Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday defended the “moderate” law enforcement response to protesters in the wake of the police shooting of Alton Sterling, citing the attack on police in Dallas as reason for the use of military-style equipment such as body armor, long rifles and armored vehicles.
“In light of what happened in Dallas,” Edwards says, “understanding that just one gunman can change the situation entirely, how do you, in good conscience, put police officers on the street without the ability to defend themselves, from not just what is immediately before them, but what could occur?”
Speaking this morning after the first meeting of the Task Force on Transportation Infrastructure Investment, Edwards admitted police have made some “mistakes,” but adds that law enforcement is learning and adapting to protesters, whom he says have gotten more aggressive each day.
The governor comes from a family of sheriffs, including his brother, Daniel Edwards, who is the current sheriff in Tangipahoa Parish.
Protesters have been critical of police for what they see as a militarized response to demonstrations in Baton Rouge, where law enforcement donned riot gear and military-style rifles over the weekend.
Police arrested 30 protesters Friday, another 102 on Saturday and 50 more on Sunday, according to East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Casey Rayborn Hicks. None were arrested Monday, she says.
Edwards describes the growing number of out-of-state protesters as “concerning,” something local law enforcement has highlighted as demonstrations ramped up in the days following the shooting.
“The tone and character of the protests really changed when out-of-state folks really showed up and started inciting folks,” Edwards says, “and in many cases they weren’t inciting other locals; they were inciting other people from out-of-state to engage in war, lawlessness and a more violent approach.”
Of the 102 arrested Saturday, 59 were from Baton Rouge and 18 were from out-of-state, including Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson, according to EBR Sheriff’s Office records. Of those arrested Sunday, six were from Baton Rouge and 12 were from out-of-state.
Mckesson and others have argued their arrests, most of which were for obstruction of a highway, were illegal and unwarranted.
Edwards said he encourages peaceful, nonviolent protests, but noted that an officer’s teeth were broken by a rock and a group of demonstrators planned to block Interstate 110 over the weekend.
“If you’re going to violate the law, I think you should expect charges,” Edwards says. “I don’t believe you are giving a voice to your ideas so long as you’re engaging in lawlessness.”
Edwards also lauded East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore’s decision to recuse himself from the Sterling case because of a relationship with the parents of one of the officers involved.
Attorney General Jeff Landry or another district attorney chosen by Landry’s office will handle the investigation if state charges are brought, and Edwards—whose relationship with Landry has been tumultuous since both men assumed their respective offices in January—expressed confidence in the attorney general’s office’s ability to handle the case.
The governor declined to comment on Mayor Kip Holden, whose response to the shooting and protests has been widely criticized. Edwards says he has had a “couple” of conversations with Holden since the shooting.
Sterling’s funeral is set for Friday, and Edwards praised the family’s decision to call for no protests that day.
—Sam Karlin
