CATHEDRAL CITY — As our community wades through the anxiety, fear and frustration of the Covid-19 pandemic, and just as we begin to see hopeful signs of a recovery, the unbelievable murder of George Floyd has consumed our senses as we become witness to another horrible tragedy of police excessive use of force that results in a devastating death of an innocent soul.

The video that will continue to replay in our minds was sickening, and to watch the life leave Mr. Floyd as he calls out for his deceased mother is like no other experience, I can honestly say, I have ever had.

It brought me to tears. Sadness, anger, shock and frustration are what we all should be feeling regarding the death and treatment of Mr. Floyd by the four police officers. We should also mourn and be outraged at other African American and minority victims who have suffered at the hands of rogue law enforcement personnel throughout our history in our country.

If ever there was a wake-up call for our local, state, and national leadership to refocus on our   priorities of reinvesting in the communities who are suffering the most, this should be it.  It also painfully calls out  for a review and change in how we recruit, train, and supervise our law enforcement personnel.

It also demands that our justice system be on notice that reforms are in order to ensure that justice for all is applied equally regardless of color. It also is abundantly clear that each and every one of us is responsible to express our concern and resolve to eradicate the public policies and racial stereotyping that society has continued to look the other way from for decades.

Locally, our Cathedral City Chief of Police, George Crum, working with the fine men and women of our Department and the city’s Police Department Advisory Council, which he founded, will be specifically looking at our Department policies to determine if additional changes and recommendations should be made to our use-of-force policies.

We are also reviewing the eight recommendations from the #8cantwait campaign for possible inclusion in our policies.

On behalf of our Cathedral City community, our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of Mr. Floyd and other victims of color and to those peaceful protestors here in our community and across the country who are mourning and peacefully expressing their feelings.

Please stay safe everyone.

 

Image Sources

  • Justice will not be served …: Shutterstock