‘Meaningful conversations’ needed on Madison County resolution in support of police
The Madison County Board decided Wednesday that they need to have “some meaningful conversations” about a resolution declaring support for law enforcement in the wake of protests before they take it up for a vote.
Critics say the resolution is divisive and politically motivated.
It was on the county board’s agenda for its meeting Wednesday night. Board members voted to send it back to the six-member public safety committee for more discussion.
There had been no discussion when the resolution previously came up at committee meetings on Oct. 13 and Nov. 9, according to audio recordings on the county’s website.
The board’s decision to put off a vote on the resolution came about an hour after a protest near the Madison County Courthouse in opposition to its passage. About 40 protesters attended the event.
Where did the Madison County resolution come from?
Board member Don Moore said in an interview Wednesday afternoon that he wrote the resolution to “say something good about the police” as he saw “riots” and criticism of police officers over the deaths of Black Americans, including George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Floyd, a Black man, died after a white police officer pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.
Moore acknowledged that riots are not happening locally and said he has attended a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest in Edwardsville “because what happened to George Floyd was not right.”
During the board meeting, Moore said some of the criticism of police that inspired him to write the ordinance came from a fellow board member. The board member said there was systemic racism in police departments across this country, according to Moore, and Moore said he does not agree with that.
Board member Mike Parkinson, who serves on the public safety committee, said at the meeting that there needed to be “some meaningful conversations on this important issue.” Parkinson works as a Granite City police officer.
“I think your intent was to really just thank the policemen who do a good job in this country,” Parkinson said to Moore. “I think everybody knows we do a good job, but we do have issues in this country that we need to talk about.”
Moore questioned whether the resolution would come back to the full board after members sent to it the committee again.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with coming out and saying we support the police,” Moore said. “... My gosh people, take a stand. Have some strength.”
Moore said in an interview he was not willing to “let it go.”
What does it say about police and unrest?
Moore said in an interview that there has been “a lot of pushback” to the resolution and that he revised the original language based on that feedback “in an effort to make the resolution more agreeable to a larger number of Madison County residents.”
“I’ve had some great conversations,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot.”
The original version stated that police “protect our families, our friends and our neighbors against those groups that endanger us all by spreading chaos, encouraging civil unrest and destroying our communities in an effort to weaken our democracy” and that “blue lives matter.” Those passages are removed from the revised version.
The latest version states, “Given the recent level of civil unrest across our nation, our men and women in blue are in imminent danger every time they put on their uniform. Yet the rank and file, comprised of these brave men and women, continue to stand for law and order in order to protect us.
“The County Board of Madison County, Illinois, declares their support for all law enforcement officers that protect our families, our friends and our neighbors.”
Maj. Jeff Connor, chief deputy sheriff in Madison County, said the sheriff’s office has not been involved in the writing of the resolution.
“I think if we had an official stance it would be that we believe this is a politically motivated resolution by the Kurt (Prenzler) administration of the Madison County Board, and we are not part of that,” Connor said in an interview. “We did not encourage this nor did they talk to us prior to them drafting the resolution.”
Prenzler did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
‘We stopped the resolution,’ protesters say
Emily Ehley, an Alton resident and one of the organizers of Wednesday’s protest, said the resolution’s language creates an “atmosphere of fear,” making people afraid of protesters or afraid to join the protests.
Some signs at the protest read, “We stopped the resolution” and “How’s this for civil unrest.” Protesters chanted “This is what democracy looks like.” And Ehley read an alternative resolution for protesters during the event.
“Black Lives Matter. Being asked to stop killing Black people is not a threat to police,” the protesters’ resolution stated. “The right to freedom of speech and assembly is the cornerstone of our democracy. We are not the enemy.
“We the people of Madison County will hear the cries for justice coming from Black communities across the country. We will take up those calls. We will not stop using our voices to demand a more just community. We will push past our fears and dare to imagine a world where resources go where they are most needed and everyone is truly safe.”
More than 1,000 people opposed to Madison County’s proposed resolution signed a petition calling for the board to focus instead on “essential social services that are often underfunded, such as housing, education, employment, mental health care, and youth services.” Protesters said they sent the petition to board members on Wednesday.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 7:34 PM.
