News

Officers calmly communicate with protesters and find common ground

May 30, 2020 | | Print Article

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE.

An Atlanta police officer captured on video calmly speaking with protesters is being lauded for how he handled a tense situation.

The now-viral video is being praised as a step towards healing amid the anger and frustration over the death of an unarmed Minneapolis man, George Floyd, while in police custody. The Atlanta officer in the video found common ground with a protester, noting how his own family is affected by the issue.


(Source: Twitter)

“I do, alright, I have a son who’s 31, I have a son who’s 15, alright, and I have to have these conversations with him all the time,” the man identified by WXIA-TV as Officer Z. Murphy said, standing along with fellow officers in the midst of the crowd.

“So we’re not telling you all to leave. What was going on up here was wrong, that’s why we brought it to a stop. The loudspeaker, the yakking, and the yapping – we said pause,” Murphy explained.

“We said pause, let these people remain here, let them stay on the street, let them express their grievances because you have a right to be pissed off,” he added.

“Over there, they don’t feel the same way,” the protester he had been speaking with countered.

“That’s why I told them to shut the f*** up,” Murphy replied, getting shouts of approval from the crowd.

When another one of the demonstrators told Murphy he needed to give some of his positive energy to his fellow officers, he replied: “One at a time, my brother, one at a time.”

While Georgia’s protests over Floyd’s death had been largely peaceful, with demonstrations and marches to the state Capitol, things took a turn later throughout downtown Atlanta, and other parts of the city. Protesters descended on the CNN headquarters and started smashing doors, while other incidents that began to turn to vandalism and violence prompted Gov. Brian Kemp to issue a State of Emergency and deploy the National Guard.

Meanwhile, attempts by those who, like Officer Murphy, were displaying empathy and seeking to diffuse tense situations captured much attention. Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields was praised for engaging with protesters and listening to their complaints as she walked in the same crowd where Murphy was.

Meanwhile in Texas, Chief of the Dallas Police Department Reneé Hall was also earning praise for her calm encounter with a protester after officers were reportedly hit with rocks.

“We’re giving you the street. We’re giving you the sidewalk…we’re not telling you to move,” Hall told a protester in a video. “You can’t hit my folks… Somebody threw a rock at my officer. Don’t do that.”

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

$10
$15
$25
$50
Other
$
Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.
Frieda Powers
Latest posts by Frieda Powers (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles