Some groups, officials call for Greeley City Councilmember Kristin Zasada to resign after Facebook post

As discussions on racism take center stage in Greeley and across the nation in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of police in Minneapolis, city councilmember Kristin Zasada found herself in the mix after posting a Facebook status regarding nationwide protests.

Zasada initially posted this on Facebook May 31:

“I try to keep it light on Facebook but these ‘protests’ are weighing heavily on my heart. They are nothing but senseless violence, destruction, and chaos. In no way are they excusable or justified and it saddens and frightens me that this the world my daughter is growing up in.”

In a statement, Zasada said someone commented on her post saying the leading cause of death for black men was police brutality. Zasada said she was horrified to think that was true, so she looked up the leading cause of death for black men on the Centers for Disease Control website.

Responding to a commenter on her original post, she went on to say:

“The leading cause of death of young black men is homicide and 80-90% of those cases are black-on-black violence. Blacks have 7-8 times the rate of homicide as whites. The next leading causes are unintentional injuries, suicide, and cancer. So for you to say a leading cause of death of black men is police brutality is so incredibly off-base. Second, if we lived in a country where voter suppression is widespread, then why in some states can you vote without even proving citizenship? And who was our last president? A black man. That’s right – a black man reached the highest form of political office. So if black voters were suppressed, then that would mean the majority of whites voted for him. But that doesn’t play well into your majority of whites are racist rhetoric does it? Unbelievable.”

Since the initial exchange, screenshots of the conversation have floated around social media, with some folks calling Zasada racist while others defend her.   

On Friday, the Latino Coalition of Weld County called for Zasada to resign.

“Her failure to acknowledge the systemic racism that exists in our nation and her inability to really listen, to be willing to learn, and to work towards leveling these inequalities renders her unfit to serve on city council,” the coalition said in a statement. “It is our opinion that City Council Person Zasada should resign.”

City councilmember Tommy Butler released a statement Saturday.

Butler said he condemned Zasada’s “racist statements.”

“So what is there to do to heal a community being divided right now? Should I call on her to apologize? She should, but I honestly don’t think she will,” Butler said in the statement. “She had that opportunity already and didn’t. Should I call on her to resign? Many in our community are doing that, and it is the simplest, fastest way to fix the problem. But I don’t think she will resign either.”

Ultimately, Butler said, voters have power at the ballot box.

Butler called on all city council members to take mandatory training on racial sensitivity.

“Millions of people across the country are protesting for change,” Butler said in the statement. “I hear you. What policy reforms can we as a council enact to gain your trust back?”

The NoCo Optimist reached out to Zasada for additional insight on the exchange and the response that followed.

In a statement, Zasada said she stood by what she posted on her personal Facebook account.

As a mother and lifelong Greeley resident, Zasada said, she is concerned about the violent unrest across the nation. She said she doesn’t want that to happen to her town and its residents.

“It saddens me that we are unable to have sympathy, compassion, and respect for one another as we work towards making our communities, our nation, and our world a beter place, Zasada said in the statement. “But my sadness over the recent violence in no way means I condone the tragic death of George Floyd nor does it make me racist, insensitive, or threatening.”

Hundreds of peaceful protestors gathered in Greeley Friday and Saturday to protest police brutality.