(UNDATED) – The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week while he was in police custody sparked protests throughout the country and in many Michigan cities.
The streets of Grand Rapids were quiet on Sunday night after Mayor Rosalynn Bliss put a 48-hour curfew into effect. Numerous fires broke out in the downtown area Saturday when a peaceful protest turned violent. Bliss also implemented a civil emergency which allows her to call in the National Guard if necessary.
Curfews were also imposed in Lansing and Detroit. Just like in Grand Rapids, peaceful protests turned violent in both cities. Over 80 people were arrested Saturday night in downtown Detroit. Another 61 were arrested Friday night.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says a curfew will stay in effect for as long as Police Chief James Craig feels it is needed
While things went very wrong in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit, there were peaceful demonstrations in Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Flint.
The Battle Creek Enquirer reports about 500 people rallied and marched in Battle Creek on Sunday. They rallied at Friendship Park before marching through the downtown area and onto Police headquarters and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department.
Hundreds gathered at Michigan Avenue and Rose Street in downtown Kalamazoo on Saturday night. The intersection was blocked for about ten minutes and there were some high tensions between protesters and officers, but for the most part the crowd remained peaceful.
Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson eased tensions and his actions went viral when he asked protestors in Flint how he could help them on Saturday night. He then took off his helmet and put down his baton to march as protestors chanted “walk with us”. Swanson said it’s the way protests should be with no violence, damage or arrests.
(WKZO’s John McNeill and Geana Gondek contributed to this report)
