Chairmen of Alachua County Republican and Democrat Parties give joint press conference to condemn political violence

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Today, the Chairmen of the Alachua County Republican and Democrat Parties gave a joint press conference to condemn political violence.

In a prepared statement, ACDEC Chair Harrison Scoville said, “The Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee absolutely condemns all acts of political violence. There’s no place for that in our society… Although political times are tense right now, we need to learn to disagree with each other but not hate each other. We need to learn to disagree civilly, and the best place to do that is at the ballot box.”

In ACREC Chair Tim Marden’s prepared statement, he said he was keeping the family of Corey Comperatore, the man who was killed at former President Trump’s rally yesterday, in his thoughts and prayers: “His reported act of heroism, covering up his family, is one of valor and should be celebrated, and we should also keep the other two victims, who are reportedly still in the hospital, in our thoughts and prayers as well.”

Marden continued, “Like many in our community, I’m deeply saddened by the events from last night at President Trump’s rally. There is no place for political violence in our civil society whatsoever. Though we have political differences, they will not be solved like this. We need to be able to speak with passion and not poison. We need to be able to act with compassion, not conflict, and we can be engaged without being enraged. I’m grateful to be aligned with Harrison Scoville on this position.”

Marden said the incident had been “a wake-up call for me, personally, to think twice about what I’m saying, for fear that it could be potentially taken out of context. Today, Harrison and I have come before you, showing leadership to our respective parties and our greater community at large, condemning all kinds of violence and promoting what we believe is just a civil political discourse. May our community together come together today and see this as a symbol of what good can happen and how we can be example to others as well. My heart goes out to President Trump and to his family, and I wish them all a speedy recovery at this time, as well as all the other victims that are involved here.”

The full press conference can be viewed here.

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