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One activist and a Lucas County Sheriff's Office Captain advise taking precautions before heading to a protest

Ruth Leonard and Capt. Matt Luettke say you should be aware of the leader and location of the demonstration.

There have been multiple protests across Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan after the death of George Floyd. 

These protests have activists cautioning you to stay safe and asking you to look closely at the flyers and social media posts before heading out. 

"I woke up this morning to basically a series of messages that state that there was going to be a protest. I believe in Bedford, Michigan and that no one really knew who was leading it," said Ruth Leonard, administrative lead with the Community Solidarity Response Network.

Those messages prompted Leonard to make another call for action, asking you to keep safety in mind first. 

"For a lot of people who are coming out for the first time to be a part of protests and marches that having a clear understanding of what exactly it is that you'll be doing," said Leonard. 

Captain Matt Luettke with the Lucas County Sheriff's Office agrees, especially with some past protests leading to violence.  

"Whenever there's people, innocents or not, that are in the area of violence, there's always a chance that somebody could be hurt," said Capt. Luettke. 

Leonard says you can avoid that by first learning who is hosting protest and where it will be held. 

"We live in a racialized society that there are certain spaces where people are very vocal about not wanting outsiders in their spaces." 

Other recommendations involve knowing who will lead the protest, if you have questions and having a plan beforehand in case things take a turn for the worst.

"Law enforcement can't see into the crowds. If you see somebody who's brought weapons with them, you see somebody who's brought things they're gonna throw at law enforcement, you can step out of that crowd," said Capt. Luettke. 

Capt. Luettke says you should then notify an organizer like Ruth Leonard. 

As an activist who has taken part in vocal activism for 5 years, she says knowledge is power. 

"When you're in the early stages of activism and you're planning protests you believe ambiguity is helping and it actually ends up being hurtful to the cause because people need to know if they're showing up to a event, who to go to in case something happens," said Leonard. 

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