District Attorney David Lozier is touting work done in Beaver County over the past several years to improve relations between local law enforcement and minority communities.
Lozier spoke to BeaverCountian.com today as protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota have grown violent in reaction to the death of George Floyd. Footage recorded by a bystander shows a white police officer kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed black man who was begging for relief because he could not breathe. Floyd died in police custody.
Lozier called what occurred in Minneapolis a “tragedy beyond words.”
“When Sheriff Tony Guy and I first ran for office (in 2015), we talked about the need to form a coalition in Beaver County to address these very issues,” Lozier said. “After taking office, we put in place measures to prevent something like this from happening and to respond if something like this were to happen here.”
Guy took to social media on Wednesday night, calling for the prosecution of the Minneapolis officer who was seen in the video of Floyd’s death.
“The actions of the officer are criminal, and he should be charged with homicide,” Guy wrote. “We expect respect from those we serve. To fail to speak out deserves scorn. We ask our communities to trust us. To not acknowledge their outrage betrays them …
“Our profession is better than this. If we expect any support from our communities and our nation we must demand justice for George Floyd.”
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