On June 3, 2020, Beacon’s Police Union, known as the Patrolman’s Benevolent Association, Inc. published a letter on Facebook in response to the murder of George Floyd. The letter document itself was not dated, but there is a date indicated on the the social media platform. From a linguistic point of view, the language used in this letter is the strongest used when paired with the Mayor Kyriacou and the Police Chief Kevin Junjulas’ statements, which can be found here.

Mayor Kyriacou began reading this letter aloud during a large protest in Beacon at the riverfront on June 6, 2020, and was interrupted by young adults at the protest, who rejected the letter and felt compelled to share their stories of treatment by the Beacon police. In Facebook, people responded by thanking the police for their service, and for issuing the statement, and noting that there had been silence since the initial rejection of police policy with the nation-wide protests.

To Our Beacon Community and Friends,

Since the unconscionable murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers last week we, the members of the Beacon PBA have been struggling to find the words to express our emotions. It should not have to be said, but absolutely needs to be said that each and every member of the Beacon PBA condemns the murder of Mr. Floyd and the actions by all four of the involved officers in Minneapolis.

As police officers we take our oath seriously to protect and serve each and every one of you and your constitutional rights regardless of race, gender, religion, political party, or age. On the much larger scale, as human beings we respect and cherish all life. That is why watching the video and following this incident, it is sickening to all of us to see evil in those that have taken similar oaths.

Please believe that we are proud to serve in the City of Beacon and respect the lives and rights of every single resident, business owner and visitor. We will still stand proud wearing the uniform and patch of the City Beacon Department. We will stand tall and strong with you and protect your rights to express you voices, beliefs and causes in a peaceful and safe setting.

We are a diverse community and with support and respect for each other we will continue to be a strong community.

On behalf of the Beacon PBA, thank you and God bless all of you.

Officer Michael Confield
Beacon PBA Vice President