Black Lives Matter in Winter Park
Peaceful Demonstration in Central Park
by Anne Mooney / June 11, 2020
It’s been nearly a week since demonstrators gathered peacefully on June 5 in Central Park to support the Black Lives Matter movement and to mourn the deaths of George Floyd and others at the hands of law enforcement officers.
A crowd of roughly 300 baked in Florida humidity and 90-degree heat. Young and old, black, brown and white, they took a knee to stand for the future they want to see.
Watchful Winter Park police officers kept a respectful distance.
The crowd marched down to Fairbanks and back up through the Hannibal Square neighborhood, finally ending up at the Public Safety Building, where protesters and police thanked one another for a peaceful and successful event.
Present at the rally were Commissioners Marty Sullivan, Sheila DeCiccio and Todd Weaver. Later in the week, Sullivan and DeCiccio sent messages to constituents. 
DeCiccio Calls for Support for Police
“I believe it’s essential for our Police Department to have the support it needs,” wrote DeCiccio. She spoke with Police Chief Michael Deal, who confirmed that the Police Department adheres strictly to the following policies.
- No chokeholds or strangleholds.
- De-escalation is required, and officers have received special training.
- Officers must issue a warning before firing a weapon.
- Officers must exhaust all other means before shooting.
- Officers have a duty to intervene when they see a breach of procedure, especially one involving excessive force.
- Shooting at moving vehicles is prohibited.
- All officers are required to employ the “use of force continuum.”
- Comprehensive reporting of all incidents is required.
Chief Deal stated the WPPD has zero tolerance toward police brutality.
The body cameras that were approved last year by the city commission arrived just as the COVID19 crisis hit, so the department is still in the process of training officers on their use. Deal said, “Everyone is looking forward to wearing their cameras.”
Sullivan Calls on Winter Park to Support All of Its Citizens
In his message to constituents, Commissioner Marty Sullivan wrote, “We have outlawed government mistreatment of minorities, but we have yet to exterminate racism.”
He called on the city to hold a referendum on single-member districts, to provide participation from all neighborhoods in city government, to reflect citizen desires with Advisory Board appointments and Commission decisions and to provide infrastructure support for all neighborhoods.
“Peaceful gatherings across the country show that we still care,” wrote Sullivan, “we still love our fellow citizens, and we ask, rather demand, that entrenched racism be defeated. Most Americans desire this, and I believe that continuing nonviolent action will bring about this needed change.”
Thank you to Commissioner Sullivan for calling for a long-overdue re-structuring of the City Commission. The time for dedicated districts established by geography is overdue. This will encourage citizens to become more invested in City Government and allow each Commissioner to focus on the concerns of the neighborhoods that they represent, instead of the generic “one size fits none” at -large model we now have.
This should also curb the outsized influence outsiders (be they special interests, developers, PACs, etc.) have on our City elections and governance.
Thanks Winter Park for protesting against the brutal knee lynching murder of George Floyd. As a descendant of Africans who, without their consent, were slaves in America until 1865 when they were freed. With nothing, they and their ancestors found a way to survive. Imagine, surviving by starting with nothing, living in a society that practiced racism and practiced inequities against you daily.
There were always some White
people who felt our pain and sacrificed themselves to help us to overcome. I have struggled all my life to help us to overcome and know that there were always some White people helping. I want to live long enough to see laws in place to prevent all forms of lynching, injustice and inequality for descendants of African slaves, also. We need more love in hearts and help from more people, especially leaders.
100% support Marty on the city to hold a referendum on single-member districts, to provide participation from all neighborhoods in city government. Historically, minorities have been almost entirely locked out of membership on the city commission since the founding of our town. Understand that when Todd Weaver brought up the idea of district representation he failed to get a second. At large representation always seemed to me as a way to quietly exclude minority election to our City Commission. Now is the time to rectify this historical wrong and to energize our city commission to support district representation (with the requirement that the commissioner’s primary residence be in the district she/he represents).
It is apparent that in order to have positive change for equal and just treatment for descendants of African slaves; knowledge, more love and more help, especially from leaders are needed. A movement has begun after the world witnessed the brutal knee lynching murder of George Floyd that motivated people to come together as one to protest and to make needed changes to ensure that systemic racism and inequities that perpetuate such behavior, will no longer be tolerated.
I was happy to hear that a student at Winter High
became angry about the Racist treatment of his best friend and the students and others participated in the march “Black Lives Matter.”
The City’s government stayed Silent and that said a Lot. It spoke volumes ‘approval that four police officers’ Murdered George Floyd. Show the human side. Most of you are parents. Think about 8 min and 46 sec, that’s a long time.
Commissioner Sullivan, I agree entrenched racism needs to be removed from Winter Park and the World forever. Thanks for Listening “Single Member District.” Commissioner DeCiccio thanks for contacting Chief Deal and posting the rules.
There’s Change Coming for Peace and Pure Love.