SALEM — A couple hundred protesters outside the Salem Police headquarters Friday night called for an end to racial violence and police brutality in the U.S. But many of them had another request — that Salem Police Capt. Kate Stephens lose her job.
Stephens was placed on leave after sending out a tweet Tuesday on the Salem Police official Twitter page that read, “So you issued a permit for 10 of thousands of people to protest but I can’t go to a restaurant? You are ridiculous. You and Too Tall Deval are killing this state.”
Stephens’ tweet was in regards to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker’s handling of widespread police brutality protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively, and Salem Police Chief subsequently released a statement condemning the tweet.
But many protesters Friday wanted Stephens to be fired, especially in the context of police racism toward people of color, which has been highlighted in recent months by several police killings, including that of George Floyd, who died while unarmed and detained by police in Minneapolis on May 25.
“I made it very clear that because she wants to go to a restaurant but not protest, fine, she can go to a restaurant every day instead of coming here (to the police station),” said Laura Morales, of Salem, who held a sign calling for Stephens’ firing.
“This is a very tolerant city,” said Salem resident Vanessa Jenner. “Comparing someone protesting injustice to going out to a restaurant is not okay.”
Others at the protest held signs reading, “Black Lives Matter” and “No Justice, No Peace.” At one point, the crowd chanted expletives about the police, along with chants asking the crowd to repeat the names of people who have been killed by police.
One of the names the crowd chanted was Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed in her Kentucky apartment in March after police stormed the apartment during an investigation. Friday would have been Taylor’s birthday.
“It is really unfortunate, everything that has been going on in our country,” said Salem resident Tamara Moise. “She would have been 27 years old. I’m 27 years old, that could have been me.”
Thursday, Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll announced in a statement on Facebook that the city is launching a review of the Salem Police Department’s use of force, in light of actions by police around the country.
“Given the tragic killing of George Floyd, every police department ought to be taking a hard look at their use of force policies to ensure they are aligned with community values and authorize local law enforcement to exercise their powers judicially,” Driscoll said.
