In response to the death of George Floyd, who died after being pinned to the pavement by Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, last week, several community groups have organized a march against injustice.
At noon on Thursday, the Port Huron branch of the NAACP and SCCORE will be supported by Operation Transformation, Blue Water Area Churches, Diversity Initiative of St. Clair County, S.O.N.S., and the St. Clair County Health Department in a march from the central fire station in Port Huron to the city’s M.O.C. building. The purpose of the march is to unite those who desire to see an end to police brutality and systemic racism which has been particularly devastating to the African American community.
The Port Huron Police Department released a statement from Chief Joseph A. Platzer this week on their Facebook page saying, “The Port Huron Police Department does NOT condone the actions of the officers involved in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. We work very hard to build community trust and will continue to partner with our community. We believe in transparency and keeping the lines of communication open.”
The statement also addressed law enforcement’s role in being accountable to the community for their actions by saying, “All complaints received, including use of force, are thoroughly investigated and reviewed. Our policies, tactics, and practices are evaluated on a national and state level to ensure that we are following current law enforcement standards, while providing the best level of service to our community. We take an oath to have the courage to hold ourselves and others accountable for our actions. We do this to be fair, impartial and maintain justice. All officers must have the courage to step up and step in. Anything less will not be tolerated.”
Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand
