For Immediate Release: Saturday, May 30, 2020
The Montgomery County Council condemns the brutal murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis. Once again, America is in the crossfire, reeling from the pernicious effects of bigotry, racism and prejudice and from an inferno fueled by police brutality. A black man has been murdered right before the eyes of our nation, and we are left wondering what to do, how to comfort ourselves, our loved ones and our community. This must stop.
The rage and the demand for equity, justice and respect sweeping our nation must be understood in the context of the lack of a national leadership that unites America and the despair felt by black and brown residents who are the direct victims of the disproportionate impact of economic downturns and the Covid-19 pandemic, and who live daily with the consequences of institutional racism.
This must stop. As leaders of Montgomery County, we stand before you to assure you that we will do all in our power to make everyone in our community feel safe and respected. We are committed to zero tolerance for police brutality and disrespect directed at our residents.
In the past year, the Council has been focused on this issue from a racial equity and social justice lens. We have adopted a racial equity and social justice law, instituted a community advisory group and a law enforcement and transparency law that ensures transparency and independence in the investigation of police related deaths. We have also passed a community policing bill. Throughout this hard work, we have involved our communities in truly difficult conversations about the state of race relations in our county and our country.
We must do more to protect our residents and to ensure that our police force comprises police officers who are truly invested in a culture of respect. In these difficult times, we call for calm and urge everyone to see these challenges as an opportunity for reflection and purposeful action to make our country and our county a warm and safe space for all our residents, one in which the color of your skin is not a death sentence.
We respect our police force, and we will continue to work with our county executive and our police chief on the faithful implementation of the accountability measures we have put in place in the last year. As your leaders, we have heard loud and clear the pain ringing all through our nation. We stand by you to comfort you and to assure you that under our watch, we will do everything necessary to keep you safe and respected.
###
Release ID: 20-238