Editor, Times-Union:

On May 25, 2020, a Minneapolis police officer, Eric Chauvin, ended up killing his suspect, George Floyd, during the proces of arresting Mr. Floyd. The puzzling part of the tragedy was he did it knowing it was being recorded by countless onlookers, in broad daylight, on a busy street, in a large city in Minnesota, while dozens of witnesses pleaded with him to get off of Mr. Floyd! It seemed Officer Chauvin was oblivious to what was taking place, almost as if he intended it all along. As we know the incident triggered over 500 riots around the country and began the mantra to “defund the police,” which many Democrat-led cities took to heart. They cut police department budgets as well as placing many restrictions on their court systems such as “cashless bail.” As we now know, these anti-police measures have effectively handed the keys to the cities over to the criminals.

On January 7, 2023, five members of the Memphis police department’s “Scorpion” crime unit apparently stopped Mr. Tyre Nichols for reckless driving. What followed was extremely puzzling. Instead of asking Mr. Nichols for his driver’s license and vehicle registration, which one would think to be normal protocol, the five officers with their bodycams on, proceeded to drag Mr. Nichols out of his car and assaulted him. In spite of knowing that their actions were being recorded, they continued to abandon every procedure, any resemblance of rational behavior, and beat the life out of Mr. Nichols, almost as if they intended to do it all along.

Naturally, the Democrats pounce on every opportunity after all their motto “never let a crisis go to waste” is their guiding force. Yet, they are the ones who make everything a crisis. Statistically, there isn’t a crisis, unless you consider the fact that police defunding has placed the police at a distinct disadvantage in all major cities across the country. The ability to act in a proactive professional nature, which is a necessity to prevent crime before it occurs, has been neutered from police protocol leaving us with little more than uniformed reporters and traffic control officers.

Now, we will witness the Democrats do what they do best, dupe the public into the further expansion of this incredibly bloated government. They already are demanding we vote for the George Floyd Police Reform Act! Imagine enacting a bill which namesake is that of a common criminal, and drug user which further strips our law enforcement officials of even more tools to provide our safety. Yet this is just the start. Wait until they try to creat a National Police Training Department ... all in plain sight!

Gerald Roach

Warsaw