South Kent News

Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Payne joined protestors Wednesday at a rally to end police brutality toward black Americans.

“I will meet with anyone who is an advocate of peace and moving forward,” Payne told the crowd, according to MLive. “We have to work together with this. I can’t do it alone. I need everyone out here to work with me.”

Payne previously told MLive on Monday that he would participate in the Wednesday protest because its organizers had notified the police department of their intentions to hold the rally ahead of time. This in contrast to a protest he was invited to on Monday night, which Payne said was unplanned and unpermitted.

“Now Wednesday, there is a scheduled rally that is going on,” Payne told MLive. “I plan to be there and I will be a part of that, but this is not organized. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say I don’t believe a lot of people down there are from Grand Rapids.”

MLive reports Payne stood in solidarity with the Wednesday protestors. Payne knelt and chanted along with them, saying “I can’t breathe,” which was said repeatedly by George Floyd, a black man, after Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck, leading to his death on May 25. All four officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have since been fired and are facing charges, and Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder.

“This is 2020,” Payne told WZZM13 on Monday. “We have to make sure we’re accountable for our actions. We will hold each other accountable. The tragedy that occurred in Minnesota, those officers are being held accountable.”

Grand Rapids is no longer under a curfew, with city commissioners saying they trust individuals to protest peacefully and trust the police to arrest those who aren’t peaceful.