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Detroit Free Press: 3rd day of protests over alleged police brutality draws hundreds to Washtenaw jail

Hundreds of protesters filled the street near the Washtenaw County Jail in Pittsfield Township on Thursday to protest injustice in the local community and nationwide.

The protest was initially organized in response to a video that circulated on social media Tuesday showing a white Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy punching a black woman in a Ypsilanti Township neighborhood during an arrest. Organizer Trische Duckworth said while that was what spurred the event, it quickly evolved.

"Once we were there, the focus escalated to just injustice as a whole," Duckworth said. "It is just a consistent violence against black and brown people by many police agencies — it's not just one, it's not an isolated incident, you can see this happens across the country."

The protest comes on the heels of national outcry after the death of a handcuffed black man in police custody in Minneapolis. The death sparked rioting and looting in Minneapolis and the summoning of the National Guard by Gov. Tim Walz.

The violent protests followed the death of George Floyd, who gasped for breath during a Monday arrest in which an officer kneeled on his neck for almost 8 minutes. In footage recorded by a bystander, Floyd can be heard pleading that he can’t breathe until he slowly stops talking and moving.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig called Floyd's death a "tragic and wrongful death" at a news conference Thursday and said the officer should be arrested.

"On behalf of the city and Detroit Police Department, our prayers go out to the victim, George Floyd, his family, his friends, and everyone in the city of Minneapolis. Based on my 44 years of experience, I can tell you when even one officer engages in the use of excessive force, we all share the disappointment for the dishonor it brings to our badge," Craig said. "Those of us in law enforcement take a solemn oath to protect and serve with courage, integrity and respect. And that is what the community expects."

Duckworth, founder and executive director of Survivors Speak, said the first protest came after she initially saw the video of the incident on social media and decided to meet with people outside the sheriff's office.

The Washtenaw County case drew outrage after a video of two sheriff's deputies becoming physical with a married couple circulated on social media Tuesday.

The two resisted when deputies tried to physically remove them from a shooting scene in Ypsilanti Township. Video of the incident shows one deputy, a white male, punching the woman repeatedly in the head while the other used a taser on the husband before taking both into custody. Sheriff Jerry Clayton says the use of force is being investigated.

The man was released from Washtenaw County Jail and the woman, Sha'Teina Grady El, was transferred to Wayne County Jail on an outstanding warrant for resisting arrest during a traffic stop, according to her lawyer William Amadeo. 

Amadeo said Grady El was arraigned in 23rd District Court Michigan and received a $2,500 cash bond, but has not yet been arraigned on the Detroit warrant for resisting arrest.

"To say that I’m disgusted would be an understatement. As bad as it was for my clients to be beaten and tased, Washtenaw County did release them and she had a chance to go home and heal until the Taylor Police Department stepped in," Amadeo said in a statement to the Free Press on Thursday. "I have contacted many of the Wayne County Prosecutors and have expressed my concern for Sha'Teina's well-being as she was badly beaten and nobody has responded.

"This is a tragic situation and I would hope that Kim Worthy, the Wayne County Prosecutor, does the right thing and lets Sha'Teina go home with her family and obtain the medical care she so desperately needs."

The Grady Els claim Moorish Nationalism, which is a sect of Islam, and any police interactions they are involved in need to be handled at the federal level and do not recognize local law enforcement, according to Amadeo.

Taylor Police Department could not be reached for comment.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell said the local community is "hurting" and the video "is deeply disturbing" in a statement Wednesday.

“The incident that occurred this week causes all of us to search our conscience. Brutality by anyone is never OK and whenever we witness violence captured on video it is deeply disturbing," Dingell said in the statement. "Sheriff Clayton is committed to a complete and thorough investigation of all the facts and he more than many understands how important and complicated these issues are. There are many committed law enforcement members who work hard every day and put their lives on the line for us.

Protests throughout metro Detroit are planned every day through next week, with the next one taking place at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in downtown Detroit on Friday. Duckworth said the group wants Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel to take the case so "the police do not police the police" and further look into the process as to how sheriff's office handles these cases, and the Grady El's charges dropped.