22-year-old woman diffuses tension, chaos during Detroit protests

DETROIT – Young Detroiters have been garnering a lot of praise for their handling of some tense situations during the protests.

One of the standouts has been a 22 year-old woman named Gabrielle Wilson.

RELATED: Detroit authorities, community leaders working together to keep protests peaceful

Wilson has stood out for her strong message against police brutality and her ability to keep things calm. Even Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan has noticed.

Wilson continues to work her shifts as a security guard and on no sleep, she continues to protest.

“I want everyone to hear we are building bridges,” Wilson said.

Tuesday night, one group took off up Gratiot Avenue, making it clear they wanted a confrontation with police.

Wilson led the group away from confrontation.

Wilson has also stood out to Detroit film maker Stephen McGee. Amid the chaos and confrontations, he said he found Wilson far more interesting.

You can watch Shawn Ley’s full story above.


About the Authors:

Local 4 Defender Shawn Ley is an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with Local 4 News for more than a decade.

Dane is a producer and media enthusiast. He previously worked freelance video production and writing jobs in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts. Dane graduated from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.