⏩ Ganim talks Floyd protests, explains weekend absence.
BRIDGEPORT — Mayor Joe Ganim on Monday addressed the weekend protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and also explained his absence during “a very difficult weekend here in the city.”
A Bridgeport-based rally Saturday sparked by national outrage over Floyd’s death while pinned by a police officer began downtown at McLevy Green. The demonstration then moved to the police department headquarters on Congress Street and shut down a section of the Routes 8/25 connector for three hours.
According to law enforcement officials, the event started and ended peacefully, but at one point some protesters tried to force their way into the police building and were pepper-sprayed. Later, state police arrested two individuals on the connector.
“For all of us this has been a long week across the country and a very difficult weekend here in the city,” Ganim said in a video filmed in his downtown offices and released on social media around 5 p.m. Monday. “I want to add my voice to those that expressed outrage and pain this weekend ... As city officials or police department members, we all share and stand in solidarity on this.”
“Hopefully the voices that were raised, the pain that was expressed, can be a part of a healing process to make this a better place for all of us,” Ganim concluded.
Earlier in the afternoon the mayor during what has become a daily 12:30 p.m. Facebook address during the COVID-19 pandemic also mentioned Saturday’s protest. He described it generally as “peaceful” with “people acting appropriately” and stated Bridgeport’s police force “supports the condemning of the actions that we’ve seen on that video out of Minneapolis.”
“There were certainly individuals ... that have kind of taken it a step further to a level of lawlessness which certainly doesn’t advance the cause,” the mayor added.
He also addressed some online criticism that he had not attended the McLevy Green event Saturday, especially since U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., had.
“I didn’t want to be on scene that day, there. I don’t think that added value,” Ganim said, adding later: “We talked about it . ... I was going to go there with Sen. Blumenthal . ... But then you get individuals who broke glass and things like that at the police department — that probably would have added more of that type of stuff.”
Ganim was also slower to respond to the local outrage over Minneapolis than some of his peers. Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin issued a video message Friday as did New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker.
Ganim’s Twitter account on Saturday retweeted a pair of messages posted by the police department; “We stand with you United AGAINST Police Brutality! We hear you!’ and “We commend our @CityofBptCT #Community for hosting a peaceful & meaningful protest. Feelings of frustration & heartache R validated by what we saw, as to-the need 4 change. We R #united on these matters. It is unfortunate that some came to interrupt community #solidarity.”
There have been several high profile incidents of use of excessive force by officers in Bridgeport during Ganim’s tenure.
Most recently the city was preparing to pay resident Carmelo Mendez $340,000 after he was shown on video being beaten by several police officers during a 2017 birthday party in his sister’s yard.
The city’s Office of Internal Affairs Investigation found that 17 Bridgeport police officers and two civilian detention officers used excessive force, lied on official reports and violated a laundry list of department regulations in the 2017 Colorado Avenue incident.
Saturday’s demonstration was attended by some members of the Justice for Jayson group formed in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Jayson Negron, 15, by Bridgeport Police Officer James Boulay in 2017. A subsequent probe by the Waterbury State’s Attorney cleared Boulay of wrongdoing.
Last month Negron’s family filed a federal lawsuit alleging Bridgeport’s police department fosters an environment of “grossly negligent, reckless, and deliberately indifferent conduct” among its officers. The suit has not been settled.