NEW ORLEANS — Apologies are never easy, but they are never more necessary than when public trust is undermined.
New Orleans has a long history of peaceful civil rights protests. Sadly, last Wednesday night NOPD fired tear gas and hard rubber shot into a crowd of overwhelmingly peaceful protesters at the base of the Crescent City Connection.
Police Chief Ferguson initially denied the use of rubber ammo. Yesterday, he had to admit — and apologize for — putting out false information. He promises an investigation into why officers used such force, and why they didn’t notify the chain of command.
All other local protests have remained peaceful. That’s a good sign. An even better sign would be a change in police policy regarding the use of force.
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