A Windsor police officer, who is black, believes the message behind peaceful protests is being lost in the violence.
Constable Abraham Nyamadi has been with the Windsor Police Service for two years and has felt conflicted sometimes being a police officer and being black.
He shared a post from a fellow colleague on social media after the violence that erupted in the U.S. during the protest following the death of George Floyd, who died while being placed under arrest by a white police officer in Minneapolis.
Constable Nyamadi says this isn't about colour, but rather right versus wrong.
"It is very much not an idea of this situation of black against white, but it is more about good against evil and that has always been my stance," he says.
Constable Nyamadi says being black can help defuse some situations while he is on duty.
"I know that I can go into a situation, a black household and they may feel more comfortable with me and that's a positive," he says. "If I'm in a certain neighbourhood and the children in that neighbourhood feel they can comfortably tell me their issues, that's a positive for me."
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, after he pressed his knee into Floyd's neck for several minutes.
The death, caught on video, has sparked protests across the U.S., some which have included violence, property destruction and looting.
Constable Nyamadi supports the right to protest, but not the violence.
"The protests are understandable, people are very upset about the current situation in their communities and they are choosing to hit the streets and voice their opinions and I totally agree with that," he says.
Constable Nyamadi says the important message over George Floyd's death is being lost.
"Right now everybody wants to see some peace because there is so much chaos going on and me personally, the overall goal is getting lost because all that we are seeing is the destruction that is going on."
Constable Nyamadi believes most people who are protesting are peaceful, but unfortunately the attention is on the violence.