Kristopher Rivera

El Paso Times

U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, County Judge Veronica Escobar and other El Paso area leaders are urging the mayor and the City Council to repudiate Police Chief Greg Allen's comments calling Black Lives Matter "a radical hate group" and saying the attack on Dallas police "is due to their efforts."

In a letter sent to Mayor Oscar Leeser and the City Council, they note El Paso's history of protecting civil rights and say: "The Black Lives Matter movement is about the same values of dignity, equality, and peaceful protest; it was not responsible for the tragedy in Dallas. Chief Allen’s statement places El Paso’s seal of approval on a sentiment that stands in stark contrast to those values and one that promotes hate itself. That is why we urge you to publicly repudiate the statement, forcefully and unequivocally, and hold Chief Allen accountable for damaging the public trust and bringing disrepute to our community."

In addition to O'Rourke and Escobar, the letter to the mayor and council members is signed by state Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso; County Attorney Jo Anne Bernal; state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso; state Rep. Mary González, D-El Paso; state Rep. César Blanco, D-El Paso; state Rep.-elect Evelina "Lina" Ortega; County Commissioner David Stout; El Paso Independent School District Trustee Susie Byrd; Greg Davis of the El Paso Branch of the NAACP; Fernando Garcia of the Border Network for Human Rights; and Terri Burke of the ACLU of Texas.

A Police Department spokesman said Saturday there was "no chance" of reaching Allen for a comment. Most other city officials couldn't be immediately reached for comment on the letter by the elected officials and others.

City Rep. Carl Robinson, said, “All lives matter,” and declined to comment further.

Before receiving the letter, city Rep. Lily Limón said: “I was stunned by Chief Allen's comments but respect his right to his opinion.”

On Friday, Allen was asked after a news conference what message he had for organizers of a Sunday vigil planned at San Jacinto Plaza to protest the recent shooting deaths of black men by police in Louisiana and Minnesota. Allen replied: “Black Lives Matter, as far as I am concerned, is a radical hate group. And for that purpose alone, I think the leadership of this country needs to look a little bit harder at that particular group. The consequences of what we saw in Dallas is due to their efforts.”

Allen, who is the first African-American police chief in El Paso's history, made the comments after a news conference at the El Paso County Courthouse called by area leaders to offer their support and condolences to Dallas police after an ambush Thursday left five officers dead and seven wounded. Two civilians also were injured in the attack by a former Army reservist who had served in Afghanistan but reportedly left the service amid allegations of sexual harassment lodged by a fellow soldier.

The letter sent to the mayor and council members also says, “This statement, in the chief’s official capacity and in uniform, sends exactly the wrong message at a time when good people are working to address a crisis of violence and distrust that disproportionally affects minority communities. It is ironically out of step with the ongoing reforms the Dallas Police Department itself has been a national leader in — efforts its chief of police has publicly said he remains committed to in spite of the cowardly violence perpetrated in Dallas. Furthermore, what Chief Allen’s statement conveys about his attitude towards members of a community that he is sworn to protect raises serious questions about his leadership. It is also a betrayal of the values generations of El Pasoans have stood for.”

The letter was not the only public criticism of Allen on Saturday.

Blanco tweeted, "At a time when we need leaders to bring people together @EPPOLICE Chief chose to divide."

O'Rourke tweeted, "EP police chief has lost our confidence by blaming Dallas PD murders on Black Lives Matter."

In a phone interview from Washington, D.C., O'Rourke said: "One thing that causes me concern is that the chief of police in our community has identified a group of El Pasoans — who want to peacefully protest at San Jacinto Plaza on Sunday — in part responsible for the death of the officers in Dallas. I think that sets up a very troubling and unnecessary dynamic between the police and some of the people in this community.”

The University of Texas at El Paso’s Black Student Union and the PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) El Paso Chapter are hosting a vigil for the victims of police-involved shootings in Minnesota, Louisiana and other incidents starting at 8 p.m. Sunday at San Jacinto Plaza in Downtown El Paso.

Shyla Cooks, president of the UTEP Black Student Union and one of the organizers of Sunday's vigil, said in a statement, “Black Lives Matter is not a radical or hate movement. They are asking for respect to the human rights and lives of African American men, women and children.”

She added, “However I think it is important to emphasize that Sunday's event is a vigil and not a protest.”

Byrd, a former City Council member, said, "The Police Department has traditionally reached out to the community, participated with the community and made it clear that if police officers act outside of policies, outside of the law and outside of the values of this community, that they would be held accountable. I think Greg Allen’s comments do a lot to undermine that connection with the community. That connection has been critical to keeping this community safe. I think it was incredibly irresponsible of him. I have no confidence in him any longer as the chief of police.”

Limón said, “I stand with both our outstanding El Paso police officers and leaders in the black community eager to see the violence end. I see nothing to gain from attacking Black Lives Matter. Instead, I'm reaching out to our community to see how we can continue the dialogue that has helped make El Paso one of the safest cities in the United States.”

Kristopher Rivera may be reached at 546-6121; krivera@elpasotimes.com; @kgrivera on Twitter.

Letter to Mayor Leeser, City Council Re: Greg Allen