George Floyd's Death Prompts Action In Anne Arundel County

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Leaders within the African American community of Anne Arundel County spoke out during a news conference Friday, calling for the purchase of body cameras for county police officers and summer programming that would keep local youth engaged. The conference was held in light of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis as he was detained by police.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman reminded everyone of how residents came together to "recognize the horror and brutality of lynches that had taken place in our county."

"We acknowledged at that time that the racism that fed this violence and terror still exists," Pittman said. "We acknowledged that hate crimes and hate biases are growing in our county and are higher than any other county in the state."

Pittman encouraged all adults, particularly "every white adult of privilege to watch that video."

"And when you do, imagine that Mr. George Floyd, the victim trapped under the knee of that officer, was your brother. And when you're done, I encourage you to take a deep breath, set your jaw and pledge to push back for the rest of the waking hours of your life against every wedge driven by hate, fear and racism between the people of this country," Pittman said. "I also want to say that the brutal act committed by that officer and the negligence of the officers who failed to intervene bears no resemblance to the values or actions practiced by our Anne Arundel County Police Department."

Anne Arundel County Police Chief Timothy Altomare added that "every right-thinking police officer in this country was disgusted by what they saw on that video."

"Human life matters. We exist to protect it," he said. "All 800 of us who wear this patch and badge condemn what we saw. There is no place for that behavior in American policing. We are committed to doing it differently in Anne Arundel County."

Altomare asked people to keep any planned protests peaceful. He said police officers will show up to protect protesters, not to "stifle your comments."

Numerous religious and community leaders were on hand and several spoke out about the incident in Minneapolis and the present state in Anne Arundel County. Larry Lee Thomas, apostle/bishop and senior pastor at Empowering Believers Church of The Apostolic Faith, spoke at the news conference and said "emotions are high, but we know there's a calm that can happen if we keep building relationships."

Thomas unveiled a slogan that he had everyone repeat numerous times throughout the news conference: Silent No More.

"We just can't sit back," he said. "We stand ready to cooperate to make sure our communities and citizens here remain safe, to be that one voice to let the people know we're hurting and hurting together."

Longtime Annapolis activist Carl Snowden said people are "fed up." He pressed Pittman to find money in the budget for body cameras for the county's police officers.

"We know they're not the panacea. They won't solve the problems we face in this country. But what body cameras have proven to be is that unblinking eye that tells a story that isn't based on people's perspective of what happened," Snowden said. "People reach a point where enough is enough. I'm telling people as clearly as I can that we're at that point."

Jacqueline Boone Allsup, president of the Anne Arundel County branch of the NAACP, also emphasized that county police officers need body cameras. She also said that youth must get involved and be peacefully proactive.

"Our youth involved with the NAACP met online on Zoom last evening and there were over 30 youth on that call. Their concern was for their community and they asked 'What do we do?'" Allsup said. "They've developed a plan to take action in Anne Arundel County to address these issues of racism that has gone on for many, many years."

The Rev. Jay Offer, pastor at Harvest Crusade Ministers, said it's reassuring that people who "have not had the African American experience" are "disgusted by this tragic act." He called for peaceful protests and an end to the violence.

"It is never good recourse to resort to violence and vandalism," he said.

Pastor Sheryl Menendez spoke both as a mother of two sons and a grandmother to a boy, as well as a religious leader. She admitted she couldn't watch the entire video that captured George Floyd's final minutes.

"One of the things taken was the one thing God gave us in creation, breath. You cannot tell whether a breath is black or white. It's breath," she said.

Menendez has worked for more than 30 years with youth in the communities and school district. She called for more opportunities for summer enrichment for children and for actions that would ease concerns.

"People are already dealing with COVID, no money, wondering what will happen after September or whenever ... people will get to the place where they don't care anymore. I'm hurting. Does anybody care that we hurt?" she asked.

At the conclusion of the news conference, Pittman said he will speak with the county recreation and parks department to see what can be done to roll out summer programming. He also said there's the "possibility to get creative with money that we didn't have before that we have from the CARES Act for body cameras."

"The Council has to make a change, but I've made it clear to the Council that I want body cameras on our officers. Yes, it's expensive, but we have to keep that conversation going," Pittman said.

Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley released a statement Friday about Floyd's death.

“The horrific events that took place a few days ago in Minneapolis are deplorable and unacceptable. What George Floyd experienced was not normal police procedure. No one should suffer such brutality. Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. Floyd and to the people of Minneapolis. Annapolis shares your struggle for justice," he stated.

On June 9 at 6 p.m., several organizations will hold a public forum via Zoom to discuss what can be done as a community to prevent incidents such as what happened in Minneapolis from happening in Anne Arundel County.

See more:

George Floyd Death: Former Cop Derek Chauvin Arrested

Photos: Devastation In Minneapolis As Unrest Spreads Across U.S.