Johns Creek’s top officials will review a controversial social media post by the north Fulton city’s police chief that criticized church leaders he said supported the Black Lives Matter movement and “failed” the law enforcement community.
City Manager Ed Densmore and Mayor Mike Bodker released statements Monday regarding the personal Facebook post by Police Chief Chris Byers.
“We will conduct a careful review of the content and comments from the posting and explore potential next steps or actions, as appropriate,” Densmore said. “Equitable treatment and respect for each and every member of our community, including those of the Black Lives Matter movement, is part of our city’s culture.”
Bodker said that he holds Byers accountable for the words in his Facebook post, but the chief’s statements were not meant to offend.
“I know his words were not meant to be divisive, but rather to foster a dialogue among these different groups, including Black Lives Matter, to bring the about tangible and meaningful change many of us would like to see,” he said.
Byers wrote a long Facebook post on Sunday that was taken down hours later. In the post, Byers said that he believes racism was in the heart of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis, Minnesota, police officer charged with killing George Floyd, but he is against the Black Live Matter movement. He blamed pastors and other church leaders for the casting the organization in a positive light.
Black Lives Matter “seems to glorify the killing of my brothers and sisters. It is not what you pastors and religious leaders think it is,” Byers wrote.
The chief said his criticism was based on what Johns Creek officers told him and not what he had heard or seen firsthand. Byers' entire Facebook post appears on the city of Johns Creek website. He has not returned phone calls for comment.
Rev. Dr. Michael T. McQueen, Senior Pastor of St. James United Methodist Church in Alpharetta criticized the police chief for not taking a closer look at the Black Lives Matter organization. “The disappointing thing is, number one, he was misinformed,” the pastor said. “His job is not to go on hearsay but to investigate the truth. Black Lives Matter is not about killing police officers.”
Fourteen members of the Johns Creek Interfaith Alliance plan to meet with Byers to discuss his remarks, said Naeem Mulla with Al-Rahmah Islamic Center of Masjid Jafar in Johns Creek.
Byers, in his post, said he would not take a knee with protesters as some police chiefs around the country have done, adding that he views the action as a sign of surrender.
“It’s actually antithesis of that,” McQueen said. “Colin Kaepernick took a knee to fight for justice. It wasn’t to surrender. (Byers) missed the whole symbolism of taking a knee.”
NFL player Colin Kaepernick kneeled when the national anthem was sung during the 2016 season in silent protest for the lives of black men who died in police custody. Most NFL owners objected to his actions and Kaepernick has not played in the league since January 2017.
McQueen said the St. James community has been deeply affected by the death of George Floyd and other men while in police custody.
“The emotions have ranged from anger to sadness to sympathy to justice to forgiveness,” he said. “We have always believed in constructive dialogue. We are going to continue to be committed to having a constructive response to issues that face us today.”
The city manager and the mayor have said that Johns Creek is interested in genuine dialogue on race and policing with the entire community. The city plans to hold town hall discussions with residents when the community is safe from the coronavirus, Densmore said.
“With everything that is taking place around the U.S and the world, it’s important that we listen, understand, and make thoughtful decisions which will bring about improvements to everyone’s health, safety and quality of life,” he added.
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