Following last month's police-involved shooting, the Valparaiso City Council is voicing its support for officers.
Council member Jack Pupillo says the council plans to formally recognize their bravery, once Indiana State Police release the full report of their investigation. "They put their lives on the line protecting our city without hesitation and deserve nothing less than our full support and gratitude," Pupillo said during Monday's meeting.
During public comment, residents debated whether Robert Cotton should step down as council president. This follows a Facebook comment in which Cotton reportedly compared the "recklessly inaccurate gunshots being fired by a panicked boy/young man" with those "being fired from the guns of a team of skilled marksmen, that were targeting him."
While many of Cotton's supporters acknowledged that his comment may have been poorly worded, they commended him for his apology and history of supporting police.
Resident Christopher Pupillo accused the Valparaiso chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police of politicizing the issue. "The FOP's decision to mischaracterize his statements is nothing short of a partisan political attack," Christopher Pupillo said. "They're trying to do what the Republicans in this city haven't been able to do for the past three elections, and that is marginalize and silence Robert Cotton."
But others' frustrations with Cotton go beyond a single Facebook comment. Laurie Carmichael lost her son, Caden Mura, in the April 25 shooting. She criticized Cotton for discussing his own race and other incidents of violence during a prayer vigil.
"When we speak in an environment of prayer, your campaigning, the racism, the [Black Lives Matter] that destroyed how many cities, which actually went into the whole defund police, now takes all that to another level," Carmichael told Cotton.
Still, resident Walt Breitinger denied that Cotton was connected with efforts to defund the police, saying he's spearheaded efforts to give them raises and more respect. "In fact, I'd go so far as to say I don't know any governmental official that has come up and done that except Robert Cotton," Breitinger said. "Others have joined in when he brought these things."
Breitinger also noted Cotton's life experience, as he recalled defending his family's home from racist attacks, when Cotton was a child.
Cotton did not directly address the calls for his resignation during Monday's meeting.
