The sheriff of Douglas County, Nevada, sent a letter to the local library saying it should no longer call the cops for help due to its Black Lives Matter stance.
According to The Root, the Douglas County Public Library published a proposed diversity statement on July 22nd as part of the agenda to be discussed at a special meeting it was planning on July 28th. The statement “denounces all acts of violence, racism, and disregard for human rights” and supports Black Lives Matter. It did not mention any law enforcement agency.
But Douglas County Sheriff Daniel Coverley reacted with a letter to the library’s Board of Trustees slamming the Black Lives Matter movement and threatening a lack of police response.
“The Black Lives Matter movement openly calls all law enforcement corrupt and racist on their website,” Coverley wrote in the letter Monday. “Numerous Black Lives Matter protests have resulted in violence, property damage and the closing of local businesses, sometimes permanently. To support this movement is to support violence and to openly ask for it to happen in Douglas County.”
“Due to your support of Black Lives Matter and the obvious lack of support or trust with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, please do not feel the need to call 911 for help,” Coverley continued. “I wish you good luck with disturbances and lewd behavior.”
In his letter, Coverley included statistics showing police shootings of unarmed Black people have declined and cited data as proof that systemic racism in policing is nonexistent.
The Black Lives Matter movement has seen a resurgence after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. For more than two months, there have been daily protests across the nation against police brutality and in favor of defunding police departments to provide more money and resources for social services.
Library Director Amy Dodson met with Coverley Tuesday to discuss the situation according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. Dodson called the situation “an unfortunate circumstance of misunderstanding.”
The Douglas County public information office released a statement by Coverley Tuesday evening. In the statement, Coverley didn’t apologize for his actions, instead saying the Black Lives Matter movement has created a difficult time for law enforcement.
“I am passionate about and proud of the work the Sheriff’s Office does for all members of this community,” Coverley said in the statement. “This has been a difficult time to be a law enforcement professional and can be disheartening when we perceive that our office may be under attack.”