March against police brutality planned for Friday afternoon in downtown Detroit

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A march against police brutality is being planned in Detroit the afternoon of Friday, May 28. 

Several Black activist groups in Detroit have organized the march on Facebook. The march is set to begin at 4 p.m. at 1301 Third Avenue - which is Detroit Public Safety headquarters - and will take place along the street. 

The rally is in response to a couple of events that have happened recently, one local and another in the U.S. 

Here in metro Detroit, a Black woman was seen on video being repeatedly punched by a white sheriff's deputy in Ypsilanti before being arrested. Deputies had been responding to a shooting in the area and were trying to enter the woman's daughter's home without a warrant, according to her family. 

A protest is also planned earlier on Friday outside the Washtenaw County Jail at 1 p.m. The Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office has also scheduled a press conference for 3 p.m.

The other event is over in Minneapolis, where angry demonstrations have flared over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who pleaded for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck. The confrontation was captured on video. On the video, Floyd can be seen pleading as Officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee against him. As minutes pass, Floyd slowly stops talking and moving. 

The march in Detroit on Friday has several speakers already lined up and COVID-19 safety measures in place. 

The Facebook event strongly advises everyone to bring their own PPE but will have a small number of masks and gloves to distribute as needed. 

The organizers also ask that marchers keep at an interval of six feet away per person/family.