City to dismiss some tickets issued during Floyd protests

DETROIT (AP) — The city will dismiss most misdemeanor citations issued last spring during several days of protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, according to a Detroit official.

Most of the tickets written from May 31 through June 2 were for curfew violations as hundreds of people demonstrated in downtown Detroit. The city expects to dismiss 238 of the 245 tickets issued on those three days, Detroit Corporation Counsel Lawrence Garcia said Tuesday.

Dozens of demonstrators received appearance citations for violating the city’s 8 p.m. curfew, Garcia said in a statement. Others were ticketed for disruptive or violent behavior. Police made arrests and used tear gas to disperse some of the crowds.

“In the many months since those tickets were issued, the city Law Department and police department have worked to study videotape and other evidence from the events in question,” Garcia said.

Citations written on June 1 weren't submitted to court, and many protesters weren't ticketed even though they were out after curfew, he said.

“Although certain cases from these two dates will be pursued, the city believes it is best to dismiss the vast majority of citations,” Garcia said.

Protests erupted in cities across the country after Floyd, a Black man, died May 25 after a white officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while he was handcuffed.

In addition to those in Detroit, charges that stemmed from demonstrations in some other U.S. cities also have been dismissed.