National Lawyers Guild Applauds Suspension of Lt. Brandon Cole, Demands Charges Against Protesters & Legal Observers Be Dropped

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

May 23, 2024

Detroit, MI — The National Lawyers Guild (NLG), Detroit & Michigan Chapter, applauds the suspension of Detroit Police Lieutenant Brandon Cole, head of the DPD Mobile Field Force. This unit, tasked with “crowd control” during protests, has repeatedly violated the civil rights of protesters and Legal Observers. NLG demands all pending charges against activists and Legal Observers be dropped immediately due to Lt. Cole's role in training officers to respond to First-Amendment-protected activities.

Lt. Cole gained notoriety this week for telling a protester to “go back to Mexico,” and for video of Mobile Field Force officers taunting demonstrators. NLG, in its role documenting law enforcement actions at demonstrations, notes that this behavior is typical of the Mobile Field Force.

Members of this unit routinely arrest and cite dispersing protesters, organizers, and Legal Observers after protests have ended. Activists and Legal Observers are verbally harassed, manhandled, injured, and jailed for fabricated charges after leaving protests..

In 2020, activists with Detroit Will Breathe and NLG Legal Observers successfully sued the City and the Police Department in two separate cases for civil rights violations. Despite this, NLG continues to observe these violations in 2024. The Mobile Field Force, under Lt. Cole, and the DPD as a whole, appear to have learned nothing from their court losses.

The NLG rejects the notion of "a few bad apples." As the full saying goes, “A few bad apples spoil the bunch.” The Mobile Field Force, under Lt. Cole, is a spoiled bunch and represents a systemic problem. Charges against protesters and Legal Observers must be dropped.