"I have no problem calling out law enforcement because I am one."
Here's why Sheriff Chris Swanson laid his baton down and marched with Black Lives Matter protesters in Flint.
Here's why Sheriff Chris Swanson laid his baton down and marched with Black Lives Matter protesters in Flint.
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00:00I took my helmet off and I walked into the crowd because it shows vulnerability and cops
00:12don't like vulnerability.
00:14Many times our culture is that's a sign of weakness, but it's actually a sign of strength.
00:18And in a relationship, no matter what people want real.
00:22And what happened is a tipping point in police public relations came because George Floyd's
00:28death that changed American policing and it should.
00:33I want to make this a parade, not a protest.
00:36You got little ones here, you got dogs, so what's up?
00:42So listen, I'm just telling you, these cops love you.
00:45That cop over there hugs people, so you tell us what you need to do.
00:51Black leaders! Black leaders! Black leaders!
01:03There was so much tension that had been building after eight minutes and 40 seconds of video
01:09destroyed years of community relations.
01:13And every day from that incident, you could feel that tension around the country.
01:19You could feel the righteous anger.
01:21We marched for a mile and a half.
01:23Since then, we've had four nights of protests in the thousands.
01:27No arrests, no fires, no injuries.
01:50How about another 30 for all the others that we need to celebrate?
01:56There's more than just George Floyd, is that right?
02:02And I've said this before and I have no problem calling out law enforcement because I am one.
02:06Get in the street, get in the street and be real.
02:09Be real with people so they can see that side to recognize, hey, that lady, that guy, they
02:14run that police agency and they're here with us.
02:16Don't do it for a photo op.
02:20It's not about just the George Floyds, it's the Eric Garner's of the world.
02:35It's everybody down.
02:37My office is down in Georgia.
02:39Everybody, all the police forces need to make sure that they're doing things the right way.
02:43They need to focus on the training, the policies.
02:46A person should never have a knee set on their neck when they're crying out, telling
02:51them I'm here for my life.
02:58I definitely understand the frustration.
03:00I understand the anger, not only being in Flint, but as a black man.
03:05And as Juan said, this stuff has to stop.
03:09I'm grateful to have a relationship with the sheriff and other law enforcement to say this
03:15was just the beginning of a relationship for others who may not have known.
03:19This was the beginning of communication.
03:22This was the beginning of a listening session.
03:24So that way, when cameras leave or when things seem to go down some, this now will continue
03:32to engage in further conversation.
03:34And if there's further issues, when there's no cameras around, at least Juan knows that
03:38he can at least come to the sheriff and say, you know what, I need to sit down and have
03:43a conversation with you about something that happened so I can understand.
03:46Police need to hear the voice of the people and have to call out wrong when wrong is wrong.
03:51And we deal with that in our own agency.
03:53I've got a guy in jail right now who committed a sexual assault while on duty, charged with
03:57life offenses.
03:58We're working a case right now where a guy used excessive force.
04:01I mean, we're never going to get away from that.
04:03But the key is, you've got to call it out when it happens.
04:06And you can try to discipline it and train it out, but there's a point in time where
04:10you've got to cut it out.
04:11And when you start doing that, which in this office, we're blessed to have done it over
04:1580 times in the last 15 years.
04:17We fire people.
04:18I've arrested my own people.
04:19I've charged my own people.
04:20I love cops, but I don't want anybody in our uniform that violates a law, that breaks
04:26dignity, that is racially charged.