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Georgia district commissioner says police should 'shoot to kill' protesters, people call for his resignation

Joe Allen, who represents District 6 in Bibb County, initially denied making the comment before apologizing for his 'choice of words'
PUBLISHED JUN 5, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

A Georgia official was slammed and told to resign after he commented that law enforcement should "shoot to kill" George Floyd protesters if "they continue to destroy" property.

Joe Allen, a former firefighter who represents District 6 in Bibb County, Georgia, wrote the controversial comment on a Facebook livestream of a television network reporting the damage done by protesters near the intersection of Dr Martin Luther King Drive and Center Street in Milwaukee.

Around three minutes into Fox 6 Milwaukee's stream, Allen posted, "It’s now time to SHOOT to KILL them if they continue to destroy."

While he quickly deleted the comment, a screenshot of it had been capped by several users, who then took to sharing it on Facebook, as well as other social media. Unsurprisingly, it did not sit well with netizens, who called for him to resign and apologize.

"The city of Macon, GA should DEMAND Joe Allen, who represents District 6 in Bibb County, to RESIGN IMMEDIATELY for his insensitive and hateful comments, saying police should 'shoot to kill' George Floyd protesters. You are part of the problem," one wrote.

Protesters march by U.S. Bank Stadium after the death of George Floyd (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

"I call for the IMMEDIATE resignation of Macon-Bibb district 6 commissioner, Joe Allen," a second posted. "Your position is too powerful for your non-forward thinking stance. Macon is approximately 70% BLACK!"

"I demand your immediate resignation for incendiary, divisive comments on an article about racial unrest in Minneapolis," another said, tagging Allen's Twitter account. "These thoughtless words stoke the violence and support police brutality. We have no room for either in Bibb County."

Allen initially tried to deny that he had made the comment before admitting he did but then doubling down and defending his stance. "I’m not that. I said it. And I replied to you why. And I stand by that. If my family or myself were confronted. And if it’s my family or myself or even you. Saving lives are my business," he argued.

But following further backlash, Allen apologized for his comments and told the Macon Telegraph in a statement, "I regret my choice of words in the online comments and what it means to people. It was a poor choice, and I’m sincerely sorry for these hurtful comments. We should be working to help all people and making sure we are together."

A man raises his fist in front of a burning building during protests (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Allen, who was first elected as a county commissioner in 1998, had already announced last year that he was not running for reelection.

People have taken to the streets in all 50 states in protest against police brutality and racial inequality following the Memorial Day death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old truck driver who died in police custody.

In a video that has been viewed hundreds of millions of times, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin could be seen kneeling on Floyd's neck for close to nine minutes even though the latter pleaded that he could not breathe. Three of his fellow officers stood by and watched as Floyd lost consciousness and became unresponsive.

The 46-year-old passed away later the same day, and his death has sparked often-violent protests in several cities.

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