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'No Fly Zone' issued for outside agitators in Detroit protests against police brutality

Branden Hunter
Detroit Free Press

The "No Fly Zone" has officially been reinstated in Detroit.

Made popular by Detroit recording artist Trick Trick, the No Fly Zone is a term he created to ban any outsiders in the music industry who did not have respect for the city and its artists.

Trick Trick and others used that same concept to address reported troublemakers from outside the city causing mayhem while participating in rallies over the weekend during Detroit City Council President Pro Tempore Mary Sheffield's rally Monday. The rally brought out dozens of supporters to the Detroit Association of Black Organizations in the Littlefield Community on Detroit's west side.

"I'd like to reinitiate the No Fly Zone to all those folks coming across Eight Mile and county lines to be disruptive in my city,' said Trick Trick, whose given name is Christian Mathis. "I am patrolling these streets daily and I will roll up on you. You aren't going to tear up my city."

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Trick Trick speaks during a rally put on by Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Mary Sheffield on Monday, June 1, 2020 at the Detroit Association of Black Organizations in Detroit. Speakers ranged from iconic Detroiters, activists and community leaders that spoke on calls for justice and to direct the pain and protest towards progress and away from destruction.

Sheffield recruited a number of iconic Detroiters, recording artists, and community leaders, including Royce Da 5’9, K-Deezy, Icewear Vezzo, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, Horatio Williams, New Era Detroit, Jessica Care Moore, Rev. Barry Randolph, Chantel Watkins, and Taylor Harrell, to join the call for justice in the recent cases of racially motivated murders of African Americans around the nation, and to direct the resulting pain and protests toward progress and away from destruction of Detroit.

“I understand the emotions and justified rage of those protesting the devaluing of Black and Brown lives all across this country and I share their pain," said Sheffield, who is one of the more vocals leaders in Detroit. "However, destroying our community and allowing others to deface our city is counterproductive and does nothing to advance the causes of ending racial injustices or achieving criminal justice reform.

"Let’s not contribute to taking the focus off the victims, or losing sight of the goal of bringing their murderers to justice."

Many, including Detroit Police Chief James Craig, have said they believe the agitators that have participated in protests in front of Detroit Public Safety Headquarters and have spread across downtown, are from the suburbs of Detroit or from another state. Of the 84 arrests made Saturday night, chief Craig said many of them lived outside of the Detroit city limits, with some coming from as far away as Tennessee. The Free Press has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with Detroit police to try to verify those claims.

"We drove it home loud and clear that we won't tolerate anyone coming from outside the city looking to destroy it," said Royce da 5'9", who hails from the Fenkell neighborhood in Detroit. "Unfortunately, it comes along with it, but we just have to assemble to where they won't be able to do that."

Hip Hop has had an amazing influence on the Black community in America, especially among the younger generation. Their voices and messages are often heard over anyone else's. Icewear Vezzo took heed to that and recorded a song titled "No More Pain" to address the issues Black people in America are facing. He even filmed the video for it at the protests in Detroit over the weekend.

"God placed it on my heart to make the song and video," Vezzo said. "I wanted to bring light to the issues going on in America, and to let people know that Black people aren't happy with them."

Organizers and speakers at the rally urged protesters to channel their energy and disdain for the status quo into action, advocating for real criminal justice reform, filling out 2020 Census forms, and going to the polls to vote for leaders who will work for the Black community.

"Black people continue to take a stand, opposed to becoming a stand," said Zeek, founder of New Era Detroit. "We have to make organizing and becoming a stand a lifestyle and not pick and choose what issues we want to protest on. Organizing, protecting our communities, and voting is where it starts."

Branden Hunter is a native Detroiter and eastsider who covers the city's neighborhoods for the Free Press. Contact him with neighborhood news at bhunter@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustCallmeBHunt.