CHP commissioner condemns George Floyd’s killing, wades into Capitol protest
In a dramatic moment in front of the Capitol, California Highway Patrol Commissioner Warren Stanley on Saturday waded into a crowd of demonstrators who hopped a fence guarding the east side of the building and engaged in a debate over police tactics with several of them.
Stanley, the first African American commissioner of the CHP, asked the crowd to move backward and empathized with them as they protested over the in-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the killings of other black men by law enforcement officers.
“Everybody wants justice but ... I do want you to know is that, for myself and the 11,000 other employees of CHP, none of us agree with what happened to Mr. Floyd. That was not right. Totally unacceptable,” Stanley said over a loudspeaker.
“We respect the right of people to protest and we hope that’s all you want,” he said.
He added that anyone who comes into contact with the CHP would be treated fairly. The crowd hooted at that.
About 1,000 people have gathered at the east steps at the Capitol. It’s the ninth day of protest in Sacramento over Floyd’s death.
Stanley entered the crowd with CHP Deputy Commissioner Amanda Ray, who is the first African American woman to hold that rank in the state police force.
One protester demanded to know about police conduct in south Sacramento, and wanted to know about the “release of detained civilians” who had been arrested after protests.
Stanley said he didn’t have information about that. A handful of CHP officers accompanied Stanley, who was not wearing a helmet or ruit gear.
After several minutes, Stanley, speaking over a loudspeaker, said, “I appreciate the conversation” but added that demonstrators needed to return to their side of the fence.
“You go back, we’ll go back,” he said.
The crowd began complying with his request, as Stanley continued chatting privately with four or five of the protesters.
This story was originally published June 6, 2020 at 3:07 PM with the headline "CHP commissioner condemns George Floyd’s killing, wades into Capitol protest."