Demonstrators Protest Thursday In Ann Arbor In Reaction To Violent Washtenaw Deputy Incident Where Officer Accused of Repeatedly Punching Ypsilanti Township Woman In Face.

Photo Jeff Brown Purple Walrus Press.

By Editor in Chief & Publisher Jeff Brown.

For the third straight day a substantial number of angry protesters demonstrated in front of the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Department on Hogback Road in Ann Arbor in reaction to a white Washtenaw County deputy repeatedly hitting a black woman in the face. The violent Washtenaw County deputy incident occurred a little after midnight on May 26 in the Ypsilanti Township Apple Ridge neighborhood on the eastern edge of the township.

County deputies had responded to shots fired in the neighborhood in the 200 block of Peachcrest Street on May 26. Shortly after the police responded a resident of the neighborhood video recorded the police checking out a home on the street as they were searching for the person or persons who fired the shots. As seen in the video, two people on the sidewalk in front of the home approached officers on the scene. It appeared that words were exchanged when suddenly you can see a deputy picking up Sha'Teina Grady El and then putting her down. Next, it appeared that the officer began repeatedly punching her in the face. The video has been widely viewed on social media and has sparked anger in the black community.

Thursday, May 28, a third protest was held by demonstrators angry with the violent incident. The protest began at 1:00 PM in front of the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Department on Hogback Rd in Ann Arbor. By approximately 3:00 PM protesters marched into the middle of Washtenaw Ave, and headed west until they reached the vicinity of Discount Tire before heading back east on Washtenaw where the demonstration dissipated. Police blocked off sections of Carpenter and Washtenaw Ave  near the County Sheriffs Department. U.S 23 entrance and exit ramps were also closed off by police.