Princeton Police Stand With Protesters Over George Floyd's Death

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Police Officer Courtney Navas stood in solidarity with protesters on Nassau Street on Sunday joining cities across the country protesting the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Floyd, 46, was killed after then Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Video, which captured Floyd saying "I can't breathe," went viral, and sparked the nationwide protests.

The Sunday peaceful protest in Princeton consisted of residents holding signs stating "Stand Against Racism," "Sooo.. it IS ok to Kneel? (I Can't Breathe)," "It IS okay to be white... it ain't okay to be racist! END stupidity," and "Honk To End Racism."

Princeton Police Chief Nick Sutter previously released a statement condemning the actions of the officers involved in the death of Floyd.

"We were collectively disturbed, angered, and saddened after viewing the video of the tragic events in Minnesota that led to the loss of Mr. Floyd's life at the hands of police officers. These emptions were felt just as strongly by the members of the Princeton Police Department. What we witnesses violates every fundamental value we as police officers hold dear to our hearts. We grieve along with our citizens," Sutter said.

To view the entire statement watch the video below:

Princeton Schools Superintendent Steve Cochrane also issued a lengthy statement on the incident and how the school system is using education to make a difference in the world.

Cochrane's full letter:

Dear Students, Staff, and Families,

Like many of you, I am deeply upset by the actions – and inactions – that led to the death of George Floyd. As a white person, I am angry and saddened. I can’t begin to speak, however, to the level of anger, sadness, fear, and sheer exhaustion felt by those in our communities of color. I want to offer my condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Floyd. I want to offer my condolences as well to all those in our community who experience racism regularly, who have been fighting it throughout their lives, and who continue – despite the efforts of so many – to experience genuine fear when their children walk out the door.

So what do we do? I don’t have easy answers to this question. I believe we need time to grieve, and to feel, and to listen to one another – and particularly to listen to our students and families of color.

What I can offer at this time is an affirmation of our values as a school district, our support of our students, and our continued commitment to use the power of education to make a difference in the world.

Affirming Our Values

Our Equity Principles as a district can be found here. They begin with the statement: We are color brave – not color blind. First used by Mellody Hobson, the phrase "color brave" acknowledges that the color of someone’s skin shapes their experiences in the world, and that we can only overcome systemic biases and cultural injustices when we talk honestly about race. As a district, we are continuing to have those honest conversations as we consider our curriculum, our teaching, our hiring, our emphasis on restorative justice, and our distribution of resources. Do we always live up to our values? We do not. Nevertheless, I believe we are willing to look honestly at our shortcomings, and address them. In that spirit, I want to highlight the current work of the Board in developing Equity Impact Statements to help ensure that, moving forward, every major programmatic and budgetary decision for our District will be filtered through the question: Who does this decision benefit and who does it disadvantage?

Supporting Our Students

Our students need our support. Many have seen the video of the events leading up to Mr. Floyd’s death, the death of a Black man in the custody of white police officers. They have watched the reactions to that death play out across the country and perhaps in their own homes. They undoubtedly have questions, concerns, fears and hopes. And we are here for them. Our Supervisor of School Counseling, Kristina Donovan, sent a message today to our families. “We, the counseling department, see you and we hear you,” she wrote. She described our counseling offices, whether real or virtual, as “safe spaces” for students to share their lived experience. She provided links to articles to help students and families process these difficult events. She also commented on our continued work with Dr. Tara Doaty to build our capacity as a school district to support our students with our implementation of trauma informed practices. You can find Dr. Donovan’s message here.

In addition to the work of our counseling department, all of our school administrators are working with their Equity Teams on ways to support our students and families. I know that at PHS, Principal Jessica Baxter and Dr. Joy Barnes-Johnson are planning zoom sessions with students to allow them to talk through their feelings and share their ideas.

Educating to Make a Difference

Nelson Mandela once stated, "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world." As a school leader, I have to believe that. As I consider the educational objectives we have for our children as they graduate from our schools, I can think of none higher than racial literacy. We have state and national standards for language literacy, math literacy, scientific literacy, even economic literacy, but there are no standards for the ability to navigate a culturally complex and often racially unjust world. I am proud of the teachers and students who have pioneered the racial literacy elective we have had at Princeton High School for the past two years. And I am proud of the efforts underway to expand an understanding of racial literacy to all students by making it a part of our peer group lessons for ninth graders and by creating an online course that students and teachers can take together. As the District continues to advance its mission of equity, and as I prepare to retire as superintendent, I would ask our teachers, counselors, administrators, students, parents and community partners to continue to work together to develop a K-12 pathway to racial literacy, one that provides our students with the knowledge, skills and values they need at each stage of their development, and one that culminates in their ability to address injustice wherever they see it.

On Sunday afternoon I attended the Not In Our Town ceremony honoring 13 Princeton students who are role models in their efforts to advance racial equity, literacy, and justice in our community. The students acknowledged the anguish so many are feeling here and across our country, and yet they showed deep resolve to continue their efforts and deep gratitude for the adults who support them. Those students gave me a glimmer of hope in these dark times – as did the song they sang at the end.

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