Protesters condemn Warren police arrest at Biden demonstration

Protesters gathered outside Warren Police Department on Friday to condemn the arrest of a pro-Palestinian demonstrator during President Joe Biden’s visit to the city a day earlier.

The protester, identified as Maherr Salah Jaeran, 22, of Melvindale, was arraigned Friday.

Warren police said Jaeran allegedly walked in the presidential motorcade route against police orders on Thursday and assaulted an officer.

“Several demonstrators chose not to follow the direction provided to them by officers,” the Warren police department said in a news release. “Assault on a police officer is a felony by Michigan statute. For this reason, this lone demonstrator was placed under arrest when deemed safe to do so without any additional force or injury.”

Organizers who attended the Thursday demonstration denied police claims and said the protester and others present remained peaceful and compliant with law enforcement.

Despite peaceful protests, Warren police wore riot gear on Thursday and tried to intimidate protesters throughout the day, protesters said.

Standing outside the police department on Friday morning, the small group chanted “Let him out,” and “Free ‘Big M,’” a nickname for the arrested protester they did not name.

Protesters said Warren police were following the group of demonstrators back to their cars when Jaeran lagged behind the group and police suddenly surrounded him.

“Police cars swarmed him and arrested him,” said Sammie Lewis, an organizer for the Friday protest. “We think that he was specifically targeted as a darker Arab person."

About 200 protesters rallied Thursday to call for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas-run government in Gaza, where more than 27,000 people have died since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Associated Press reported.

“It was really important to make sure that I made my voice heard,” said Jenin Yaseen, a Palestinian protester from Dearborn. “That Biden was not welcome here and that we’re not going to be okay with a war criminal in our city, and that he needs to be held accountable.”

Warren police decided to arrest the protester on Friday with security in mind, Warren Police Commissioner William Dwyer said in a statement.

"The men and women of the Warren Police Department take the security of the President and protecting the rights of citizens seriously, and hope the public understands the careful balancing act these competing goals require," Dwyer said.

After a review, the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office charged Jaeran, who has no previous criminal history, with assaulting, resisting and obstructing police, a two-year felony.

He was arraigned Friday through the 37th District Court in Warren. A not guilty plea was entered.

Bond was set at $5,000. A GPS tether is required if bond is posted.

Jaeran’s next court date is scheduled for Feb. 13.

In a statement, Dwyer said he "supports and stands behind the officer’s actions and that any form of unlawful resisting or violence against officers will not be tolerated. I thank the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office for authorizing appropriate charges and commend Judge Chmura for issuing an appropriate bond."

Yaseen said officer behavior would not deter pro-Palestine protesters from continuing to organize in their communities.

“We will keep showing up for one another," she said. “They can arrest as many of our friends as they want. We will constantly show up for one another and we will stay here until we are all free. Until Zionism and the U.S. empire falls.”

The demonstration was the latest protest targeting Biden and the Israeli military offensive in Gaza in its war with Hamas.

Community leaders, including Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, canceled a meeting with Biden’s campaign manager last month, citing criticisms for his handling of the war.

Michigan’s Arab community, alongside other groups, has also voiced growing discontent with Biden.

Biden spoke at a United Auto Workers hall in Warren nearby on Thursday, though the president’s motorcade did not pass the protesters between campaign stops.

amunoz@detroitnews.com