With racial tensions again in focus nationwide, organizers of a local protest march are hoping Friday’s event will be peaceful.
Organizer Diana Ramirez says Friday afternoon’s march from Emporia State University to Emporia Police headquarters will involve law enforcement walking alongside the marchers. She believes this approach will foster hope for better times ahead.
Fellow organizer Lindsey Ruffin agrees.
The protest march follows several protest gatherings in downtown Emporia this week after the death of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last week. Emporia’s stationary protests have been peaceful, but protests in larger cities have turned violent.
The march is set to begin at 1 pm and will include speeches afterward. KVOE News will cover the march and related activities Friday.
Speaking of law enforcement, Emporia Interim Police Chief Ed Owens and Lyon County Sheriff Jeff Cope appeared on KVOE’s On-Air Chat on Wednesday to expand on their thoughts after recent interviews with KVOE News. We encourage you to click here for the full program.
Statement from Emporia Interim Police Chief Ed Owens
I am a Professional Police Officer. I have been in law enforcement for nearly three decades. I have lived through many incidents which involve officers’ use of force not only in the city I serve, but throughout the world. In almost three
decades of service, I have tried to keep pace with the ever-changing profession that is law enforcement. I have risen through the ranks and each time I have assumed a new role/rank, I have tried my best to change my thinking and challenge myself to understand the world we all live in on a daily basis. Police work is hard. Police work is stressful. Police work is demanding. However; police work is no different than any other profession in this world. Except we are in the public eye every minute of every day, and I am okay with that. We are sworn to hold ourselves to a higher standard, both on duty and off, when we enter this profession. We are sworn to uphold the laws of this great nation and to remain unbiased in our decisions when called upon for service. The citizens and communities we protect deserve our sworn oath every day we put on our badge. I would be remiss if I said I have not had a bad day, week or even month during my career. We have all made poor decisions, that’s called being human. That being said, I Love Law Enforcement. I enjoy the challenges it has given me during my career. When law enforcement show compassion and courtesy, it’s amazing what can be accomplished. This brings me to the horrible incident in Minnesota. I have thought about this for a week and I just can’t wrap my brain around what happened. George Floyd lost his life! For what? I have seen the worst in people as anyone in law enforcement can attest to. I have seen bad cops in my career. The video is very hard to watch. Those police officers forgot the oath they swore to. Those police officers seemed to have forgotten compassion; even in the worst of scenarios, compassion and training go hand in hand. Perimeter officers are there to protect not only fellow officers and bystanders, but suspects as well. George Floyd lost his life… for what? A counterfeit bill? Nope! I am sorry but George Floyd lost his life because officers failed by not being professionals. It is horrible to see this happen in today’s world. So many people have been affected by this incident. The family of Mr. Floyd is devastated. There are protests across the country, some peaceful, some have turned to riots. The officers responsible for George Floyd’s death will have plenty of time in prison to reflect on a decision not made to stop the actions of one officer from harming and killing a citizen. All it would have taken was a split second to remember, you’re supposed to be a professional.
I love law enforcement. Police can do better. We, as police officers, need to constantly remind ourselves of our oath and our duties. We need to remind ourselves that we too are human and how we treat others is paramount in our life, both on duty and off. I will pray for Mr. Floyd and his family. I will pray for the officers involved and their families. I will pray from this day forward that we, as police officers, never allow another horrible incident such as this to affect the nobility of our profession. Because I love law enforcement, I will end by saying: Remind yourself every day of the oath you took. Remind yourself everyday that it only takes seconds to change people’s lives, good or bad. Remind yourself that you will serve our community with the highest integrity because Emporia Deserves YOUR BEST every day.
