The coalition Detroit Will Breathe has been leading protests through the boulevards and side streets of Detroit for almost two months. The direct action campaign for the end of racist police violence and systemic violation of black lives is keeping the broader movement for social justice energized and on the offensive. Organizers associated with Detroit Will Breathe have drafted a comprehensive list of demands that includes the release of detained protesters, the defunding and demilitarization of the police department, the end of Project Greenlight, and facial recognition technology, and several others.

In this latest episode of the Riverwise Podcast, Tristan Taylor, one of Detroit Will Breathe’s organizers speaks on the formation of the coalition, and how developing key relationships will further empower this fight to fund basic services and community resources, alleviating our dependence on punitive justice and over-policing.

Interview recorded on July 8, 2020

The Riverwise Podcast is bringing together Detroit citizens to consider new and forms of resistance to continuing economic and political marginalization in communities of color. For over three years now, the Riverwise collective has created media that depicts local activism and the profound new work being done in Detroit neighborhoods. Through the quarterly Riverwise magazine, Riverwise community conversations, and the Riverwise Writing Workshop, we're developing our collective voice.