It was a remarkable sight … a cop puts down his baton and helmet and joins protesters in solidarity.
It went down Saturday in Michigan’s Flint Township, where Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson engaged protesters in the wake of George Floyd‘s brutal killing at the hands of rogue cops.
Swanson had a real conversation with some folks in the crowd, saying, “This is the way it’s supposed to be … police working with the community. When we see injustice, we call it out on the police side and on the community side. All we had to do was talk to them, and now we’re walking with them.”
He added, “The cops in this community, we condemn what happened. That guy [Chauvin] is not one of us.”
And, with that … the Sheriff and some of his deputies joined the crowd assembled in a Target and began marching. They were united for more than 2 hours, and the march ended at Flint’s police station, where things could have otherwise gotten out of hand. They were met by a line of deputies decked out in riot gear. The protesters and cops began talking, and it all ended with fist bumps and hugs.
A glimmer of hope …