(Beaver, pa.) Beaver County Commissioner Jack Manning used the open comments period of the commissioners bye weekly regular meeting to make a statement  on his thoughts of the killing of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, MN.

A copy of Manning’s statement is below:

When I took my oath of office a little over 150 days ago, I vowed that I would always try to make the best decisions I could with those things I can control and try to influence to the best of my ability those things I can’t. I also promised myself to continue speaking truth to power, and as someone now in power, however limited, to speak the truth from the platform I have been given. If you know the story of my parents and my two sisters and me, you’d know that we come from working class, devout and humble roots. We never thought we were privileged. But through the fate of having white parents, I was given privileges not born to my friends of color. I am white, they are not, and I will never know the true depths of their pain in a society where we continue demonstrate institutional and social racism.  There is zero chance that I, or either of my two sons, would ever be pinned to the pavement with a knee to my neck until I died, in front of white citizens compelling an officer to stop.

My late sister Susan, and my brother-in-law Reverend Rollin Kirk, lived the last 20 years or so of their lives in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area. They preached, served and fought for social justice their entire lives. Sue will be gone 15 year on June 14. She, as I am,  would be horrified and numbed by the continuing pain and suffering being inflicted discriminately on members of our society, especially our black community.  We started this meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Unfortunately, as we strive to form a more perfect democratic republic, we have failed to live up to the last six words of that pledge, “with liberty, and justice, for all”. I am hoping that in this latest case, that the family and friends of George Floyd, get the justice they deserve under the constitution.

I’ll close with my belief in free will and moral responsibility. For whatever reason that officer and those in uniform watching him, chose to ignore their moral responsibility and let a man be executed on the street. I also know that their actions do not represent character, and duty to protect and serve, of the 99.9% of law enforcement officers and people that I know, and who I appreciate every day for their service.

I ask everyone to please open your minds, your hearts, and set aside your prejudges to figure out how we can collectively stop this divisive insanity that plagues our great nation. I am willing to talk to anyone on this subject at any time. We must find “justice for all” and bring healing to so many who have suffered. I have seen way too much senseless death in my lifetime and it needs to stop.