Day five of George Floyd protests in Detroit ended with a mass arrest of protesters.
In the week since Floyd died, as a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck during an arrest, protests have spread across Michigan and the United States.
Chanting “We don’t back down to bullies in shields,” hundreds of protesters linked arms and continued marching past Detroit’s curfew.
Police eventually moved in, cuffing protesters and taking them away.
Tuesday’s end was in contrast to what happened Monday night, when protesters ended their demonstration without clashing with police.
Police Chief James Craig says he would have preferred this would not have happened.
“Clearly I would like to have reported to you that it was a peaceful protest; there was compliance. But we had a curfew in effect,” Craig told reporters.
Police in Kalamazoo also arrested protesters who violated that city’s curfew.
Assistant Police Chief Vernon Coakley spoke with protest leaders after the curfew hour passed, even taking a knee with protesters. But the protesters ignored Coakley when he urged them to go home.
Elsewhere in Michigan, there were peaceful protests, including in Saginaw and Flint.
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