 Hi, I'm Mike van der Steen, the mayor of the city of Sheboygan this past week There was a very disappointing event that took place in Minneapolis on behalf of the city of Sheboygan I want to extend our sympathy to the family of George Floyd This event has generated protests around the country and here in Sheboygan And I want to thank those who exercise their first amendment right to protest and to peacefully assemble in Sheboygan on Monday the chief Domigolski and I met with Joshua and Deontay who organized the protest at Fountain Park on Friday evening They made it clear that they hope that their efforts in this protest would make the world a better place for the youth that are growing up today We had a great conversation with them and Pastor Thomas who reached out to me to set up this meeting We decided to continue to meet and work on a partnership between the black community in the city of Sheboygan and To learn to treat each other with dignity and respect Chief Domigolski issued a Facebook post that the police department Recognized that the Minneapolis police officers actions in the arrest of joy George Floyd are not consistent with the training of the Sheboygan department They were saddened by the death of George Floyd and angry and dismayed and frustrated and also confused by the actions of the officers The Sheboygan police department works hard to build and maintain trust within our community And although the incident did not happen locally it can't damage the relationships between law enforcement and communities across the country Police officers have been given a great power and they recognize that this power must be used responsibly The Sheboygan police department has been proactive with their officer training which includes both diversity training and crisis intervention training But with I in the chief realized that at apartment and community we have more work to do and on this and other Incidents that have increased the fear and mistrust that some members of our community have for law enforcement We want you to know that we hear you and we want you to know that we are committed to building this relationship to gain your trust and Building a change in our community that we all want and know as possible. I Realized that as a member of another race I cannot fully understand the discrimination that people of color must endure And I want to work with you to make the changes that will make Sheboygan a better place to live Work and play Thank you very much