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Group behind 8 Mile racial profiling billboards planning march Saturday

By Jack Nissen
Published  June 5, 2021 12:30pm EDT
Detroit
FOX 2 Detroit

Billboards along Eight Mile warn of a racial profiling zone

One of them is near Eight Mile and Dequindre, there are two more at Eight Mile and Woodward, and I-94 and Morang. It's part of a billboard campaign by The Racial Profiling Across Eight Mile Committee.

DETROIT - The group behind multiple billboards on Eight Mile Road encouraging citizens to share their stories about racial profiling will be demonstrating in Detroit Saturday.

 The Racial Profiling Across Eight Mile Committee is responsible for both the billboards and the weekend protest. 

Saturday's march plans to start as a rally on Dequindre and Eight Mile Road at 1 p.m. before marching toward Woodward. 

It will feature residents who have been victims of racial profiling, as well as community leaders organizing for Black lives, a release from the group said. The event's purpose is to "build unity across Detroit and the suburbs to oppose racism, racial profiling, and police abuse, harassment, and brutality."

"Warning Racial Profiling Zone: Share your story ~ 313.883.9121 read one of the many billboards. 

RELATED: Billboards on 8 Mile warn drivers of ‘Racial Profiling Zone’

"We want people to share their stories and to reach out to us, to explain what the harassment and the targeting has been like," said Allen Denard. "Of course we hope that we can stop this overpolicing, because that is the end goal. But we need people to be aware that this is still an ongoing problem."

Not everyone agreed with the placement of some of the billboards. That includes Luke Londo, a City Councilmember at Hazel Park who called the group funding the billboards "super irresponsible."