'No justice, no peace!' Thousands march in Detroit 'Black Friday' rally amid heavy police presence

Several Canadians joined thousands of Detroiters at arally dubbed "Black Friday" to protesta spate of recent shooting deaths by police in the UnitedStates.

"I felt in my heart that I needed to be here," Shantelle Browning-Morgan, a Windsor native, told CBC News.

"I've been feeling frustrated at home in Canada not being able to help across the border when I see so much suffering and injustice going on. So I felt this was the best way for me to show support and stand in solidarity."

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Browning-Morgan said she was "impressed by the number of young people (at the rally), especially those who shared some of their personal stories, which were very moving.

"I was taken aback by the hope everyone has in spite of everything [that's]been going on," she said.

Emotions ran high at CampusMartiusPark, where crowds gathered amid a heavy police presencebefore beginning their marchchanting, "I'm firedup, I'm fed up!"

Thenumber of protestersswelled into the thousandsbefore they began marchingthrough the city's streets.

Friday's protestcamejust one day after five police officers were fatally shot in Dallas by a gunman believed to be 25-year-old U.S. army reservistMicahXavier Johnson, who reportedly told police during a standoff that he "wanted to kill white people, especially white police officers." Johnson opened fire on a demonstration over two fatal shootings of black men by police this week in Baton Rouge, La., and St. Paul,Minn.

Ahead of the rally,Detroit police officer NicoleKirkwoodtold CBC News that police planned to step up their presence with thousands expected to turn up.

"There is a heightened awareness. We are asking officers to be more vigilant, stay alert," Kirkwood said."We are in a constant state of readiness."

But Detroit police Chief James Craig said he welcomed those who intended toprotest peacefully, saying the shootings in Dallas can't be attributed to the protesters who had been demonstrating without violence or incident when shots rang out Thursday.

Windsor resident and community activist, Irene Moore Davis, also attendedthe rally as ashow of solidarity with her counterparts across the border.

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"It was really important for us to show solidarity with the people that are suffering in the African-American community, recognizing that all of us have to work out solutions," she said.

Lloyd Duesette, a Detroiter, told CBC he attended the rally because he got tired of expressing his frustration about police shootings on social media.He usedFaceTime to talk tohis brother who is in an Arizona prison during the rally so he could be part of the event.

"Me posting was not of (the solutions)," he said, adding that "beingaround people and sharing my thoughts and trying to figure something out" was important for him.