BATON ROUGE, La. (WDSU) — Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday during his coronavirus press briefing that the death of George Floyd was ‘egregious’ and far below the standard that an officer should uphold.
Edwards said that Louisiana residents have been exercising their first amendment rights during protests, and have done so peacefully without violence.
“The behavior of that Minneapolis police officer was egregious,” Edwards said. “I don’t think any reputable member of society or of law enforcement would disagree with that assessment or find that his actions were acceptable.”
Edwards said he expects that residents will continue to protect one another while they exercise their first-amendment rights to protest.
President Donald Trump on Monday derided many governors as “weak” and demanded tougher crackdowns on burning and stealing among some demonstrations in the aftermath of another night of violent protests in dozens of American cities.
Trump spoke to governors on a video teleconference that also included law enforcement and national security officials, telling the state leaders they “have to get much tougher.”
Edwards said he was on that call, and that he was choosing not to engage with the president’s comments.
By: WDSU Digital Team
