June 8, 2020

We the members of the Randolph County Branch, #5053, NAACP are here on behalf of ourselves and concerned citizens of Roanoke and surrounding area.

Regrettably, it has been brought to our attention by scores of people that on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 12:31 pm Officer Derek Farr publicized through his Facebook account the following statement:

“PROTESTING? Yea right! More like thugs being thugs. It's kind of hard to get people to believe that you're living in fear. Just saying...”

While we acknowledge that the post was removed, it was published long enough to be viewed by many and for several people to get "screen shots" of it and distribute it among the community.

These words represent "hate speech" at its worst and also is the worst time to display such words.

We, the undersigned members of the community, find the rhetoric used by Mr. Farr to be a breach of the ethical responsibility that falls upon an elected official, sworn officer of law, and public servant. We also find the rhetoric unbecoming of an officer charged with the responsibility of representing peace and order in our community and more importantly who is paid via our tax dollars.

Moreover, we find the use of such rhetoric inflammatory, racially insensitive, offensive and unprofessional.

It has been reported to us that Mr. Farr has had a history of racist "hate speech" making such statements as "he does not have respect for black men in positions of power and calling African American children "thugs."

We do understand that at this time, there are no laws prohibiting “hate speech” but we all must admit that what “hate speech" does is undermines the 14th Amendment by promoting an oppressive narrative which demeans equality and the Reconstructive Amendment's purpose of guaranteeing equal protection under the law.

We feel that this statement is representative of the culture that exists within law enforcement nationwide.

This same culture has resulted in the death of hundreds of young black men and women -- and most recently, Mr. George Floyd -- and has our nation in crisis right now.

Officer Farr is a senior officer responsible for training and being the example and possibly the mentor for younger officers. Using "hate speech" displays this offensive attitude which corrupts the next generation of officers. In turn, this attitude is perpetuating a cycle of insensitive, racist officers.

If Officer Farr is not penalized for his actions, the other officers will feel that it is acceptable to conduct themselves this way.

In essence, we DO NOT want Roanoke to become another Minneapolis, MN.
As an organization, we have ZERO tolerance for institutional racism in policing.

As representatives of this community, black and white citizens, we will not tolerate this kind of behavior which we have made many strides to overcome. We are committed to bring it to your attention EVERY TIME IT OCCURS.

Therefore, with all the above-mentioned concerns in mind, which we believe to be just and warranted, we hereby petition the City of Roanoke to take the following actions:

1. We demand a public apology from Officer Farr.

2. We ask that the City Council give careful and thoughtful consideration to terminating
Officer Farr from the Roanoke Police Department.

3. If the Roanoke City Council declines to terminate Officer Farr, we strongly urge that he
be reduced in rank.

4. In the event of the need for police interaction in the African American community, we ask that Officer Farr’s contact with the African American community be limited.

5. Going forward, we ask that the City of Roanoke adopt a "Zero Tolerance" policy in
response to all "hate speech" displayed or uttered by any officer serving in this municipality.

In conclusion, we recommend that the Roanoke City Council strongly consider the formation of a Review Board to act as a liaison between the community and law enforcement. This is a strategy that has worked well in other communities and perhaps it will help to enhance relations here in the city of Roanoke.

Respectfully Submitted By,
The Randolph County Branch #5053, NAACP Minister Delvan Houston, President