Fort Worth Police Chief Ed Kraus said Monday that his department is dropping rioting charges brought up against about 50 people.
Kraus suggested forgetting the rioting charges was a way to forge reconciliation between the police and the community, NBC News-affiliate Dallas-Fort Worth 5 reported Monday. Fort Worth police made the arrests on the West 7th Street Bridge on May 31.
A protester holds up a sign with a row of police officers behind during a “Justice 4 George Floyd” demonstration over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white policeman kneeled on his neck for several minutes in Houston, Texas on May 29, 2020. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)
Protests and riots erupted across America amid the death of George Floyd after his arrest by Minneapolis police. (RELATED: Owner Of Gutted Minneapolis Shopping Center Tells Governor And Mayor: ‘People Will Uprise Over This’)
“Words are a start, but must be backed up with action,” Kraus said in a statement. “To that end, I am dropping all charges for rioting that have resulted from the protests in Fort Worth.”
#NEW @chiefkraus to drop all charges for rioting that resulted from protests in #FortWorth. Each individual will be notified by letter that their charges have been dropped. pic.twitter.com/e86AiStaX9
— Fort Worth Police (@fortworthpd) June 9, 2020
The police will send a letter to those affected indicating that the charges have been dropped, according to the statement.
“The cry to reform the police profession is echoing across our nation, and we must start here at home. We hear those voices and are committed to enacting the necessary reforms to improve our police department and our relationship with the community we serve.”
“This is just one step on a long journey, but I hope it shows that the FWPD is committed to walking the path of reform with our community,” Kraus wrote. (RELATED: Seattle Councilmember Says She Can’t Figure Out Why ‘Looting Bothers People’ When People Are ‘Dying Every Day)
A man addresses a row of police officers during a “Justice for George Floyd” event in Houston, Texas on May 30, 2020, after George Floyd, an unarmed black, died while being arrested and pinned to the ground by a Minneapolis police officer. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)
Fort Worth Police Officers Association President Manny Ramirez offered no comment on the decision to drop the charges when contacted by NBC News.