The police chief of Los Angeles was facing calls for his firing late Monday – and the city’s mayor was facing calls for his own resignation – after comments the chief made about rioters and looters taking the streets in the nation’s second-largest city.
“We didn’t have protests last night, we had criminal acts. We didn’t have people mourning the death of this man, George Floyd. We had people capitalizing,” Chief Michel Moore said.
“His death is on their hands as much as it is those officers,” the chief added. “And that is a strong statement but I must say that this civil unrest that we are in the midst of, we must turn a corner from people who are involved in violence, people who are involved in preying on others.”
“His death is on their hands as much as it is those officers.”
LAPD Chief Michel Moore speaks to reporters in an undated photo. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
Moore had prefaced his comment by saying Los Angeles police made “just under 700 arrests” during rioting the previous evening.
“Of that, just under 70 were for looting and burglarizing,” he added.
After Mayor Eric Garcetti followed with some remarks, Moore returned to the podium and claimed he “misspoke” about Floyd’s death.
“I misspoke when I said his blood was on their hands,” the chief said, “but certainly their actions do not serve the enormity of his loss. What his name should stand for is the catalyst for change. I regret the remarks of that characterization, but I don’t regret, nor will I apologize to those out there creating destruction. His memory deserves better
Both Moore and Garcetti later followed up with Twitter messages attempting to backtrack from Moore’s initial statement.
“Let me be clear,” Moore wrote, “there are 4 police officers and 4 alone responsible for the death of George Floyd.
“Let me be clear: the police officers involved were responsible for the death of George Floyd.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti also posted a message on Twitter.
“The responsibility for George Floyd’s death rests solely with the police officers involved,” Garcetti wrote. “Chief Moore regrets the words he chose this evening and has clarified them.”
(Fox News).
