour in defiance of the repression enacted by the Detroit Police Department.

#DetroitMI #MI #InjusticeSystem #PoliceAccountability #Bodycam #DAARPR

Detroit, MI – On Sunday, April 12, another protest took place in Detroit to demand an end to the war on Iran. The second weekly protest brought around 90 participants to the Spirit of Detroit sculpture and through the streets around Woodward Avenue and Campus Martius Park.

The weekly protests are organized by the Detroit Anti War Committee, along with the support of US Palestinian Community Network, Code Pink, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Engineers Against Apartheid.

The protest began with people lining the edge of the street holding banners and signs, such as “Detroit divest from war profiteers!” Cars passed and honked in support of the anti-war messaging. With the route going around Campus Martius, the One Campus Martius Building sparked up heated chants of “Fuck Dan Gilbert!” referring to the billionaire Zionist who owns the building and contributed over $80,000 to Detroit election campaigns, including that of Mayor Mary Sheffield.

Bryce Morin from Students For A Democratic Society stated, “We here at SDS oppose Wayne State’s support of these mass killings and displacements through investments in companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. And we are against our university allowing ICE to continue to deport students from our campus. Because we believe that our tuition and tax dollars should go towards funding education, not towards supporting war.”

Hiba Elturk, a founding member of the Detroit Anti-War Committee came out to speak on her experience having familial ties to Beirut and Bechamoun in Lebanon, “When Israel broke the ceasefire, it felt like the weight of the entire world had come down on me. I pray to God none of you ever have to reach for your phones and make the decision of who to call first to check and see if they’re still alive! Thanks to the Zionist entity, these decisions I’m being forced to make,”

Elturk continued, “My uncle was on his way home from work when the street he was driving on got struck by a missile. Five minutes too early, five minutes too late, and he would have been murdered.”

Jo Pico, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Ultimately, in this moment of uncertainty, trauma, and pain, there is one fact we can hold onto: we have power. This is what gives us clarity to meet the moment.”

After marching, the demonstrators rallied in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, which is where the city council meets.

Daanyal Syed of Detroit Anti-War Committee stated, “The city of Detroit is complicit in genocide, as it has contracts like Shot Spotter, whose technology is used to surveil Palestinians, is used to surveil our Black and brown communities.” Syed closed out the protest by calling on everyone to show up to protest next week.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #DAWC #Iran #Palestine #FRSO #SDS

Detroit, MI – On Sunday, April 5, around 100 people joined Detroit Anti-War Committee at the Spirit of Detroit statue to begin weekly protests against Trump’s war on Iran. Daanyal Syed, speaking on behalf of the committee, explained why the organization began these protests, saying that while the U.S. and Israel continue to ramp up their violence, “we must ramp up our opposition.”

These protests began in collaboration with U.S. Palestinian Community Network, CodePink-Detroit, Engineers Against Apartheid, Wayne State Students for a Democratic Society, Love & Liberation, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

The organizers chose to begin the protests on Easter Sunday, partially in response to Israel’s recent death penalty law that targets heroes of the Palestinian liberation movement, such as Marwan Barghouti and Dr. Abu Safiya. However, the protest also highlighted the U.S. and Israel’s terror on the region as a whole, protesting the Zionist state’s continuous attacks on Lebanon and the threats from Trump to bomb Iran “into the Stone Age.”

People rallied with Iran flags, and many came with signs highlighting all three issues, some holding signs of Palestinian prisoners, others holding signs demanding an end to the attacks on their families in Lebanon, and more.

After the rally, the crowd marched through Campus Martius, chanting, “Money for Detroit, not for war!” Upon returning to the Spirit of Detroit, people continued to hold space despite the march being over. Several people came up to the organizers and promised to come back the following week.

While Iran and the U.S. came to a ceasefire agreement as of April 7, the Detroit Anti-War Committee plans to continue its weekly protests.

Protesters demanded an end to the U.S. and Israel’s terror on the region, from occupied Palestine to Lebanon to Iran. The committee remains steadfast to the demand that Trump and his allies cease all hostilities on Iran and honor Iran’s 10-point ceasefire plan.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Iran

The Grand Rapids Alliance is stunned but not surprised at the decision by Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker to shield the murderers of Da’Quain Tre Johnson. We condemn this decision and are filled with emotion alongside his family as they will no longer get their day in court due to the inaction of the justice system in Grand Rapids. We call upon the Attorney General Nessel to rectify this and bring charges against these officers.

Once again, we see a justice system that protects the powerful and not the broader community. We see decisions made behind closed doors with no explanation in court. The police department plays public relations games while investigations are ongoing, tainting evidence and swaying the public before any decision can be made. Officers are empowered to be judge, jury, and executioner with no recourse for the victim or the community.

The city should launch an independent 3rd party investigation immediately and begin a review of its policy of deadly force by police officers. We stand by the Johnson family as they pursue a civil case against the city. We renew our call for community control of the police department. Until those who use deadly force are held accountable by the community they are supposed to keep safe, peace is not possible.

Justice for Da’Quain Tre Johnson!

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #DaQuainTreJohnson #InjusticeSystem #OppressedNationalities

Detroit, MI – On Saturday, March 7, Detroiters took to the streets of downtown to protest the ongoing bombing of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. Over 200 people came out to protest Trump’s warmongering.

The protesters stood at the entrance to Hart Plaza where passing cars and pedestrians heard their chants calling for an end to the war, including “No more weapons, no more bombs, the people stand with Lebanon!” and “Trump wants war, Trump wants oil, hands off Iranian soil!”

Friendly honks vastly outweighed any boos from agitators.

Detroit Anti War Committee member Daanyal Syed told the crowd, the $3.7 billion spent on the first 100 hours of the attacks on Iran “should be used to improve our education system, our transportation, our healthcare, and our communities – not to bomb children overseas.”

After marching through Campus Martius, a few more speeches were given and a protester came up to the mic to read aloud the names and ages of a few of the martyrs, many of which were children and elderly.

Afterwards, people lingered in the plaza, discussing ways to get involved with efforts beyond the day’s action and the impact of Trump’s actions on their families across the globe. Beyond being a clear showing that Detroit opposes Trump’s warmongering, the action also proved that Detroiters are willing to fight back to stop his war on Iran, including joining the fight for divestment.

The action was put on by the Detroit Anti War Committee, the US Palestinian Community Network of Detroit/Dearborn, Students for a Democratic Society Wayne State, Engineers Against Apartheid, CodePink Detroit, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#DetroitMI #MI #AntiWarMovement #Iran #Palestine