BOISE, Idaho — Idaho moving into Stage 4 of reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and police reform.
Three critical issues of our current times.
For this weekend's Viewpoint, Doug Petcash got Boise Mayor Lauren McLean's perspective on them.
Here are some excerpts from that conversation.
Doug Petcash: The governor said that Idaho barely met the criteria to move into Stage 4 of reopening. Who do you feel about making the move?
Mayor Lauren McLean: Well, we are trusting the public health agencies both at the state level and the governor's office and here at Central District Health in Ada County to help us make that decision. And they reviewed the data and said it was close, but time to move on, Here in the city we're very mindful of the fact that we want to get everybody back to work. We have to be very careful about how we as individuals act and then how we protect the public and the city itself so that we can continue to open up, and we've got to watch those cases and so everything we can, and you know, that's why we encourage members of the public to wear your masks when you're out and about or entering stores, keep that distance wherever you can and then follow protocols if you're a business that's reopening.
Doug Petcash: Central District Health says it's investigating a cluster of COVID-19 illnesses involving 10 people who visited downtown Boise bars on June 5 and 6. How concerned are you about this?
Mayor McLean: These are things that we were afraid would happen as we reopen. And that was a lot of the conversation early on about how we reopen in smart ways requires the state government and city government to be vigilant in thinking about the requirements that we set out and the protocols that we are asking businesses to follow. And then individuals to take the responsibility seriously to keep that distance between people and wear masks. We're concerned that we'll see outbreaks, and that's why we in the city of Boise have slowly offered reopening and continue to look at the group sizes that are allowed in our community.
Doug Petcash: Mayor, what's your takeaway from the Black Lives Matter vigil for George Floyd that drew 5,000 people to downtown Boise, as well as the ongoing protests downtown?
Mayor McLean: I just want to say that the impact the vigil had last week on our community, I think, was profound. Because the organizers did an incredible job of centering the stories of people in our community and reminding people that we were there to pay our respects to those who have died, and the public responded accordingly. When I've talked to people that organized the vigil, the people that attended the vigil, even the police that were there trying to make sure that everyone stayed safe, there's one thing I hear from everyone and that was the thankfulness that it was peaceful and deep gratitude for having it be done as it was in such a Boise way really.
Doug Petcash: Can it have a lasting impact?
Mayor McLean: I think it can and it will. We've, as a community, begun conversations with organizers and others about actions that we ought to take. The speakers that night gave us a call to action and said figure out how you as individuals, residents of this great city can help us improve relations and build community in the long run and I'm seeing that happen.
Doug Petcash: Since George Floyd's death and the protests that have followed, much of the focus nationally is now on police reform. There are calls to defund police departments. What's your stance on that?
Mayor McLean: I think that you can support the police department and recognize there's a role to be played in public safety and have the conversation about the investments we make within that department that support and build out community programming, the liaison officers and social services that we have. And I'm very open to having that conversation with the new chief, the department, residents of our community and city council.
Mayor McLean also discusses why she thinks incoming Police Chief Ryan Lee is the right person for the job, property taxes and a new development in the effort to provide more affordable housing in Boise.
You have several opportunities to watch the whole conversation.
Viewpoint will air Saturday morning at 10:30 and on Sunday at 6:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.
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