‘Back the Badge’ Rally Saturday in Royal Oak

ROYAL OAK, MI — A “Back the Badge” community rally will be held in Royal Oak Saturday against a national backdrop of heightened violence against law enforcement officers, including the assassination of five police officers in Dallas and three in Baton Rouge connected to the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as the killing of two Michigan bailiffs as a Berrien County suspect was led in handcuffs from a routine court appearance

The rally will be held from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 30, on the football field at Shine Catholic High School, 3500 W. 13 Mile Road, and will include brief speakers from police officers and their families. The event is sponsored by local businesses and citizens, and is designed to bolster support for the men and women in law enforcement who have pledged to protect and serve, according to a news release.

“Statistics show that nearly one-quarter of American adults have an encounter with law enforcement annually and, of those, nearly 40 percent are citizen requests for assistance,” Tim Smith, one of the organizers and CEO of Troy-based automovie supplierOsirius, said in the news release.

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“A small percentage file complaints (against police officers),” Smith said. “We want those who work to protect and serve us to know we appreciate their efforts.”

The rally is non-political. Parents are encourage to bring their children. Back the Badge merchandise will be available, and there will be a coupon giveaway and a large sign for those attending to write well wishes to law enforcement personnel.

Back the Badge is pro-law enforcement movement for the men, women and K9 officers policing the nation’s streets. Back the Badge rallies are being held across the country this summer and beyond.

For more on the Royal Oak event, click here. To “like” the Back the Badge Royal Oak Facebook page, click here.

Back the Badge Royal Oak by Beth Dalbey on Scribd