LYNN — Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary said Sunday he supports citizens who have been exercising their right to protest “the unnecessary death of George Floyd,” saying such conduct sheds a “negative light on police officers nationwide.”
Floyd, who was black, died last week after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee onto his neck until he stopped breathing. Floyd had been arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill at a store.
Mageary’s remarks came after a small group of people, holding signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “No Justice, No Peace,” “I Can’t Breathe,” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”, among others, protested in front of the Lynn Police Station on Saturday.
“We support the right of citizens to protest based upon what occurred in Minneapolis and we share in their anger,” said Mageary in a statement. “When these types of incidents occur, they shed a negative light on police officers nationwide and shatter the bonds with the community that take years to build. The city of Lynn is a diverse community and we have worked hard to build relationships with the many different groups within our city.”
Mageary, speaking on behalf of his police department, said he could understand the anger and frustration from citizens that has resulted in nearly a week’s worth of nationwide protests, which have turned violent in places and prompted the response of the National Guard and overnight curfews in some major cities.
Mageary said the Lynn Police Department was “proud” of the people who came to the Lynn Police Station to peacefully protest and assured them that their message has been heard.
“We want to assure the residents of Lynn that we will continue to work each and every day to provide a quality police service that is reflective of the needs within our community,” said Mageary.
Protests of police killings of African Americans ramped up this weekend, after the Minneapolis officer, Derek Chauvin, 44, was arrested last Friday and charged with third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.
Chauvin, who was fired after the incident, is also accused of ignoring another officer who expressed concerns about Floyd as he lay handcuffed on the ground and pleaded with officers, telling them he couldn’t breathe as Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes.
Three other officers who were involved in the incident have also been fired, but no additional charges have been filed.
Last week’s killing was condemned by Lynn Mayor Thomas M. McGee and School Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, who issued separate statements over the weekend.
“I am appalled by the multiple incidents of brutality and racism our country has witnessed over the past several weeks,” said McGee. “It is a painful reminder that racism is still too prominent in our country. Each one of us has a responsibility to stand against racism and hatred in all its forms and constructively engage in how we can overcome the appalling circumstances that have led to such unrest and heartbreak throughout our country.”
Like Mageary, McGee spoke to the diversity in Lynn, which he said is what makes the city “proud and strong,” and could serve as a means of unifying its residents.
Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” McGee said “we must do better.
“And we must listen and learn from those who all too often must live in fear of the act of simply living,” said McGee.
Tutwiler, an African American, opted to issue his statement by video via Youtube, because he wanted district families and other residents to see his face as he spoke about the “tragic and unnecessary death of George Floyd” and where it sits in the country’s history of race and racism.
Tutwiler, like others, said he was feeling profound levels of anger, disbelief, confusion, and sadness following Floyd’s death.
“For my beloved students, my young students, if you’re feeling a level of disbelief or sadness or anger in response to what happened to George Floyd, to what’s happening in our country, I’d say those are all the right feelings,” said Tutwiler.
Recalling the impassioned conversations his mother and her sister would have around race when he was a young man during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s in Chicago, Tutwiler said each person has a role to play in breaking the cycle and moving the country forward.
“I don’t have all the right words or know the answers in times such as this,” said Tutwiler. “I tend to lean on the wisdom and words of those who have come before me. I leave you with some that seem appropriate and fitting at this point in time and they come from Nelson Mandela:
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. People learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
