Cd’A residents, Police Chief White exchange thanks

A letter praising Coeur d’Alene from Police Chief Lee White has received hundreds of messages of support from the community.

“On behalf of the men and women of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for those who have participated in peacefully letting their voices be heard over the past few days,” White posted on the police department’s Facebook page. “The people of North Idaho continue to demonstrate through their respectful discourse and assembly that we are truly home to the best people and the best community in the United States of America. Over the past few days of respectful gatherings, there have been no reported violent acts that have plagued the rest of our country.”

Last week’s peaceful demonstrations in support of Black Lives Matter — including a march to City Hall on Thursday — were accompanied by rumors of rioters and looters planning on coming to Coeur d’Alene with the intent of causing damage.

Those rumors sparked four days of armed response from residents and militia members, who lined the downtown area as they stood in wait for civil unrest. That unrest never materialized, while locals became divided between those who wished the armed resistance would leave the area and those who welcomed the armed response.

The vast majority who commented on White’s Facebook post, however, all cheered the Coeur d’Alene Police Department.

“Thank you for being our knights in black an blue!” one commenter posted. “It was an amazing sight to see our community join forces and defend ourselves while simultaneously defending our rights. Way to be adults, CDA!”

“We love our home!” another wrote. “We love what you risk every day you are on duty … and off. We love that our community backs you. We love that we can have freedom of speech and the right to bear arms and not be punished for those rights … and handle those rights responsibly. I will sleep in peace tonight!”

In an interview with The Press Monday, White said the praise should really go to the residents of Coeur d’Alene.

“I think people have come together to support one another in the community, not necessarily just the police department,” White said. “They understand we’re there to protect everyone’s rights.”

White told The Press that protecting those rights is seldom comfortable but requires constant vigilance.

“There were people there who want to exercise their rights to peacefully assemble,” he said, “who want to exercise their right to free speech, and who want to exercise their Second Amendment rights. If we trample on any one of those, we trample on all three of those. And so, there were no Idaho codes broken; no laws were broken. People peacefully assembled and exercised their rights, and overall, it was a good week for our community.”

Mayor Steve Widmyer and the Coeur d’Alene City Council wrote a letter Friday in the wake of the protests praising White and the police department for their professionalism and accountability.