The Death of George Floyd and the National Unrest Gripping Our Nation
By Mel Franklin
Mel Franklin is an At Large Prince George’s County Councilmember.
“This is a critical time for our County and our Nation. Still, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, our national consciousness has been shocked once again by the tragic and unjustified death of Minneapolis, MN resident George Floyd. In the wake of this incident captured on video for the world to see, protests and riots have broken out in cities all over America. The former officers that caused George Floyd’s death were fired by their department and should be swiftly prosecuted. As a father, I can only imagine the pain and sorrow that George Floyd’s family is going through and they have my deepest sympathies and prayers. The actions that we saw on video do not represent the vast and overwhelming majority of the brave men and women in law enforcement, especially here in Prince George’s County.”
“This tragedy offers us a moment to reflect on what I believe can be a model for how a majority African-American and majority-minority community can overcome years of mistrust and division to build one of the greatest law enforcement-community relationships in our Nation. Over the last 20 years, Prince George’s County has gone from a community under federal consent decrees and misconduct investigations to one today where the leaders of our law enforcement agencies and unions, our faith and community leaders, and our public officials work as a team to continuously build ever-stronger bonds of trust, while dramatically reducing crime year after year. Each year, often when the cameras are not around, there are literally hundreds of community and law enforcement meetings, conversations, and service projects across our County. Also, over the past 20 years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the ethnic diversity of our men and women in law enforcement to more closely reflect the communities that they represent. For example, today Prince George’s County has a majority-minority police department, one of the few large police departments with that distinction in the Nation. This is an essential ingredient of successful community policing in any predominantly black and brown community. This work has not been easy nor are we perfect. We still have incidents from time to time, even very recently, that test our relationship between community and law enforcement. But when incidents happened now, justice is swift and fair and our law enforcement leaders provide immediate transparency and information to our residents. I truly believe the “Prince George’s County way” could be a model for other majority-minority communities nationwide to build the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the residents they serve.”
“I understand the anger and angst that people in black and brown communities all over America are feeling right now. As a black man and a black father to a teenage black son and a little black girl, I truly do understand. But I also understand that burning and looting businesses and property in our cities and communities is senseless and self-destructive and only hurts our most vulnerable communities, small businesses, and families, many of which will never be able to rebuild. I echo the call today of civil rights legend Congressman John Lewis, a student of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela, that protests should be peaceful and nonviolent. At the root of much of the anger and frustration that we see in predominantly black and brown communities today are issues of economic and health disparities and inequities, the lack of access to generational wealth, and the need for improving the criminal justice system -- from policing to prosecution, courts and sentencing, corrections, probation, and re-entry. These challenges should be front and center for every policymaker and public official in America today. That is the important work that lies ahead once the cameras roll on and media cycle changes. And that’s how we should honor the memory of George Floyd. May God continue to bless Prince George’s County and our Nation. Thank you.
