Speech to City Council: Support for Chief Donny Williams

Ladies and gentlemen of the council, I stand before you today for the second time to advocate for Chief Donny Williams and to address the ongoing scrutiny regarding his legacy as Chief of the Wilmington Police Department.

With less than 50 days until his retirement after more than 30 years of dedicated service, Chief Williams deserves the dignity of concluding his career without facing unwarranted attacks—especially those that seem politically or personally motivated.  While I won’t name names, I trust we can all discern the source of these criticisms.

One pressing question lingers in my mind: Why was there such an uproar over the gunshots fired downtown on May 11—an incident in which, thankfully, no one was injured—while there is considerably less concern when similar or even worse incidents occur regularly in neighborhoods like Creekwood and other inner-city areas? Are we not all equally entitled to safety? Shouldn’t the lives of every resident, regardless of their ZIP code, hold the same value?

On the topic of making Chief Williams’ personnel file public, I am only in favor of that  if we apply the same standard universally. If one officer’s records are released, then all should be. Consistency and fairness are paramount. Transparency must not be
selective. This is not a matter of race; it’s a matter of principle. I want to emphasize that if Chief Williams were of any race—White, Black, or otherwise—I would be here today with the same conviction.

Let us allow Chief Williams to conclude his service with the respect he has rightfully earned. He has navigated unprecedented challenges with honor and accountability.

I’d like to leave you with Chief Williams’ own words from a statement he made in 2020: “Do we have pockets of racism? Yes, absolutely. Any large organization is going to have people with different views. I said this back in 2020 and I’m going to say it again: Judge our officers by the color of their hearts, not the color of their skin.” (Source: WECT)

Let us embrace that message. Let’s act with integrity—not only for Chief Williams but for the dignity of this council and the city it serves.

Thank you.
LeRon T. Montgomery
President, New Hanover County NAACP