Mayor Romero Urges Peace to Honor the Life of George Floyd

Mayor Romero delivered the below remarks today urging Tucsonans to peacefully honor the life of George Floyd: 
“This week has been a painful week for our community on top of an incredibly painful few months.​

For our black brothers and sisters, this week has tapped into a deep and generational pain rooted in a long history of inequity and oppression. 

On Monday, we woke up to horrifying images of a police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd. We heard his desperate cries for help – cries we have heard before: “I can’t breathe”

It’s heart-breaking. It’s maddening. It’s senseless. As a mother, and as a human being, hearing Mr. Floyd’s cries broke my heart. 

Images like these expose the underlying, systemic and institutionalized racism and inequities that are embedded in our society.

We have a moral obligation to call out racism in all of its forms.

George Floyd and his family deserve swift justice. Systemic reform is long overdue.

Chief Magnus was correct when he said that Officer Chavuin’s murderous actions are contrary to how PROFESSIONAL police officers train & conduct themselves. 

Conduct like this anywhere makes it more difficult for police everywhere to build community trust.

I’m grateful for the professionalism and restraint that our police officers showed last night, in a very dangerous and volatile situation. 
Let’s talk about last night. What I saw was not Tucson, and it’s not going to be what moves us forward.

Harming, locally-owned, mom & pop businesses and inflicting harm does nothing to accomplish justice for George Floyd and only serves to divide our community.

These are not just businesses – they are people’s livelihoods.They help put food on the table for them and their families. They are Tucsonans.

Many are minority-owned and are already suffering greatly during the difficult times we are living in. Please, honor the life of George Floyd not by causing others pain, but by seeking justice in his memory.

Now is the time to LISTEN, and grieve alongside our black brothers and sisters as we mourn another senseless and disgusting act of violence. 

Please, do not diminish and co-opt our African American community’s peaceful demands and demonstrations for justice with more senseless acts of violence.

We can only imagine the pain our African American community is going through at this moment. 

That is why it is important that we hear and look up to the individuals who have been on the frontlines of fighting for justice.”