A CITY IN CRISIS : Reno Police Chief Joins Protest Against Verdict
Police Chief Richard Kirkland joined more than 600 other people Saturday in a peaceful march to protest the verdicts in the Rodney King case.
Kirkland, who is white, walked arm-in-arm with a female black protester during the one-mile march through the city’s downtown casino area.
“The system failed and it’s time for a change,” Kirkland said at a rally afterward. “Being a police officer is not an easy job and we make mistakes. But we’ve got to do a better job of treating people better and training officers better.”
Local minority leaders had expressed outrage over the recent acquittal of Reno Police Officer David Kinamon, who was accused of striking a Latino during an arrest at a casino.
But they praised Kirkland on Saturday, saying he has made sincere efforts to improve relations with the city’s minority community.
Before the march began, black leaders reminded participants to channel their frustration in a nonviolent manner.
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