Police respond to ‘public safety concern’ at Detroit Cinco de Mayo celebration

Detroit police closed parts of Vernor Highway in southwest Detroit to vehicular and pedestrian traffic Sunday evening during the 59th annual Cinco de Mayo celebration because of a “public safety concern.”

Detroit police Sgt. Jordan Hall said Cinco de Mayo hadn’t been canceled, and people had been free to continue to celebrate. He did not go into details about what the concern for public safety entailed, but he said that about seven people were ticketed and released. None were arrested.

Social media reports said the annual Mexican heritage celebration in southwest Detroit had been halted by police Sunday evening.

Local activist Ofeliza MuÑeca Torres Saenz said in an Instagram video that the celebration had been shut down because of “over capacity.”

“One of our biggest events in our community over the (expletive) weekend and they shut it down?” she said.

She said the police closed Vernor Highway, the route used for an earlier parade.

A video posted by Twitter user @vanhoa2272 shows police handcuffing a young person wearing a keffiyeh.

The annual celebration included a parade, which started at noon Sunday, and a cultural and musical fiesta, which began Saturday and ended at 8 p.m. Sunday.