Calling it a “proactive step”, Kissimmee Police Chief Jeff O’Dell said he worked with those in the community to hold a peaceful march tonight in solidarity in reaction to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police there.
The march begins at 6 p.m. at the Kissimmee Civic Center and will head down Broadway to KPD headquarters. Crowd staging will begin at 5.
“The protests were coming,” O’Dell said. “Hopefully we can begin a healing process and a way to move forward.”
By the middle of the afternoon, four businesses on or adjacent to Broadway had boarded up their shops.
“Indications are this will be peaceful,” O’Dell said. “Let’s make Kissimmee be an example, that we denounce police brutality and that behavior. We can’t hear the concerns of our residents if businesses are set on fire or damaged.”
On the subject of a curfew, Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson said at today’s County Commission meeting that he is not seeking one, but wouldn’t oppose one either. O’Dell said any talk he’s had about it is “on standby.”
“It’s not needed at this time, but we’re capable of implementing one at a moment’s notice,” he said.
