A Statement About Recent Events in the Nation and Our City
On the George Floyd Tragedy & Recent Unsettling Events in Our City
Like you, my thoughts have been heavy as we watched the tragedy of George Floyd’s death.
This past weekend we saw members of our community peacefully gather to share their collective grief and outrage which was moving and inspiring.
Last night, June 1st, was not. What happened in our City last night was not a protest; it was an orchestrated and planned act of violence. The individuals who took to our City streets last night to wreak havoc and destruction were not honoring the memory of George Floyd or any of the others who have died. I want to thank the amazing men and women of our police department and the other agencies that helped in ending last night’s violence.
Nonetheless, the events in Minneapolis last week was a wakeup call that we all have a role to play in ensuring that the killing of black men in police custody must stop and stop now.
I believe that Mayor Frey of Minneapolis explained the community’s reaction best:
“… It is the result of so much built up anger and sadness – anger and sadness that has been ingrained in our Black community, not just because of five minutes of horror, but 400 years.”