DETROIT (WXYZ) — As day 6 of protests in Detroit gets underway, we’re learning more about the layers going on inside the crowd, the criminals bringing in projectiles and how undercover federal and city law enforcement are gathering information that could find ties to organized groups working in other cities.
Detroit Police Chief James Craig won’t discuss the intelligence his department is gathering. But he said people coming in from outside the city have another agenda than to celebrate the life of George Floyd.
US Attorney Matthew Schneider credits Chief Craig and Mayor Duggan for keeping Detroit from having fires, broken windows in businesses and looting that have happened in several other cities.
Earlier this week, Mayor Duggan said some of the people arrested were using radios to communicate in the crowd, and had people driving cars to deliver projectiles, bricks, blocks, railroad spikes, fireworks smuggled inside food boxes and ice chests.
US Attorney Schneider tells 7 Action News, “they are incredibly well organized” and they are working to see if they are related to groups established in Chicago and Minnesota to cause destruction under the cover of the peaceful protesters.
Schneider says people in the crowd with cellphones can help them by sending in videos and pictures of the people causing trouble. They can call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Schneider also says the 8 pm Detroit curfew requires all protesters who have First Amendment Rights to go home.
“There is no First Amendment if there’s curfew that is validly imposed,” Schneider said.
