NORTH ATTLEBORO - A demonstration organized by high school students in support of the Black Lives Matter movement was held Wednesday night (June 3) on South Washington Street in front of the Veterans Common and town hall.
A crowd of about 100 people, young and old, black and white, held signs and chanted, "I can't breathe," "racist cops have to go" and more while passing motorists honked their horns in support.
North Attleboro Police Chief John Reilly on Tuesday (June 2) released a lengthy statement on social media.
It begins, "Our town has received numerous inquiries from members of the public requesting a statement regarding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Please know that the men and women of this department are sickened by the unnecessary and unwarranted death of George Floyd. The video is difficult to watch and it is clear that this tragedy should never have occurred. There is a procedure for when a handcuffed person becomes compliant, that you first roll him to a sitting position and then roll him into a standing position. Our officers have all been taught how to do that. It made me nauseous to watch the officer keep his knee pressed on Mr. Floyd’s neck until he died.”
“Please know that every one of your officers had the same reaction to the video as I did. Simply stated, they were disgusted. We have spent the last ten years trying to build a strong relationship with our community. There is no doubt that this incident is going to set us back a bit but we will never waiver from commitment of being fair and transparent and part of the North Attleboro family."
"One of the most disturbing parts of the video is the complacency of the officers who could have stopped this. All they had to do was intervene and say ‘let’s get him up’ and that likely would have stopped what was happening. This simple act would have saved a precious life. Our officers know they have a duty to intercede when they see a use of force that is starting to get unreasonable."
"Discussions regarding use of force happen regularly at our department for training purposes.”
The chief then responds to a number of questions including body cameras, anti-racism training, screening of new recruits, internal affairs investigations of officers and reports of discrimination.
The chief closes the letter with the following: “You have my solemn promise that the North Attleboro Police Department will continue to serve our community with a commitment to fairness, transparency and the equal treatment of all of our citizens.”
The entire letter is available on the North Attleboro Police Department’s Facebook page.
Town Councilor Darius Gregory attended Wednesday night's demonstration. The first person of color ever elected to town-wide office spoke to North TV Thursday about the previous night's event.
In addition, Town Councilor Adam Scanlon participated. Scanlon is running in the September 1 democratic primary to replace Betty Poirier as the town's state representative.
Click below to stream Gregory's interview with North TV.
