May 26, 2022

This month, I’ve joined with others in commemoration and reflection of the life of George Floyd. I had hoped this week to share more about the growing progress we’ve built as a local community over the past two years, but recent, horrific mass shootings also require our attention to advocate for national, lasting change.

Buffalo, New York.  

Laguna Woods, California. 

Uvalde, Texas. 

My deepest thoughts, prayers, and sincere condolences are with the victims and the families of those who lost their lives. I also express my heartfelt sympathy and unconditional support to all of those who were injured, traumatized, and generally impacted by the acts of racially and politically motivated violence.

Everyone has a right to feel safe in their community. Not everyone does or has. Until we do, Salt Lake City won’t stop working with our communities through whatever means we can to ensure we may all feel and be safe, whether at the grocery store, street corner, places of worship, schools or our homes.  

Mass shootings are occurring at an alarming rate across the nation. This week, our staff coordinated to receive active attacker re-training to be educated on life-saving response tactics. While I acknowledge this is necessary, it is heartbreaking that such training is needed from kindergarten classrooms to senior centers to places of worship. 

What’s really needed is for Congress to listen to the majority of Americans and act to reduce the availability of assault-style weapons in this country and enact common sense gun control measures.

At the same time, I applaud President Biden for signing an executive order yesterday to initiate accountable policing reforms and to improve criminal justice practices. I’m thankful for the Salt Lake City Commission on Racial Equity in Policing and their work, whose recommendations are reflected in my past and current budget proposals.

Salt Lake City has enacted reforms on use of force, body camera use, consent to search and other facets of policing and will continue to evolve our approaches to public safety in perpetuity. This City will continue to listen, learn and evolve the ways in which we keep our community safe. We cannot ever stop this work.

I look forward to sharing more with you next week on our efforts to prevent violence in our community and increase safety for all.