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Commissioner’s Message continued

I am thankful to see so many citizens and community I am thankful for and commend the fellow officers who
leaders raise their voice and call for justice. At the same quickly de-escalated the incident and showed true
time there’s no excuse for looting, riots, or violent leadership in a very heated moment.
demonstrations in our streets. These tactics only take away Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you again soon!
from the righteous calls for justice and hurt our own
community. We must all hold ourselves to a higher Heather Moraitis
standard if we are to make progress together. District I Commissioner
By now most of us have seen the video of a police
officer's aggressive interaction with a kneeling protester.
Incidents like this weaken the community’s faith in civil For More Information:
society and make it so that citizens fear peacefully raising • Sign-up for Email Updates/Newsletters to get additional
their voice and utilizing their First Amendment rights. I links to important city information, upcoming events,
appreciate the swift actions that City Manager Lagerbloom photos, commission agendas and meeting reminders for
and Chief Maglione have taken. The incident is already district meetings. Please contact District 1 Assistant
being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Melissa Coningsby, MConingsby@fortlauderdale.gov or
Enforcement and the officer is off the street. 954-828-5033, to receive emails or to schedule an
appointment.
I don’t want this shocking incident to distract from the
great work the vast majority of our officers perform every • Follow Commissioner Moraitis on Facebook, Twitter, or
day. However, this one incident alone is one too many. LinkedIn @heathermoraitis n

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10 The Landings & Bay Colony
The Landings & Bay Colony