Statement from North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco on the death of George Floyd

“On behalf of the Board of Commissioners, the North Bergen Police Department and our entire community, I want to express our deepest sympathies to the family of George Floyd and to everyone who is feeling the pain of his death. Mr. Floyd’s murder was a senseless, unnecessary event that never should have happened, and it’s a stark reminder of the work that still must be done across our country to tackle institutional racism.

No place is perfect in this regard, and North Bergen is no exception. But I am prouder than ever right now of the way our diverse community always pulls together in times of crisis and works hard to coexist, embrace our differences and focus on what we all have in common. I take a particular amount of pride in our North Bergen Police Department, which has made extraordinary strides in recent years to become more diverse and to work hard every day to strengthen its relationships with our residents. From participating in community events, to organizing proactive meetings with residents, to using technology and de-escalation tactics to reduce the use of force, our NBPD has become a model of what a modern police department should be.

The only way forward is to do the real work of understanding what got us to this place and creating a new path forward. That will take leadership at all levels, from our federal and state government to our local communities, and it will not be simple or easy. We can’t let the raw anger that so many justifiably feel right now destroy any chance at progress. We need to come together for our country and for our future.” – Nick Sacco.