Six protesters were arraigned Monday on felony charges related to a demonstration in Shelby Township over the weekend.
Nakia Wallace is one of the leaders of the racial justice group "Detroit Will Breathe". She was at Saturday’s protest and says police arrested several people during their march. Three more were taken into custody outside the jail where a group was standing vigil to support those who had already been arrested.
“Suddenly we heard sirens and cars surrounded the jail parking lot. While officers inside, rushed out and attacked people until they arrested. Three more people, two of them that were just standing in the crowd. One of them they dragged out of her car.”
It’s unclear what prompted those arrests.
Videos posted to social media seem to show a female protester being strip searched by male officers in front of everyone. Shelby Township police deny this. In a statement, the department says the woman slipped her handcuffs and took off her own clothes.
The groups ‘Detroit Will Breathe’ and ‘Detroit SHIFT’ were protesting Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide who was suspended over the summer for making racist and violent statements about ‘Black Lives Matter’ protesters.