Vandals hit Turlock City Hall. ‘I understand the anger, I feel the anger,’ chief says
Four windows of Turlock City Hall were broken late Tuesday, apparently by objects thrown through them.
Police Chief Nino Amirfar addressed the incident during a Facebook Live broadcast Wednesday morning. He said the damage occurred after a group of people went to City Hall to hold a memorial for George Floyd, the Minneapolis man who died during his arrest May 25 by four police officers, one of whom was caught on camera kneeling on the man’s neck for about nine minutes.
The chief said criminals were in the midst of those who on Tuesday night were trying to remember Floyd and have his memory carried on in a peaceful manner to achieve justice and reform.
Security officers reported the vandalism about 11:30 p.m., Police Department spokesman Sgt. Michael Parmley said. It appears river rocks were used, likely picked up from the planter in front of City Hall, which is at 156 S. Broadway. Officers are investigating the crime, he said, and no surveillance camera images have been located yet.
“Mr. George Floyd was murdered by an individual in our profession,” the chief said. He called it horrific, sickening and said it’s led to civic unrest throughout the nation.
“I’m here in front of City Hall because I want to reach out and plead to all of you that I understand the anger, I feel the anger,” Amirfar said in his remarks over five and a half minutes, which are posted on his Facebook page. “But I ask you to remember that working together as a community, whether it’s the city of Turlock, county of Stanislaus, state of California, or the United States of America, we are all here together to work together to make our country better.
“Do we make mistakes? Yes. Do we make horrific mistakes? Yes. We have made major strides in law enforcement, a profession I love and I’m willing to commit my life to in order to protect our community, as is every man and woman who wears the badge. That badge carries heavy weight, the weight of the trust of our community. Yes, it was violated by an individual who claimed he was a police officer. He’s now in jail. He is a criminal. And I hope to god that justice prevails.”
After being closed to the public because of the coronavirus pandemic, City Hall and some other city buildings are reopening with limited services and hours, Director of Parks, Recreation and Public Services Allison Van Guilder said in a video on Turlock’s Facebook pages. It wasn’t immediately clear Wednesday morning if the vandalism to City Hall would delay its reopening.
The finance and utility payment counter at City Hall is to be open from 1 to 5 p.m. weekdays, Van Guilder said, and her department also is to be open those same hours.
This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 8:35 AM.
