When a Michigan sheriff approached a group of protesters on Saturday and asked what they wanted police to do, the crowd immediately shouted, "Walk with us! Walk with us!" So Genesee County Sheriff Christopher Swanson replied, "Let's walk." Removing his helmet and baton, he declared, "We want to be with you all for real. I want to make this a parade, not a protest." He joined the crowd of demonstrators who had gathered in Flint Township, bringing attention to systemic racism and police brutality in response to George Floyd's in-custody death in Minneapolis. "We walked another mile and a half, and we shook hands and hugged and talked, and you saw this whole tension just dissipate with the crowd," Swanson describes. "Law enforcement has to come from behind the dash, behind the conference table, behind the podium, and get into the community and talk." The inspiring display of unity drew cheers, and an energy of community solidarity.

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