‘Sea of Blue’ buoys Nevada law enforcement — PHOTOS
Las Vegas supporters of law enforcement rallied Friday night to combat the tension that’s grown between U.S. police departments and their critics in the aftermath of controversial shootings involving officers and civilians.
The “Sea of Blue” rally in the northwest valley drew hundreds of people who listened to about two hours of speeches from police and Southern Nevada officials at Police Memorial Park, 3250 Metro Academy Way, near Cheyenne Avenue and Grand Canyon Drive. Similar rallies have been held across the nation in recent weeks to counter anti-police sentiment sparked by the deaths of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo., Eric Garner in New York, and Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy fatally shot by a Cleveland police officer.
Las Vegas rally speakers included Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, new Metro Sheriff Joe Lombardo and Randy Sutton, a retired Metro lieutenant and national spokesman for the American Council of Public Safety.
Lombardo addressed the tension between protesters and police around the country and called it “deplorable.”
“How many out there think that the officer who was involved in the shooting of the juvenile put on his uniform expecting to do the right thing that day?” asked Lombardo, who was cheered by the crowd.
He asked the same about the Ferguson, Mo. officer who shot and killed the unarmed 18-year-old Brown.
“I guarantee you neither one of those officers put on their uniform and said, ‘I’m gonna go shoot somebody so I can ruin my life,’ ” Lombardo said. “They didn’t think that way, nor should society.”
Anti-police sentiment and protests against departments have been detrimental, creating “a war on cops,” according to Sutton.
“Last year has been a very difficult one for police in our nation and in our community,” Sutton said. He spoke about the shooting deaths of New York City police officers killed in December and Metro officers Igor Soldo and Alyn Beck, who were slain in 2014 in an east valley pizza parlor.
“They’ve shaken the people who serve and our country’s communities,” Sutton said about police killers and violent protesters.
“But unlike those anti-police demonstrations — where screaming, angry mobs spew their venomous poison — we’re different,” Sutton said of police supporters. “… Tonight, it’s our voices that will be heard.”
Metro Lt. Sasha Larkin, who is part of the mentoring group Women of Metro, assists different charities in the valley and emphasized that the community needs to come together.
“The truth is, we come out here and we’re united,” Larkin said. ” It’s not us and them, it’s not us and you, we are part of the community and you are our community and we want to be one with you, we don’t want to stand separate.”
Some attendees were police officers and their families. Others were valley residents who came to champion police.
Tysen Booth, 57, of Las Vegas, said he admires the work done by police. “(I’m) just honoring the guys who do this every day.”
Booth, who wore a blue shirt in honor of fallen officers, said he can’t imagine a world without police doing the work they do. “I could sleep well at night because of it.”
Patrick Denny, 42, has friends who are officers.
“I think the majority of the community does support the police department,” Denny said. “You’re going to have the small percentage that don’t,” people who may have had bad experiences with officers.
“They’re not robots, they’re normal people, they have families,” Denny said of patrol officers.
Mayor Goodman stressed her support for first responders, saying: “We absolutely appreciate every day that when you get up in the morning, you don’t know what your day is gonna hold for you, but you’re ready to be there for all of us.”
Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.
