Protesters want the Detroit Grand Prix out of Belle Isle.
Close to a dozen Detroiters gathered at the opening to the MacArthur Bridge on Saturday, dawing signs reading "Belle Isle is a park, not a racetrack."
Protester Sandra Novacek says the boombing sound and vibration that will stretch across the Detroit to Windsor are only a small part of a much larger issue with having the race in the park.
She told AM800 News — it's not a protest against auto-racing, it's about the location of the race.
"Most of the people in our group do not oppose racing," says Novacek. "What we do oppose is the fact that over the last few years it has taken anywhere from 70 to 120 days to set up and take down the actual race."
Novacek says the race takes over a public park and it's not fair to the people of Detroit and the surrounding area.
"Many areas are inaccessible to the public, and it changes, it starts off kind of gradual," says Novacek. "You can go to some places but as you get closer to the race it gets worse and worse."
She says the damage done to what is a beautiful green space, far outweighs any benefit the race man bring.
"We've had incidents where they've actually pounded lines into trees. We don't know the effects on the wildlife, we don't know the effects on the vibrations on the historic buildings," says Novacek.
The green flag for 2017 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix drops June 2 and wraps on June 4.
Protesters say they're not opposed to @detroitgp, just the location. It needs to be moved out of @BelleIsle_Park. #cklw pic.twitter.com/dsqMF0UIjT
— Gord Bacon (@baconAM800) May 27, 2017