June 3. By Dave Yochum. A peaceful protest is scheduled for downtown Cornelius between 4 pm and 7 pm today. Cornelius Police have met with the organizers who plan a demonstration that will obey the law.

“We are hoping for a low-key, peaceful event,” Cornelius Police Chief Kevin Black said.

“The incident that occurred in Minneapolis is not representative of what law enforcement officers stand for and is not a representation of how our department works,” he added.

Anger has erupted around the world in the week following George Floyd’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis policeman who has been charged with murder. Demonstrations have occurred nightly in Charlotte where officials have declared a State of Emergency.

High hopes

“We hope for constructive, but positive conversation that leads to future conversations and the development of ideas to make our community better,” said Black.

Peaceful demonstrators gathered in Davidson yesterday. Chief Penny Dunn talked to participants carrying “Black Lives Matter” signs.

Until today the only visible sign of anger in Cornelius was a hand-made sign posted sometime Sunday on the fence surrounding the Confederate Monument on Zion Avenue. Cornelius has a brief history of demonstrations: Anti-toll gatherings on the I-77 bridge at Exit 28.

Bush speaks out

Former President George Bush issued a rare public statement on current events:

“The heroes of America — from Frederick Douglass, to Harriet Tubman, to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King, Jr. — are heroes of unity. Their calling has never been for the fainthearted. They often revealed the nation’s disturbing bigotry and exploitation — stains on our character sometimes difficult for the American majority to examine. We can only see the reality of America’s need by seeing it through the eyes of the threatened, oppressed, and disenfranchised.”

Chief Dunn said the men and women of the Davidson Police Department condemn brutality of all kinds.

“An act of police brutality diminishes public trust and, most importantly, the relationships we build in our community,” Dunn said.

Chemical agents

The arrest of Braxton Winston, a Charlotte City Council member, has made national headlines.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are reviewing whether proper policy was followed Tuesday night after it said it used chemical agents to “protect officers and the public” during a demonstration in Uptown over George Floyd’s death.

Cornelius Police Chief Black said Cornelius does have chemical agents although there’s no expectation around using them.

He explained that when crowds have to be dispersed to gain order and public safety, chemical agents can be used. If the agents were not available, police would have to rely on physical force to clear an area, he said.