Maxwell: Scottsdale will recover from the weekend’s events

In this time of uncertainty, I urge all citizens to take a moment for prayer (or silence, as is your custom). Pray for those who have lost their lives and for their families. Remember that Scottsdale is still a special place, that our police are on the job and that we will come through this and be better for it.”

Kevin Maxwell, Scottsdale City Council candidate

Saturday night, we all sat in horror as our city was looted by rioters. Thankfully, Sunday was a quiet night.

I pray for many more quiet nights follow.

Reflecting on the events of this weekend and this year, it all seems so unbelievable. As we move forward, we need to keep several things in mind.

First, we need to distinguish peaceful protesters with genuine concerns from the violent opportunists who ravaged our city.

As a community, we should come together in support of equality and justice. We need to be willing to have the painful conversations that challenge us to be better and to do better.

We can be thankful that no one was hurt on Saturday night. Five hundred rioters quickly out-manned our local police. Reinforcements didn’t arrive until the early morning hours of Sunday.

While there may be, lessons learned, we should be grateful all were kept safe.

We also need to remember that we are in the middle of a pandemic and continue to practice precautions and social distancing to keep our families, our friends and each other safe.

In this time of uncertainty, I urge all citizens to take a moment for prayer (or silence, as is your custom). Pray for those who have lost their lives and for their families. Remember that Scottsdale is still a special place, that our police are on the job and that we will come through this and be better for it.

Editor’s Note: Kevin Maxwell is a Scottsdale resident and candidate for City Council in the Aug. 4 primary election.