June 5, 2020

To our SRJC Community,

The men and women of the SRJC District Police Department join our community in mourning the tragic and unjustifiable death of Mr. George Floyd.  We resolutely denounce racism and police brutality and understand that our duty to protect our community is most urgent when we are witness to any police officer using excessive force.  We are committed to working alongside our community to create a more equitable and just environment for our Black and African American students, colleagues and members of our SRJC community.  We believe black lives matter.

I have been struggling since first watching the horrific 8 minutes and 46 seconds of that sickening video. As a chief of police, I feel outraged that any officer of the law, who has been sworn to protect, could commit such an egregious and hateful act. As a human being, I feel sadness, anger, frustration and concern.  I can’t even imagine what the Black men and women of our community and our nation must be going through.  I have had many recent discussions with my staff, my peers and my family on the history and continuance of racism in our country.  I am committed to learning more and to supporting anti-racism in our community.  We want to be a partner and an ally.  We are listening.

In solidarity,

Robert