Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson has publicly called on police chiefs of Dane County to speak out against the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Floyd died Monday after a Minneapolis city police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 10 minutes, even after Floyd lost consciousness. The incident, caught on cell phone video by passersby, led to the firing of four police officers Tuesday.
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Johnson wrote that he was “calling on the police chiefs across America, including the local Police Chiefs in Madison, Fitchburg, Sun Prairie and other municipalities to speak out against the killing of George Floyd in South Minneapolis. Black men are being impacted mentally by these issues and it hurts.”
“Far too many times we are quiet and choose to stay clear of these issues and black people during times like this need to know their lives are valued and not taken for granted,” he wrote. “I’ve worked closely with many of you on a variety of different issues and would like to see each of you take a stance on this issue and not sit in silence on this one. As a former member of the Leaders of Color & Law Enforcement TaskForce of Dane County, I will be sending an email to each of you tonight asking you to condemn this behavior.”
Johnson wrote that he intended to convene a call with Dane County’s police chiefs Wednesday. It is unclear whether that call has been scheduled.
