SLO County sheriff ‘shocked, saddened and angered’ over police killing of George Floyd
San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson on Monday said that he was “shocked, saddened and angered” by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, but added that he was encouraged by the peaceful nature of local protests.
As local demonstrations stretched into their second day, Parkinson said at a county news conference Monday, that the police officers involved in Floyd’s death should be prosecuted.
He said that while he supports residents’ First Amendment rights to protest, he would “not stand by and allow anyone to take advantage of a peaceful march and turn it into an opportunity to hurt people or to damage property.”
Parkinson also noted that roughly 50 local law enforcement officers have returned to San Luis Obispo County after being deployed to Los Angeles as part of a state mutual aid to assist with civil unrest in that city.
Here is Parkinson’s full statement:
“Like many of you, the only information I have or have seen on this matter has been through the media reports. I’ve watched the video of the officers restraining George Floyd, and I was shocked, saddened and angered over what I saw. The officers involved deserve to be prosecuted for their actions, or their lack of actions, for Mr. Floyd’s death.
“(I’ve spoken) to other chiefs in other departments and other law enforcement executives in this county, and they all share my same opinion on this matter. We’ve seen people from across this county take to the streets to protest what happened in Minneapolis. It is their right to do so under the First Amendment of our Constitution.
“Unfortunately, some of the people in these crowds have turned some peaceful marches into the opportunity to engage in acts of violence, theft, and property damage. For the business community throughout the state that is trying to recover from the economic damage of COVID, this could not have come at a worse time.
“We can not ignore or tolerate racism in our community. We must denounce it when we see it, and we must do everything we can to prevent it from occurring. Your local law enforcement is committed to promote unity in our community through dialogue and consensus-building. We can not afford to have our community be driven or divided through frustration, anger, or hate. I support the community’s right to exercise their first Amendment rights to protest and express their concerns in a non-violent, non-destructive manner. Locally, we have had several gatherings that have occurred throughout the county that have given people the opportunity to express their concern and outrage over what occurred in Minnesota. Our local gatherings have been peaceful and the organizers have been cooperative with law enforcement in keeping our community safe. I expect further gatherings and protests and marches to remain peaceful, because the people attending them are our friends, our neighbors, and our family members.
“But to be clear, I will not stand by and allow anyone to take advantage of a peaceful march and turn it into an opportunity to hurt people or to damage property. Our role is to keep the peace by protecting all people and their property, while safeguarding their Constitutional rights. And that is what we will do.
“Forty-four deputies and nine local police officers have just returned from deployment to the city of Los Angeles. Those peace officers and deputy sheriffs responded to a community that was not theirs and with the sole purpose of keeping the peace and to protect people and property. I am glad that they have returned safely, from Los Angeles, and they’re back in our community now. The deployment of police officers from San Luis Obispo County was done as a part of a state mutual aid request made by the State of California’s Office of Emergency Services. This was standard practice for us to respond to our neighboring counties throughout the state. I do not know at this time if the request to send additional officers throughout the state will occur, but I assure the residents of our county that we’ll only do so after assuring that our residents are safe.”
