Governor Joe Lombardo's admission that he marginalized communities throughout his law enforcement career is deeply troubling, but hardly surprising. For communities of color, the consequences of that mindset are not theoretical. They are lived experiences.
The Governor described a policing culture that assumes most people are bad. That is precisely the mentality that has fueled generations of racial profiling, excessive force, and mistrust between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect; the data reflect it here. According to LVMPD’s own 2021 reporting, Black residents were the subjects of 43 percent of the department’s non-deadly use-of-force incidents under then-Sheriff Lombardo, while making up approximately 12 percent of the population it serves.
These disparities demand more than reflection. They demand accountability.
What concerns us most is what happens when that same worldview moves from the sheriff's office to the Governor's office. A governor's responsibility requires them to recognize the humanity, dignity, and needs of every Nevadan, particularly those historically excluded from power.
The NAACP Las Vegas Branch is nonpartisan, but we are never neutral about injustice. We expect every elected official, regardless of party, to govern with fairness and respect for civil rights. Public service begins with seeing people as people, not problems to be managed.
