DETROIT (WXYZ) — Large groups of teenagers gathering in downtown Detroit this week have led to fights and arrests, prompting an increased police presence and intervention from a local community group on the Detroit Tigers' Opening Day.
Social media posts circulated plans for teenagers to meet up downtown. In response, Detroit police ramped up their presence, and a community group called Ceasefire took to the streets to stop violence before it started.
Watch the video report below:
On Friday evening, a large gathering of teens in Campus Martius led Detroit police to step in and disperse the group. Our cameras caught some young people running through the streets with police trailing close behind. Ceasefire was on the move, trying to de-escalate the situation before anything became violent.
"Tuesday, there were a lot of fights and stuff like that, so our goal is to really work with them, talk to them, and through our relationships, keep them from going to jail, keep things from escalating. We've seen crazy things happen downtown with young people," Ceasefire crewmember Toson Knight said.
The group says showing up at popular places with lots of foot traffic, like Campus Martius Park, and interacting with the youth plays a huge role in building trust.
"When it comes to our youth, sometimes you got to step in. You meet them where they are at. Look happy? Talk to them happy. They angry? You try and take that anger out of them and lead them another way," Ceasefire crewmember Ortagus Jackson said.
"Once you know them, you can kind of help them change their lives, for real, and help them stay out of trouble. They'll listen to you more than they'll listen to a police officer," Knight said.
"They know we're not trying to send them to jail or have them locked up. We want them to get home safe at the end of the night," Jackson said.
"Their parents are not down here, right? They're around their friends, probably going to be trying to show out," Knight said.
"Sometimes, they get out of line. It's up to us as adults in the community to say hey, stop," Jackson said.
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Ceasefire program manager Tamara Smith said the group is focused on making sure the community stays safe.
"We want to continue for Detroiters to feel safe," Smith said. "If you are caught doing wrong, reprimand to the fullest will happen."
"My message to them on a daily basis is make good decisions, find things that are productive and don't get you locked up, in trouble or hurt others," Knight said.
"We're here to help you stay out of trouble and get home to your loved ones — your mother and father, your blood brothers and sisters," Jackson said.
Ceasefire wants to remind young people that the curfew for those who are 15 and under is 10 p.m., and for 16 and 17-year-olds, it is 11 p.m.
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