Gov. David Ige joined other governors from across the country Monday on a call to discuss the protests and rioting in U.S. cities in recent days, and Ige said he was “extremely disappointed” at Trump’s urging the governors to crack down hard on the protests.
“There was no acknowledgement of the grievances that we’ve lived with all across the country in addressing the racial discrimination and mistreatment of our minorities, and we were horrified by the tragic death of George Floyd,” Ige said. “The president seemed more interested in arming up and taking action and dominating the situation.”
Ige added that “when a fellow governor had suggested to the president that what the country needed was a calming and restorative call for unity across the country, he ended the press conference in disgust.”
Photo Gallery: Protests and prayers held in Seattle over death of George Floyd Opens in a new tab
“Certainly, I think that all of us on the call, all of the governors on the call, truly feel like this is a time for our nation to come together, and certainly, governors and mayors across the country are committed to providing that leadership in our communities in a way that we can recognize the true, peaceful demonstration and statement and show of support to forcefully and expeditiously addressing the grievances that we see across the county in a way that honors the nation that we are,” Ige said.
“So, certainly, the mayors and I am calling for our community to be respectful, to allow for peaceful demonstration, and certainly calling for all in our community to join hands — no matter what they feel about these issues — in a way that demonstrates our investment and desire for being respectful and all-inclusive in everything that we do,” Ige added.
Senate President Ron Kouchi told reporters he agrees with Ige.
Kouchi said his office overlooks the Beretania Street site in front of the Capitol where demonstrators gathered Friday to protest George Floyd’s death, and that “the respectful way in which the people of Oahu came out to express their anger over what happened, and to let them know that it’s not tolerable here in Hawaii, also showed the right way about expressing yourself, making yourself heard, but being respectful in the community.”
