Ohio police chief, Doug Swartz, who is white, is motivating Black Lives Matter protests in his town.
What We Know:
- Although there has not been a single Black Lives Matter protest in the mainly White city of Canal Fulton, Ohio, their White police chief wrote an article welcoming them, stating, “the Black community needs us”.
- According to CNN, Canal Fulton’s police chief Doug Swartz has been the author of a monthly column that addresses various topics for the past eight years. He used the month of September to speak on and bring to life the Black Lives Matter movement that was revitalized following the tragic death of George Floyd in May.
- Swartz writes that he was asked many times why Fulton had to assess with race as there have not been protests in the area for now. He replied by saying to lay with the U.S. Constitution as declared on July 4, 1776. He cited how the Black community was still not free of racism regardless of the document’s ideals and continues to face significant obstacles such as housing and education discrimination.
- Swartz stated:
“How do you know about it, if you don’t know about it,” he states. “If there are struggles that are going on in mainly Black neighborhoods, we don’t know about it; our kids go to predominately white schools, and we’re a byproduct of that history with the things that are wrong in today’s society.”
- He continues to say that’s why we have to listen to people and hear from them to see how we can make things better.
- Swartz mentioned that he does not support riots, vandalism, or calls to defund the police. He stated those actions were “causing hate,” and he wants to follow the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to come together and work together as a community of one.
He encourages protests and voting for legislation that would improve African American’s lives.
