SHUT DOWN: James Craig’s Speech Announcing His Run for Governor Shut Down by Detroit Will Breathe Led Protest
by Will Froberg
At 9:00 am Tuesday anti-police protesters gathered at Belle Isle to protest James Craig’s official announcement that he will run for governor of Michigan as a Republican in 2022. Marching felt like a hip-hop concert, with Detroit Will Breathe members leading chants through loudspeakers and megaphones.
The suits attending Craig’s speech as supporters paid no attention to the protestors and continued their conversations — many even turned their backs. In other words, the Craig supporters, who were overwhelmingly white, didn’t give a shit about hearing the stories and views of Black Detroiters who have personally experienced police violence and were providing evidence-based arguments for their views.
DWB member Jae Bass led the march through the crowd and behind the empty podium where Craig was to speak. We increased the volume of our chant:
“They don’t care about Detroit,
that’s what it seems like,
and we don’t want no facial recognition Green Light!”
When we got behind the podium, all eyes were on us as Bass laid out the facts: “This is our press conference now!” He said:
“It is our constitutional right to stand up and protest against anything that we see as injustice without being met with brutal force, intimidation, trumped up charges, SUV’s, chokeholds…sent to the hospital, and thrown in jail cells. These are all tactics that James Craig used [during anti-police protests over the past couple years] on citizens who were only standing up for the rights of other citizens. We weren’t out here looting, destroying the city, or attacking police officers.”
A Black Detroiter said:
“James Craig, during his tenure [as police chief from 2013 to 2021], has not taken down the crime rate in Detroit…I don’t care what party you’re from or what office you are running for, we will be here as a community to check you, vet you, and remind you of what you have done or not done for us!”
After her speech, Craig made an appearance. He approached the podium surrounded by bodyguards. We kept chanting. He tried to speak but his voice was drowned out. After about 20 seconds of trying to speak, he and his bodyguards retreated. We followed them to their getaway car, chanting all the while, and many of us gave him the bird as the car drove away.
I have to admit, preventing Craig’s speech and chasing him out of the area felt amazing. And while our demands are nowhere near being met (policing is still drastically overfunded, Detroiters are still hyper-surveilled, etc.), this was a win to be cherished.
After the event I asked DWB member Jennifer Nichols, a young Black Detroiter, how she thought the protest went:
“I think it went great! We stopped Craig. He didn’t even get to frickin’ speak and I thought we got our voices heard! He literally ran away, so I think we accomplished what we needed to do today for sure.”
Nichols participated in the anti-policing protests in Detroit last summer and was a victim of police violence at some of them.
I also spoke to Detroit resident Lloyd Simpson, a 34-year-old Detroiter and leader of DWB:
“James Craig has a history of violating constitutional rights. When he first came in he carried out Operation Restore Order, which was violent militarized sweeps throughout the city that were predicated on unpaid tickets and low-level drug offenses, and did not make the city any safer. It was more of a spectacle to show speculators and capital that Detroit was open for business and that the city would protect their interests by managing and enclosing the working class Black population.”
Simpson explained that the main function of police is to protect the interests of the wealthy, like Dan Gilbert and the Ilitch group. Their main function is not public safety, which is why they are ineffective at increasing safety in the community. He added:
“And the truth is, any low-level street crime is a symptom of poverty, is a symptom of desperation, and the city of Detroit needs to address that in earnest if it’s really going to be serious about creating an environment of public safety.”
He noted that he has personally experienced police violence and has witnessed it numerous times in Detroit, and said:
“The injuries from last year were ridiculous [referring to the anti-policing protests in Detroit in 2020]. You had people with collapsed lungs, fractured skulls, and reporters hit with rubber bullets.
“We are out here to remind the people that it was Mike Duggan and the city council who unequivocally supported the policies of James Craig that targeted and criminalized Black Detroiters.”
Detroit Will Breathe demands that Mike Duggan and the city council:
- End facial recognition and hyper-surveillance of Detroiters
- Defund the Detroit Police Department and invest in Detroiters by providing jobs, affordable housing, home repair grants, and water infrastructure
- Stop the senseless prosecutions of gun charges for people not connected to violent crimes or having a gun on them during traffic stops, lest we forget that it was James Craig who told Detroiters to arm themselves when he came on the job
- Drop all charges against protestors taking a stand against racist police brutality
- Bring accountability to the police department by firing all officers involved in instances of police brutality against both protestors and civilians.
Detroit DSA is fighting back against the oppressive Detroit Police Department by organizing to get Landis Spencer elected to the Board of Police Commissioners. Learn more about the campaign at https://www.landis4bopc.com/.
To volunteer click here, and to donate click here. Detroit DSA will be canvassing on Saturday, September 18th and Sunday, September 19th (click the links to sign up to canvass).
Also on Sunday the 19th is Soulfood Sunday, where you can enjoy delicious Soulfood all while supporting the campaign!
In addition to Landis’s campaign, Detroit DSA is organizing to get Denzel McCampbell elected as City Clerk.
Detroit DSA’s Electoral Committee meets biweekly on Tuesdays at 5:00PM. Want to volunteer? Sign up here tinyurl.com/joind4a
The Detroit Socialist is produced and run by members of Detroit DSA’s Newspaper Collective. Interested in becoming a member of Detroit DSA? Go to metrodetroitdsa.com/join to become a member. Send a copy of the dues receipt to: membership@metrodetroitdsa.com in order to get plugged in to our activities!
