DETROIT (WXYZ) — Last May, Detroit Police's Lt. Brandon Cole came under fire for his comments towards pro-Palestinian protesters at a rally outside Huntington Place.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Detroit police lieutenant temporarily reassigned after comments to protester caught on video
Cole was suspended in May, without pay, after Cole reportedly said to a pro-Palestinian protestor, "Why don’t you just go back to Mexico?” The incident led to backlash in the community.
After activist Jahdante Smith discovered that Cole had been reinstated, he called me to express his disappointment.
"The fact that you could go to work, break your own protocol, not follow directions, get suspended, and come back," said Jahdante.
Jahdante was at the May 19 protest in Downtown Detroit.
"He was close to the corner," Jahdante said, while showing me where he was also standing..
The cellphone footage captured the conversation between Jahdante and Cole.
Watch the video posted online below:
"He happened to be very antagonistic towards all the protestors. I told him he should be wearing his bodycam. He said he works in a unit that I will never hear about. He told me that I was protesting the NAACP as a Black man, which I took great offense to. And he also told me I was standing with suburbanites, which is also offensive," said Jahdante.
Watch the body camera video below:
Cole acknowledged all these allegations in the letter to the Detroit Board of Police Commissioners and even expressed a desire to undergo further training. Cole also accepted breaking DPD policy by not wearing a vest and a body camera, as well as telling another Arab American protestor, Lexis Zeidan, "Go Back to Mexico!"
As per the Board of Police Commissioners, Cole was referring to a recent trip, information Cole got from Lexis's social media.
Watch our previous report where we talked to Zeidan below:
"To literally, blatantly, you were doing a deep dive into my social media, tracking my activity, to telling me on site, aren't I lucky to surveillance you at any time?" said Lexis in an interview with Channel 7 last year.
In a statement, Lexis writes, "I'm disappointed but not surprised that justice continues to take a backseat when it comes to protecting and prioritizing systemic racism in this country."
At the time of the report, I still hadn't heard back from Cole's attorney, but the Detroit Police Department confirmed that Cole returned to duty on Nov. 26, 2024, as a lieutenant in the firearms inventory unit with 60 days back pay.
While Detroit Police refused an interview request, a court document, which is a motion to dismiss a federal lawsuit against the city and former Police Chief James White, gives us some more insight into what transpired.
After being suspended, Cole filed a lawsuit in July. However, the city offered Cole a full reinstatement with back pay.
Faraz spoke to Detroit Police Commissioners Willie Bell and Linda Bernard. Both voted at Cole's suspension, with Bell in favor and Bernard a no. Detroit Documenters notes from the meetingshow that six voted to suspend Cole while two commissioners voted against.
"This was one incident. His record, in terms of his promotions, speaks for his efficiency," said Bernard.
"We expect more; he is setting the tone; it could have gotten pretty much out of hand," said Bell.
"I'm worry, concerned, when it comes to leadership, you must lead by example. So if you are not following directions and you are antagonistic and not professional, you set that example for officers under you," said Jahdante.
