Boise mayor, acting police chief ask people to be peaceful at vigils and protests
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean and Acting Police Chief Ron Winegar on Tuesday called for people attending vigils and protests in honor of George Floyd “to be peaceful and honor the life and legacy of those lives are lost.”
With a candlelight vigil scheduled at the Idaho Statehouse on Tuesday night, McLean asked Boiseans to “respect and honor those who have lost their lives to racism” — and to respect social distancing as they gather.
“We value those who identify as black, indigenous and/or people of color,” McLean said. “Each of you enriches our lives, enriches our community, and understanding your perspectives and experience is vital and important to our community. We stand with you, both here in Boise and around the country, and it’s incredibly important that we honor the life and legacy of those who have lost their lives to racism in our country.”
The protests are in response to last week’s death of Floyd, a black man, when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes and fellow officers did nothing.
While protests in Boise have been peaceful so far, some others around the country have turned violent. Some cities, including New York City and Denver, have instituted curfews or other restrictions to try to curb violence and looting.
At least one armed civilian attended Monday’s protest, and a shot was fired near protesters Monday night. Police took an 18-year-old Garden City man, Michael Daniel Wallace, into custody after that happened, and commenting Tuesday, Winegar said it was unclear whether the shot was fired deliberately. The department would be present at Tuesday’s event, he said.
Winegar said the Boise Police Department would work to provide a safe atmosphere “where everyone can express themselves.” He asked people to attend “with only the intention of peaceful gathering.”
Winegar said he was thankful that no one had been injured or experienced physical violence at the gatherings. When asked if the department supported armed people attending the protest, Winegar said the department was supportive “of all rights in our community.”
“We are there to facilitate everyone’s point of view being safely expressed,” he said, but added that if people were coming with weapons to ensure safety, the department already had “a handle on it.”
City Council Member Lisa Sánchez also spoke at the news conference. She said that while a protest is “a wonderful event,” people don’t have to attend. “The real work happens with the person in the mirror,” she said.
Tuesday’s vigil is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. at the Idaho Statehouse.
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