- April 23, 2024
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As hundreds of people continue to gather in cities across the U.S. in protest of police brutality against African Americans following the death of George Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer used his knee to restrain him while he was handcuffed and lying face down on the ground, Volusia County residents are also taking to the streets to demand justice.
Peaceful protests occurred in Port Orange and Daytona Beach on Saturday and Sunday, and another protest is planned to occur during the evening of Tuesday, June 2, in DeLand. A second protest is also scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 4, at City Island in Daytona Beach. In a video of Sunday's Daytona Beach protest, shared by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office on Facebook, residents are seen marching on the International Speedway Boulevard bridge chanting phrases like, "No justice. No peace."
People are reacting because the video of Floyd's death showed the officer "murdered an innocent person," said Cynthia Slater, president of the Volusia County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
“It’s a continuation of injustices that black men in particular succumb to as it relates to the death of men at the hands of law enforcement," she said. "We see it time and time and time and time again. There is no justice for these victims.”
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said that Derek Chauvin, the officer who killed George Floyd, had no empathy. Once handcuffs are placed on a person, the officer or deputy is responsible for their wellbeing, Chitwood explained. When he saw the video, he said he wanted to reach through the screen and get Chauvin off Floyd's neck.
Chitwood said he doesn't believe there's a law enforcement officer in America who can watch the video and say Chauvin's actions are defensible. As law enforcement, they are supposed to want to help people.
"You want to make a positive difference in your community, and what I saw in that video has nothing to do with training," said Chitwood, who added VCSO doesn't utilize the use of neck restraints. "That is something that is inside somebody’s soul. That defies being a human being.”
While the local protests have remained mainly peaceful — barring an instance during the Daytona protest where a protestor's foot was run over by a woman in a vehicle, which Daytona Beach Police said it is investigating — that has not been the case in other cities.
Slater said the local chapter of the NAACP doesn't support any of the riots or looting, and that instead, the aim should be to educate the law enforcement community on the tactics they implement, as well as the need for sensitivity training in their officers and highlighting trust versus distrust in the community.
“We march," Slater said. "We demonstrate, and there’s a way to do that to get our point across, and our words across, and just to make sure that what we’re saying and what we’re doing reflects on our value system and to make sure that justice prevails. I appreciate the demonstrations, the marches in Daytona and Port Orange, and it just shows collectively that we all have a responsibility in this matter —black, white, yellow, brown, green — it’s an eye opener for all of us.”
One Ormond Beach resident decided he wanted to help protest in a peaceful manner, away from crowds. Marc Johnson parks his truck across from the Ormond Beach Public Library and city hall, the trunk of which is decorated with a large banner reading, "I can't breathe." He then walks bridge, donning a shirt that reads "Vote" with a black outline of a man holding his fist above his head.
He said he wants the community to have this conversation, and anything he can do to promote that, is worth doing.
“I know I have impact," Johnson said. "It may be on a certain trickle of people that go across the bridge at that time, but [the issue] impacts everybody.”
Chitwood said the nation is seeing two types of protests: peaceful ones by those who want change, and "anarchists" who blend in with the peaceful protestors and take away impact from the message of social justice and improving police and community relations.
“What in God’s green earth are you doing to forward the cause of change when you’re stealing flat screen TVs from Target?" Chitwood said. "What does that have to do with Mr. Floyd’s death?”
There is hope for change, Slater said. But, the current climate of hate, racism and discriminatory practices in the U.S. toward people of color has ramped up. She doesn't understand why.
“I want to have hope, but my question is why do some white people hate us so much?" Slater said. "Where is the hate coming from? Where is the anger coming from? What is it about us that angers you so much?”
Chitwood acknowledges there are bad cops. He said it's a byproduct of hiring humans for the job. In 2017, Chitwood commissioned a use of force study by the Police Executive Research Forum where training, procedures and the culture of the agency were examined, resulting in a new training manual. The department was retrained using this new manual in 2018, and Chitwood said that in 2019, the agency saw over 50% reduction of the use of force.
“I’m not telling you in any way that law enforcement is perfect," Chitwood said. "But we’re trying. I really want my deputies to understand that there is a cultural and racial divide in this country and why there is.”
Slater said the conversations about race and overcoming barriers have to be had.
“When we see these kinds of injustices, we have to call it what it is," Slater said. "Once we call murder a murder, or discrimination or the tactics law enforcement — because that’s what we’re focused on now — use on people of color, there has to be immediate and swift action as it relates to seeking justice.”
