floyd protest day 2 jack thomas
Tristan Taylor, left. (Photo: Nancy Derringer)
Tensions between Detroit activists spilled into public view Tuesday after a meeting between two downtown demonstrators and the mayor, as some apparently felt snubbed for not being included.
In a video on Facebook, water rights activist Meeko Williams accused the organizer of many of the recent protests against poilce brutality of having leveraged them to further an agenda he said does not represent all Detroiters. He'd said the same earlier in the night, in a speech in front of a crowd of reportedly perplexed demonstrators.
Tristan Taylor, a longtime activist whose recent focused has been housing, sat down with Mayor Mike Duggan and Detroit Chief James Craig for an hour Tuesday, the 12th day of protests against the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. No clear concessions have yet come from it, and Taylor signaled protests would continue.
The 10th day of protests in Detroit is kicking off with a reading of the 23 demands that protesters have for officials. Several hundred people are here outside DPD HQ. I’m here for @freep with @georgeakovanis. pic.twitter.com/ODa5eX8EpQ
— Angie Jackson (@AngieJackson23) June 7, 2020
"Our power comes from our ability to maintain our presence on the streets," he told The Detroit News.
Taylor, 38, has coalesced a group that includes many young white people originally from the suburbs for rowdy marches each night, though last night's was reportedly smaller than most.
The News has more on the drama:
"You cannot say you're a spokesman for a global movement," (Joanna Underwood, another activist) told Taylor as a few hundred people began to assemble on a hot, muggy late afternoon. "You're not going to get in front of these white people and act like you're the leader."
Underwood and Williams organized the first night of protests before departing for Minneapolis. Williams accused Taylor of "hijacking" his event and leading marchers astray. After the groups split up, one clashed with police.
Taylor did not engage the criticism, later telling The News, "I'm the last person to tell anyone not to use their voice," Taylor said. "The movement will take care of itself."
A couple of protesters were put off by the negative speeches.
Sara Bragg of Detroit and Stephanie Pilarski of Royal Oak were not there to hear them.
They had marched silently and powerfully across the Belle Isle bridge Friday with nearly 400 other people.
Tuesday, they left before the first drumbeat, dismayed by the harangues of Underwood and Williams.
"We want to be positive," said Bragg, 35.
"From our perspective," said Pilarski, 27, "it felt weird."
They showed up, Bragg said, because of the overarching premise — black lives matter.
Credit, she suggested, does not.
Williams lays out his issues in the video below.
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