Correction: This article originally stated Conroe Police Department had a deputy on the Montgomery County Courthouse roof. The correct agency has been listed below.
Updated 1:27 a.m., June 3
A Conroe Police Department officer praised the May 31 protest and said law enforcement is prepared should protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in Minneapolis police custody, escalate.
Sgt. Kevin Johnson said the Conroe protest, which drew more than 100 people into downtown Conroe, was "wonderful" and praised organizers LaDon Johnson and Chris Easley for coordinating with CPD.
“We met in person to make sure we had everything before that happened, planned it out. They knew what we were gonna do, we knew what they were gonna do,” Kevin Johnson said. “We all worked together and you see the outcome of that, I don’t think you can get it any better than that.”
Sgt. Jeff Smith confirmed CPD was present at the protest and that a deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was present on top of the Montgomery County Courthouse. Kevin Johnson said the deputy was not supposed to be on the roof and caused some concern with attendees before he could be told to move. Community Impact Newspaper has reached out to MCSO to confirm but has not received a response.
Although protests have continued in Houston, Floyd’s hometown, Kevin Johnson said CPD is not concern about any other large protests in the Montgomery County area. However, as Floyd’s body is returned to his family and his funeral begins on June 8, he said protests may spread north into the region.
“We are watching that and that, that's our only concern at this moment is, if there's going to be any repercussions from stuff going on in Houston and just the sheer number of people will overflow into our city,” Kevin Johnson said. “Of course, the event we had today was local people. Our concern now is we haven't dealt with people from the outside like these other big cities are dealing with.”
Kevin Johnson said CPD is in communication with other law enforcement offices, including those in Houston and Harris County to both provide and seek help if necessary.
Because the population of Conroe is so much smaller than Houston, Kevin Johnson said protests are rare, even for past events such as the Ferguson protests in 2014. He said although CPD has “a very good working relationship with everybody” the criticism of the law enforcement nationwide has been hard to see.
“So the community showed great support to us too on Sunday, letting us know that this is not necessarily directed towards us but the system and everything in a whole. They know they have a good relationship with us and we don't have those kinds of problems here,” Kevin Johnson said.
As protests continue, Kevin Johnson urged protesters to be respectful of their fellow residents and local property.
“As long as everybody can be peaceful and do what we did this last weekend. Then, we'll get along just fine and we fully support them, exercising their right to protest and their First Amendment freedom of speech, we fully support that," he said. “We don't want to take that from them, but if it goes like it's going everywhere else and they start destroying things, start looting or stealing or committing crimes—we're going to put a stop to it.”
Originally posted 11:56 a.m., June 1
With chants and signs, Montgomery County residents gathered May 31 in downtown Conroe to peacefully protest the death of George Floyd, a black man killed in Minneapolis police custody May 25 after a white officer kneeled on his neck.
More than 100 residents gathered along West Davis Street holding signs that protested racism and police brutality. Many of the protesters wore face masks. At 4 p.m., police blocked the street to traffic and escorted the protesters to North Thompson Street, where they knelt for nine minutes.
Organizer LaDon Johnson said the diverse members of the protests wanted to come together to create change in the local community.
“We’re not here to destroy our property or destroy our community. We just overcame coronavirus by our businesses being shut down,” LaDon Johnson said. “Destroying our property, going and vandalizing things is not the way. Coming together as a unit, making sure our community is stronger, that’s all we can do.”
Johnson said he believed interactions with Conroe Police Department had gone well and the other officers present “understand we come and want to keep it peaceful.”
Sgt. Jeff Smith confirmed CPD was present at the protest and had deputy with the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department was on top of the Montgomery County Courthouse.
In Montgomery County, Johnson said he wants to see law enforcement held accountable, including in black neighborhoods.
“If you’re scared of black men, if you’re scared of us, then stop patrolling our neighborhoods,” LaDon Johnson said.
The protest attracted the attention of several elected officials in the area. Mayor Toby Powell made a post on the city’s Facebook page, complementing the city’s “law-abiding citizens,” but condemning any potential violence associated with the protests.
City Council Member Duane Ham also made a post, thanking the peaceful protesters and “professional” police officers.
“You guys showed Houston how people should act by getting there point across in a dignified way,” Ham said.
The protest comes days after large Black Lives Matter protests in Houston led to several hundred arrests and rioting, according to ABC13. Montgomery County Judge Mark Keough said local law enforcement assisted in the Houston riots.
