Richmond police chief a prominent participant in protest against police violence
"I've never seen anything like it, not in Richmond, not anywhere," said longtime resident Mary Square, who stood on the north side of Macdonald Avenue watching the protesters on the south side of the street. "All these police, and the police chief, holding signs calling for an end to police violence. ... I'm going to tell my kids."
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Police Chief Chris Magnus, who has drawn acclaim for his community-policing approach and helping drive down both crime and use of force by his officers in recent years, was front and center, facing the street while holding a white sign that said "#blacklivesmatter." The photo quickly went viral on social media, the image of the uniformed chief with the popular hashtag a stark contrast to the anti-police sentiment many associate with it.
"I spoke with my command staff, and we agreed it would be nice to convey our commitment to peaceful protest and that black and brown lives do matter," Magnus said after the protest. "And to help bridge the gap that we understand sometimes exists between police and community around certain issues."
Now, clearly I think this is really awesome, in part because THIS IS WHAT COPS SHOULD DO to let us all know that not every last cop is a menace to society.
It won't kill them, it won't hurt them, and few things will work to refurbish their image in such a fabulously cost-effective manner.
We always hear about (or get fingerwagged about) the existence of these decent officers: it's good to see a picture of them in action.
I think it is just awesome.
Video at the link.