Earlier today, State Representative Maurice West took to his Facebook live to address this past weekends events in the 67th district. Protesters and law enforcement took the streets of Rockford where many words, actions and unexpected occurrences had taken place. Representative West expressed in his statement how we have taken steps away from healing and blame was placed and thrown around throughout the weekend. Before making an official statement Representative West stated that emotions were high and after reflecting, he speaks from perspective. The perspective that Representative West offers comes from observation and conversations that have taken place offline to offer substance and words that are needed.
Representative West refers to many conversations held on his Community Connections series and speaks about two words, "Community Empowerment". Power that is given to our community. Representative West explains the importance of a citizens oversight board that the NAACP Rockford Branch and other community organizations are working on. In conclusion, Representative West states that we need to require bond to be accessible 24/7 with no exceptions. He expresses that this is just the start but encourages the community to join him in bringing forth legislative changes that offer transparency, accountability, and equality.