A MISSISSIPPI mayor has complained that “cops [are] being crucified” and “you can breathe if you can speak” in response to George Floyd’s shocking death.
Hal Marx, mayor of the city of Petal, tweeted his support for cops on Tuesday night, as protests over the black man’s death raged.
“Why in the world would anyone choose to become a #PoliceOfficer in our society today? #backtheblue #ThinBlueLine,” Marx tweeted.
When Marx was criticized for his comments amid Floyd’s death, he responded with another tweet, saying he didn’t see anything “unreasonable” in the incident.
“If you are talking about the incident in MN, I didn’t see anything unreasonable,” Marx tweeted.
“If you can say you can’t breathe, you’re breathing. Most likely that man died of overdose or heart attack.
“Video doesn’t show his resistance that got him in that position. Police being crucified,” he added.
Video of George Floyd laying face-down on the ground in handcuffs while Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, kneeled on his neck, has sparked public outrage.
Floyd said “I can’t breathe” multiple times in the video, but the officer did not move his knee.
He was rushed to the hospital, but died Monday night.
The four officers involved in the incidents surrounding Floyd’s arrest were fired on Tuesday.
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey has said that George Floyd was “killed because he is black” and that the “arresting officer killed someone.”
Marx, however, continued amid criticism to defend his comments.
Het added a separate tweet, saying no one could have known what happened before the video began.
“Since we don’t know the full story of what happened before the video started, it’s impossible to know why the police remained in that position,” Marx tweeted.
“Again, the officers were not restricting his breathing,” he added.
In a post on Facebook, Marx defended his comments again.
“If you can talk you can breathe. Think about that before rushing to judgement. #thinblueline,” he wrote.
Marx’s account displayed a notification saying the page no longer exists around 11am on Thursday, meaning it may have been suspended or deleted.
Screenshots of the tweets continued to circulate on social media, however, with people criticizing his comments.
“THIS IS NOT OKAY!” one user tweeted, adding, “Hal Marx does NOT deserve to be a MAYOR, more less have ANY type of political power!”
Another user tweeted: “you disgust me.”
A petition to remove Marx from public office had over 3,900 signatures at noon on Thursday, and numbers were continuing to climb.
Floyd’s arrest occurred after he allegedly tried to use forged documents at a local deli.
An employee at the grocery store called the cops after Floyd allegedly tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill, the Associated Press reported.
Cops claimed they were forced to restrain Floyd after he resisted arrest.
In newly-emerged footage, however, Floyd appeared calm and compliant.
Video shows cops pulling Floyd out of his car.
He was led to the sidewalk by officers, and obeyed their commands to sit on the ground as he was already handcuffed.
Floyd’s family say he was “clearly murdered” and the police involved “deserve life” in prison for his death.
“We want to see them charged with murder and we want them to be convicted,” Floyd’s cousin, Tera Brown told CNN.
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“They need to pay for what they did.”
Tou Thao is one of two out of four officers named that was involved in the death of George Floyd.
Protests escalated on Wednesday, as looting, violence, and fires took hold during rioting over Floyd’s death on Wednesday.
Pictures and video show the out-of-control flames, as the National Guard have reportedly been called.