BOISE, Idaho — Earlier this month, we watched as thousands of people in Boise came together for a peaceful vigil following the death of George Floyd. On Friday, the Idaho State Police spoke with KTVB about that night and the nights that have followed.
“Personally, and as an agency we would just like to say thank you to the protesters and the community for how they've been conducting themselves during the protests,” Idaho State Police Captain Matt Sly said."We, as an agency feel strongly that Idahoans' voices be heard and they be given every opportunity to do so without any interference."
He told KTVB, in his 16 years with the agency, he has never seen a turnout like the vigil that happened in front of the Statehouse.
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“I was really amazed at how everyone conducted themselves, even though there was a large amount of people down there at the gathering itself, it was very well organized,” Sly said.
He adds that he appreciates those who attended, and who continue to attend. While they may not agree on everything, he understands the importance of people having different opinions.
“The great part about all of this is the protesters themselves, even though they may not necessarily agree with everything that we do, at the end of the day we've been able to talk with them and have really good conversations,” Sly said.
Moving forward, he says he hopes the community will be able to maintain the relationship that they've built.
ISP has been working at the protests in conjunction with the Boise Police Department.