Ducey decries Floyd’s death as ‘abhorrent’

Gov. Doug Ducey on Sunday again praised law enforcement for its handling of local protests against police brutality, warning demonstrators he would not stand for violence or criminal activity.

But, this time, the Republican leader acknowledged the root of the unrest, calling the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police “tragic and abhorrent.”

“It should be condemned by leaders at all levels,” Ducey said of the nearly nine minutes a police officer spent kneeling on Floyd’s neck, ignoring his pleas for air.

“We should listen to those who seek to have a civil dialogue on how to ensure it never happens again.”

Sunday’s statement marked a departure from the governor’s previous reactions to the national turmoil sparked by Floyd’s death, which has grown and spread throughout the country since video of the incident emerged Monday.

Ducey had remained silent on the issue until Saturday morning, when he put out a statement focusing on the “rule of law.”

Community organizers, protesters and some Democratic lawmakers criticized those comments for failing to recognize the source of the demonstrations, contending the governor valued “law and order over … marginalized people.”

A member of Black Lives Matter Tucson said Ducey did not stress “order” after a predominantly white crowd of protesters, some of them armed, challenged the governor’s statewide stay-at-home order at the state Capitol in early May.

The Governor’s Office declined to address the backlash Saturday. In Sunday’s statement, Ducey applauded the state Department of Public Safety director for “engaging” with protesters and said that “kind of leadership from law enforcement, working with community leaders, will get us through.”

“In Arizona, we will listen,” he said.

Ducey devoted the bulk of Sunday’s statement to commending law enforcement’s “more aggressive approach Saturday night.”

He argued “more needs to be done, in more places around the state, to protect law and order and public safety.”

Officers arrested more than 100 people Saturday night in Phoenix alone. Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams had requested that Maj. Gen. Michael McGuire, director of the state Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, send in National Guard assistance to support local law enforcement, the Governor’s Office said.