Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo on Tuesday condemned the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week and said the United States remains mired in a centuries-old racial morass that must end. <\/p>\n
\u201c(Floyd\u2019s killers) were not Klansman but rogue, racist murderers wearing police uniforms,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the last 300 years, we have not progressed at all on the issue of race and hate.\u201d <\/p>\n
DiSalvo appeared virtually Tuesday afternoon at Pitkin County commissioners\u2019 weekly work session and read a letter from himself, Aspen Police Chief Richard Pryor, Snowmass Village Police Chief Brian Olson and Basalt Police Chief Greg Knott about Floyd\u2019s killing. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hurt, anger, trauma and injustice we have all seen over the last week,\u201d DiSalvo quoted the letter. \u201cThe behavior of the officers was criminal and unconscionable, understandably causing disbelief, outrage and despair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Floyd was killed May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd\u2019s neck for nearly nine minutes after he resisted arrest for suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill. <\/p>\n
The local law enforcement officials urged change in the criminal justice system and pledged to continue to field officers and deputies \u201cwho love and appreciate the values of our communities, and who understand that empathy and compassion are the core of today\u2019s policing,\u201d the letter says. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue our commitment to set the example in treating everyone who lives or works here, as well as those that visit our communities, with respect, blind to the color of their skin,\u201d according to the letter. \u201cNow is the time to ask ourselves both as individuals and as institutions how we can act to create positive change to help bring real equality to all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olson said he and the other two police chiefs and DiSalvo have expressed collective sentiments before in letters because they all have like philosophies. <\/p>\n
Knott agreed, saying all four agencies have similar beliefs, leadership styles and personnel. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t agree with what happened in Minnesota at all,\u201d he said. \u201cWe want to know what we can do to make things better here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Knott said he found it hard to believe his eyes when he first saw the video of Minnesota police Officer Derek Chauvin kneel on Floyd\u2019s neck despite pleas from onlookers that he couldn\u2019t breathe. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was shock and awe and disbelief was what was going through my head,\u201d Knott said. \u201cIt goes totally against any training that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olson said he had a similar reaction, recognizing immediately that Floyd was in a situation where he was certain to suffer \u201cpositional asphyxiation.\u201d That occurs when a person is lying on their stomach and cannot belly breathe, which is made even worse when the person is handcuffed and their shoulders are back, as Floyd was, Olson said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018Oh my gosh, we have been trained how to property handcuff and arrest someone, even if they\u2019re resisting, and have it be safe,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt didn\u2019t have to happen. We\u2019ve known about (positional asphyxiation) for so long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pryor said he too was in disbelief when he first watched the video. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just brutality,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t relate to what\u2019s happening there.\u201d<\/p>\n
And he said that while it might be a difficult time to be a good cop, this is no time for self-pity. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe will do whatever we can to push against a culture that allows this to happen,\u201d Pryor said. \u201cIt seems that police leadership in this country doesn\u2019t take (racial brutality) seriously. They\u2019re scared to take the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n
After reading the letter Tuesday, DiSalvo also made a few personal comments, mainly centering on the same issue of racial injustice in America. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur country had a brief hiatus from hate in 2008 to 2016,\u201d he said. \u201cI realize now that during that time we didn\u2019t change a thing. We just drove it underground. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt was always there waiting for the right person to resuscitate it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The hooded, Ku Klux Klan racism of the 1920s and 1930s has morphed into government-sanctioned, bald-faced murder in broad daylight, \u201cbroadcast live on network TV,\u201d DiSalvo said. <\/p>\n
In fact, the murder of innocent black men and women might still be \u201cvirtually unnoticed\u201d by white society were it not for the cellphone, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cWho knew this device would play such an important role in race and relations,\u201d he said. \u201cImagine all the George Floyds and Eric Garners murdered at the hands of police we don\u2019t know about. And police covered up their actions to protect their own.\u201d<\/p>\n
He suggested establishing a national database of complaints against police officers accessible to any department where an officer might apply for a job. DiSalvo also said a set of national standards for police behavior should be put together, along with better psychological testing for prospective officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sad for my profession and my country,\u201d he said. \u201cBut most all I\u2019m sad for the despicable behavior of police and racist citizens who hurt and kill because of a thin layer of skin that is a different color.\u201d <\/p>\n
jauslander@aspentimes.com<\/p>\n