Acton Town Manager John S. Mangiaratti, and Police Chief Richard Burrows and Boxborough Town Administrator Ryan Ferrara and Police Chief Warren B. Ryder seek to release the following statement:
"We, the municipal and law enforcement leaders of Acton and Boxborough, denounce the senseless killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers.
"The tragic death of George Floyd creates justifiable fear and anger within communities throughout the country. We are angry as well as the actions and inactions last week by Minneapolis police officers were horrible and certainly are not how police officers are trained to handle any situation. Police officers are trained to safeguard human life first, above all else. We acknowledge that unfair treatment of people based on their race is a problem still present in our communities and in the criminal justice system, and this is unacceptable. We cannot be silent on this issue.
"We are working hard to be agents for good and positive change, and we look forward to continuing to engage with our residents and community leaders to continue conversations about this important issue.
"We join with all of those who have demonstrated peacefully throughout our country in calling for justice for Mr. Floyd and his family, and we plan on continuing to take steps in our communities that will create lasting change. The members of our police departments remain committed to professional conduct, democratic and legitimate policing and procedural justice for all people."