City officials in Phoenix, Arizona announced this week that Black Lives Matter protests cost taxpayers approximately $250, 000 in July.
Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests cost taxpayers $250,000 and also diverted police attention away from other situations, reports ABC 15. BLM protests that took place on July 8 and July 15 each cost over $120,000, statistics show.
And, according to the Phoenix City Council, police officers were so preoccupied with covering the protesters, they needed the Glendale SWAT team to cover a call.
“This shows a complete disrespect for the taxpayer and our great police department. This disrespect can easily be added up. Add up the loss of taxpayer monies, the cost to local small business owners, the waste of limited police resources, and the fact that the protesters refused to change the date of their protest as it occurred the day after we lost those brave police heroes in Dallas,” Councilman Sal DiCiccio said in a statement.
The extra $250,000 does not account for the losses local businesses faced because they either had to close down early due to threats from protesters or lost customers in general.
“To be clear, I am a fierce proponent of free speech and people’s right to protest, but the way the protesters exercised their rights squandered critical resources away from the serial killer investigation and our community,” Councilman DiCiccio said.
Reverend Jarrett Maupin, the man who helped organize the two protests in Arizona, told 12 News that the city council had cost taxpayers approximately $2 million.
“The Phoenix City Council, this year alone, has cost taxpayers more than $2 million in settlement monies and legal fees associated with issues of police brutality, misconduct and wrongful death,” Maupin wrote to 12 News.
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