from detroitnews.com
During a protest for George Floyd in Flint on Saturday, Genesee County’s sheriff decided to walk alongside protesters.
In a video that has more than 4 million views on Twitter, the sheriff, Christopher Swanson, was encouraged by protesters to walk with them.
Swanson asked the crowd of people surrounding him to tell officers what they needed to do and protesters began chanting “walk with us.” Swanson responded by saying “let’s walk.”
“We want to be with y’all for real so I took the helmet off and laid the batons down,” Swanson said in the video. “I want to make this a parade, not a protest.”
Throughout the video, Swanson gave hugs, handshakes, and pats on the back to protesters. When he asked where did they want to walk, someone yelled out “we’ll march to Minnesota if we have to.”
“Yesterday, Michigan Sheriff Chris Swanson set an example for law enforcement across the nation. I’m grateful for his leadership, and hope to see many more follow his lead,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer tweeted Sunday.