Former Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell helped organize and will lead the “Belle Isle Freedom March” on Friday in Detroit, with the goal of working towards strengthening relationships between minority communities and local police.
The march starts at 3:00 pm EST, and participants will begin silently walking from Gabriel Richard Park just before the bridge at 4:00 pm.
“It isn’t just a march just to say we did it,” Bell told Dave Birkett of the Free Press. “It’s to march and then to start a dialogue and to bridge that gap with the civilians who are Detroit citizens and also with the local police and the state police, and ultimately kind of be the staple of this is how you should go about creating a change.”
In an effort to gain more awareness for this event, Bell reached out to the Lions and asked them to support him.
“When I called president (Rod) Wood and told him about our initiative and what we’re trying to get accomplished and what we wanted to get done, he was all in, no questions asked,” Bell said. “(Wood asked), ‘What do we need? How can we be a part? We want this to be successful and we want you guys to know that we are standing with you. That spoke volume to his character and the organization.”
The Lions have promoted the march on social media and several members of the organization, including players, plan on attending.
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