Elorza Should be "Less Concerned About National Politics & More About Providence," Says Police Union
GoLocalProv News Team
Elorza Should be "Less Concerned About National Politics & More About Providence," Says Police Union
"It should surprise no one that while Mayor Elorza continues to denigrate and deny the importance of the men and women of the Providence Police Department, he still makes time to put out an inflammatory statement on a recent police involved shooting halfway across the country," said the FOP in a statement on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, Elorza Tweeted the following about Blake
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"We should all feel outraged that Black people continued to die at the hands of police. Jacob Blake & his family’s lives will never be the same & I hope this will be a renewed call for justice for all who seek it. Now more than ever, we need to come together throughout the country to heal and push for change," Elorza Tweeted.
Elorza and community officials held a press conference last Friday after the city had five homicides in two weeks.
FOP Statement
The FOP released the following about Elorza's statement
"Again, the Mayor has made a definitive opinionated statement prior to a completed investigation and prior to all factual information being made public. It appears as if the Mayor would rather play national politics than care for the city of Providence, and that he did not learn from his previous blunder of taking sides based on half of the information needed.
Perhaps the Mayor should be less concerned about national politics and more concerned about his own city. Perhaps the mayor should focus more on the uptick in violence that the city is experiencing, and work with the police to find tangible solutions to these ever-increasing instances of violence, instead of making vague and hollow statements about the crime wave plaguing the city.
The city needs residents and visitors to feel safe in order to thrive economically and socially in such unstable times; but when visitors are getting caught in crossfire, when ATVs are terrorizing the streets, and when protesters blatantly ignore laws and seem protected by the city’s administration … then no one feels safe.
Cities across the country are struggling, businesses are failing, and violence is increasing. Instead of addressing these issues and finding solutions, the Mayor is looking for his fifteen minutes of political fame by commenting on an admittedly tragic incident halfway across the country.
Where are his comments on the multiple homicide victims right here in this city? His own constituents get silence. This is outrageous, pandering behavior from Mayor Elorza. Enough is enough."
In response to the FOP's criticism, Elorza spokesperson said the mayor's comments on Blake "still stand."