Scioto County Commissioners are speaking out about the death of a Minneapolis man at the hands of police officers. The Commissioners made issued a brief statement on their Facebook page this morning condemning the incident.
“The recent events in Minneapolis surrounding the death of George Floyd are both tragic and appalling. This sort of brutality against a clearly subdued and compliant individual does not represent the values of the law enforcement community, it is wrong and should be strongly condemned. We pray for this family and that justice comes quickly for those responsible directly or indirectly. The vast majority of our law enforcement community do their jobs with honor every day. They deserve our continued respect and support.”
Brutality Can’t Be Condoned
When asked at today’s commissioners meeting why they chose to address a national issue on a local level, Commissioner Bryan Davis said, “Police brutality can’t be condoned in any shape or form. That’s basically what happened there.”
He went to to clarify that all law enforcement officers shouldn’t be judged for the actions of a few. “Everyone needs to understand that we shouldn’t judge all of law enforcement because of the acts of a few. But it was just so egregious. We can’t have that in our society. We need to let people know that we support our law enforcement locally, but I will never ever condone that kind of behavior.”
Justice Should Be Swift
Davis said it is important that the officers who took part in this incident face justice.
“We need to make sure in this case in Minnesota there’s justice. I know that steps are being taken. Pray for the family. I know you can’t bring back their loved ones back. However the investigation goes, it needs to be done and it needs to be swift. “
Don’t Create More Victims
In addition to police brutality, Commissioner Davis also condemned the rioting that broke out in Minneapolis and other cities. He said that anger is understandable but such actions only create more victims.
“I was totally flabbergasted by what happened since. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I understand people are angry. They should be. Creating more victims is not the answers. You have business owners who have now lost their businesses. Also, you have property damage. You have more victims. I know that it’s a hot button issue. It’s a tough thing. We can’t condone nor could we ever condone this kind of behavior.”