Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

Black Lives Matter Protesters In Detroit Attacked by Police

As part of our coverage of the ongoing anti-racist rebellion happeming across the country and the world, we are encouraging submissions from the front lines of struggle. Independent photographer @Nadeau Jessica has sent in photos from Detroit, where protesters have been demonstrating against “Operation Legend.” Over the weekend, the Detroit Police Department violently repressed a peaceful protest.

Jessica Nadeau

August 25, 2020
Facebook Twitter Share

I am an independent photographer who has been following Detroit Will Breathe as the group holds marches and sit-ins protesting police brutality, and demanding reform that will benefit the struggling and disenfranchised communities in Detroit.

These marches have been consistently peaceful, even when police have attempted to instigate violence. 

Saturday night, we marched from the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building, to the intersection of Woodward Ave & Grand River Ave, with the demand that the Federal agents of “Operation Legend” be expelled from the city. These agents have been terrorizing neighborhoods in Detroit since July 23. 

When we reached Woodward, leadership announced that we would be occupying the space until our demands were met.

Many people chose to leave, but around 100 people did stay. I was one of them. 

Phone in one hand, camera in the other, I followed the riot line of officers as they approached the intersection on Woodward. They dismantled the barricades, and wasted no time squaring off with the line of protesters. The protesters were chanting, “We don’t see no riot here. Why are you in riot gear?” Until the police launched their attack. There is a video from a balcony above, that demonstrates that the police used an offensive tactical formation to spearhead an attack on the group of protesters. As soon a contact was made, the chanting stopped and screams of terror erupted from the crowd as they were barreled into, beaten with batons, sprayed with tear gas and mace, and forcibly thrown to the ground.

Our protest’s medics attempted to help injured protesters, and were brutally beaten as well. Several medics attempted to stand near the medical supply station to protect the supplies of water and first aid materials, but they were targeted and brutalized without cause.

I stood right next to them, and was not targeted in the same way, I was not a priority. I continued filming, as people were being beaten with batons. Several severe injuries occurred:

two fractured skulls, a broken arm, broken ribs, facial lacerations, and plenty of irreversible trauma. Several people were released to the hospital for their injuries.

Once everyone who was captured was rounded up, they were all put on a DDOT bus, and eventually taken to the DDC on Mound & Nevada. 

No Justice, No Peace.

 

Facebook Twitter Share

Guest Posts

Lord Balfour Was an Imperialist Warmonger 

We should give our full solidarity to the Palestine Action comrade who defaced a portrait of Arthur Balfour at Cambridge University. But the problem for everyone who opposes the genocide against Gaza is how to massify and politically equip the movement.

Daniel Nath

March 21, 2024

“Poor Things” Floats Like a Butterfly and Stings Like a Butterfly

Poor Things is a fantastical comedy with beautiful set design and costumes and an Oscar-winning performance from Emma Stone. So why did it leave me feeling so empty? Despite juggling feminist and socialist ideas, the film is ideologically muddled and often self-contradictory.

Basil Rozlaban

March 16, 2024

The CUNY PSC Must Organize for Palestine

CUNY workers and students are rising up to defend their university against cuts, and to fight for the liberation of Palestine.

Lucien Baskin

March 8, 2024

The Tide Is Turning: New Yorkers Are Speaking Out for Palestinian Liberation

The city's anti-Zionist movement is speaking out for Palestinian liberation. Attitudes in the city's Jewish community are shifting rapidly.

Ana Orozco

February 23, 2024

MOST RECENT

A square in Argentina is full of protesters holding red banners

48 Years After the Military Coup, Tens of Thousands in Argentina Take to the Streets Against Denialism and the Far Right

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Argentina on March 24 to demand justice for the victims of the state and the military dictatorship of 1976. This year, the annual march had renewed significance, defying the far-right government’s denialism and attacks against the working class and poor.

Madeleine Freeman

March 25, 2024

The Convulsive Interregnum of the International Situation

The capitalist world is in a "permacrisis" — a prolonged period of instability which may lead to catastrophic events. The ongoing struggles for hegemony could lead to open military conflicts.

Claudia Cinatti

March 22, 2024

Berlin’s Mayor Loves Antisemites

Kai Wegner denounces the “antisemitism” of left-wing Jews — while he embraces the most high-profile antisemitic conspiracy theorist in the world.

Nathaniel Flakin

March 22, 2024

What “The Daily” Gets Right and Wrong about Oregon’s Move to Recriminalize Drugs

A doctor at an overdose-prevention center responds to The Daily, a podcast produced by the New York Times, on the recriminalization of drugs in Oregon. What are the true causes of the addiction crisis, and how can we solve it?

Mike Pappas

March 22, 2024