Sent: Friday, June 12, 2020 at 8:46 PM
From: “Deborah Cooney” <cooneyforsheriff@mail.com>
To: “Ray McNulty” <ray32963@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Update: More Foul Play in the Sheriff’s Race
Dear Ray,
Yes, George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police and the subsequent protests already are an issue in the sheriff’s race here, because I have made it an issue. Yes, of course it should be an issue here. I have not only spoken out against the racism and police misconduct in the George Floyd case and other cases, but I have also petitioned various officials (lawmakers, prosecutors, courts, etc.) to properly address these issues. I have a long history of working with Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, the Brennan Center for Justice, and others groups working for racial justice in policing.
We have just scored a huge victory in disbanding the Minneapolis police and busting their mafia police unions. The Fraternal Order of Police, Police Benevolent Society, various Police Chiefs Associations and Sheriff Associations, and other police unions have had a literal stranglehold on our communities for decades. The first step in addressing police misconduct is to ban these unions, which have supported and participated in the crimes committed by the police against the citizens. I have a long track record of working to eliminate police unions.
I support Black Lives Matters call to defund the police. I have proposed slashing the Sheriff’s $55 million budget in half within the next few years. When you get the Sheriff out of the business of trafficking narcotics, you reduce crime rates and you don’t need as much policing. I am the only candidate who openly opposes the law-enforcement assisted drug cartel and who has been working to shut it down. We will reduce expenditures by reducing or eliminating equipment purchases and by firing the deputies who have been committing crimes against our citizens. We will give the good deputies and employees a 20% raise, and we will pay reparations to victims of crimes perpetrated by our deputies, because that is just.
The Sheriff has been decimating our African-American community here in Indian River County. Take a drive through Gifford, and you will see the effects. The Sheriff’s drug cartel has been flooding our community, especially our African-American community with harmful narcotics, including crack, cocaine, meth, heroin, and more. They have been actively pushing these drugs on our vulnerable population, getting folks addicted, and then either arresting them or forcing them to do the drug cartel’s bidding. This is slavery and entrapment. It is the modern-day Jim Crow.
When you read in the news about a big drug bust in Vero Beach, you see a black face posted with a small quantity of drugs. This black man is a victim of the Sheriff’s drug cartel. He is a small time addict who is selling a little on the side to fund his habit. He is not a drug kingpin. We know who the real druglords are. They are usually white males in uniforms, robes, or suits. We used to have Coast-to-Coast Landscaping, as the Mexican face of the Sheriff’s drug cartel. That operation attracted too much attention and has since been moved.
If we can all start telling the truth about what is happening here, then we can begin to identify the issues and the steps that must be taken to correct the problems. To that end, I support Save Vero Beach in its efforts to access Sheriff Dept. documents under Florida Sunshine Laws. As Sheriff, I would immediately hand over the documents and stop wasting taxpayer money to defend against the lawsuit. The path to healing our community is to ground ourselves in truth, stop the abuses, bring about justice, and live in peace. The Sheriff has a duty to keep the peace. Sheriff Deb says “Yes justice, yes peace.”
Thanks,
Deborah Cooney
PS I am honored to be speaking at a Juneteenth (Emancipation Day) event in Gifford at 5 pm June 19. Would you like to attend?
Sent: Friday, June 12, 2020 at 9:39 AM
From: “Ray McNulty” <ray32963@gmail.com>
To: “Deborah Cooney” <cooneyforsheriff@mail.com>
Subject: Re: Update: More Foul Play in the Sheriff’s Race
Deborah:
One more thing: Do you think the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis and the subsequent protests will be an issue in the sheriff’s race here? Should it be? And what are your thoughts on the relationship between our Sheriff’s Office and local black community?
Thanks again.
Ray McNulty
Deborah Cooney for Sheriff of Indian River County, Florida 