BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — A “Stand With Chief Murphy Paul Rally” is happening at the Baton Rouge Police Department Headquarters on Monday morning.
It started at 10 a.m. with Councilman Cleve Dunn, Jr., Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman, Mayor Pro-Temp LaMont Cole, Councilwoman Chauna Blanks, and Councilman Darryl Hurst all expected to attend the event.
The press conference started out with State Representative Vanessa Caston LaFleur saying that “faith-based and community leaders have gathered today for such a time as this, to leave no doubt that we stand with Chief of Police Murphy Paul. We do this in the face of those seeking to have his tenure, service and legacy interrupted. We do this and support his speaking truth to power.”
Reverend S.C. Dixon, of the Greater Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church stepped to the microphone and said, “Anybody who knows our chief of police, knows that he’s a confident, caring and calm man of faith. What many witnessed on Sept. 27, 2023 in the East Baton Rouge City Parish Council Meeting was a chief who had been pushed, pinched and poked and he opened up a can of truth that some thought that would never be revealed and they were publicly exposed.”
District 8 Council Member Denise Amoroso called for the head of the Baton Rouge Police Department to resign.
Others who spoke in support of Chief Paul include Pastor Thomas Clark, of the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Dr. Ernest Jacob Rieux, Jr., of NOBLE, Mayor Pro Tempore LaMont Cole and Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. Broome praised Chief Paul during the rally.
Chief Paul followed Mayor Broome and talked about how he spoke last week at the The East Baton Rouge Metro Council meeting. Paul said, “Y’all don’t know how I beat myself up for losing my cool and I wish I could have just said it a different way.”
