Mayor's Office

Police Chief Reports on Safety in Downtown Flint During Back to the Bricks

August 22, 2016 (Flint, MI) — After a busy weekend in the City of Flint, Police Chief Tim Johnson reported to leaders of Mayor Weaver’s administration today that Back to the Bricks went off without a hitch in regards to safety. Chief Johnson said tens of thousands roamed the streets in and around Downtown Flint, and there were no arrests or incidents reported.

“Everything went smoothly,” commented Johnson. “People were everywhere, all the parking lots were full well beyond downtown.”

Year after year, Back to the Bricks draws not just locals to the downtown area, but people from across the country. This marked Johnson’s first experience of the event as Chief of Flint Police. He says he planned ahead and made sure special precautions were taken before the crowds and cars rolled in.

“A lot of streets were blocked off, we had the curfew in place and we had officers everywhere,” Johnson said. “We wanted to make sure people were aware that police officers were out in full force, and they were.”

Chief Johnson says he is very pleased that there were no safety concerns during this year’s Back to the Bricks celebration. And he plans to have similar safety and security measures in place for other major events in Flint in the future.

“This is the outcome we always want. We will continue to provide this kind of security for Back to the Bricks, Bikes on the Bricks and other big events in the city to make sure we keep the area safe for citizens so they can come out with their families, enjoy the great events Flint has to offer and just have a good time.”