Chattanooga police officials took to Twitter on Wednesday to speak out against the actions of Minnesota police officers that resulted in the death of George Floyd.
Floyd, who was black, died in police custody on Monday after a Minneapolis officer pinned Floyd's neck under his knee for multiple minutes. A circulated video of the incident shows Floyd saying that he could not breathe.
In a tweet that has since gone viral with more than 79,000 shares and 300,000 likes as of Thursday morning, Chattanooga Police Chief David Roddy wrote that the video left little room for debate and that any officer that could not see the problem should turn in his or her badge.
"There is no need to see more video," Roddy's tweet reads. "There no need to wait to see how "it plays out". There is no need to put a knee on someone's neck for NINE minutes. There IS a need to DO something. If you wear a badge and you don't have an issue with this...turn it in."
There is no need to see more video. There no need to wait to see how “it plays out”. There is no need to put a knee on someone’s neck for NINE minutes. There IS a need to DO something. If you wear a badge and you don’t have an issue with this...turn it in. pic.twitter.com/frNCAWCeq6
— David Roddy (@ChiefDavidRoddy) May 27, 2020
Chief Deputy Austin Garrett also weighed in, tweeting that the community should know where their local police department stood on the incident while also calling for officers to speak out against what they know is wrong.
"As leaders our communities must know where we stand," Garrett tweeted. "This act of violence is black & white. Make no mistake, there's no explanation or gray in it. For 8 min George Floyd lay suffocating and dying. If you wear a badge stand up for what's right & stand up & speak out against wrong."
As leaders our communities must know where we stand. This act of violence is black & white. Make no mistake, there’s no explanation or gray in it. For 8 min George Floyd lay suffocating and dying. If you wear a badge stand up for what’s right & stand up & speak out against wrong. pic.twitter.com/VaoN0O91GZ
— Chief Deputy Austin Garrett (@CDAustinGarrett) May 28, 2020
Former Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher has also been vocal on the social media platform, urging officers to act against everyday injustices.
"Those of us from LE have duty to stand up & speak out & act against injustices large & small in our profession - long before they become murder," he tweeted. "I see many of u who do stand up & act - lets magnify their influence."