The Ulster County executive took part in a peaceful protest recently against George Floyd’s death and systemic racism. He was surprised to encounter a military-grade armored vehicle standing at the ready. Democrat Pat Ryan says he had used equipment like this in combat when deployed to Iraq, and he does not want to ever see his community turned into a war zone. Ryan spoke with WAMC’s Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Allison Dunne about this along with what kind of police reforms he wants to see locally.
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan wrote an op-ed about ending the militarization of local police forces. It appeared in the Times Union June 7.