Mayor Anthony Williams said the district commander accused of making inappropriate statements about race should apologize and return to his position.
Cmdr. Andrew Solberg was temporarily reassigned Tuesday as police investigate statements he made to residents in Georgetown about the slaying of a British activist. Solberg told residents to be aware of their surroundings and used the four people who were arrested as an example: “They were black. This is not a racial thing. Blacks are unusual in Georgetown. This is a fact of life.”
Given the District’s history of segregation and the existing patterns of residential separation, any inference that a person can’t go into certain parts of the city is an outrage, Williams said.
“But just as outrageous is the fact that a majority of the homicides in the city are African-Americans killing other African-Americans,” he said.
D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey said Solberg was not a racist but the 19-year veteran made a mistake that he can’t afford to make in order to maintain the public’s confidence.
Ramsey said the investigation could take 90 days, but he hoped the matter would be resolved soon.
