Piscataquis County Sheriff Asking for Peace During Trump Visit

The Sheriff of Piscataquis County is asking residents to respect the employees of Puritan Medical Products and keep the peace during President Trump's visit this week.

Sheriff Bob Young posted his plea on the department's Facebook page, asking for a quiet and cooperative day on Friday. President Donald Trump plans to visit the Hardwood Products/Puritan Medical Products facility, to thank the employees for their efforts in making testing supplies being used to battle the pandemic. This is a big deal for these folks who have been working long hours to aid in the effort to keep the rest of us safe.

'In ordinary times,' Sheriff Young says, 'a Presidential visit to Guilford, Maine would be a great thing.' But these are not ordinary times, and he worries about protests overshadowing the good intentions of the trip. So Young's department is working with the Secret Service, State Police, and other Sheriff's offices to develop the best plan for keeping everyone safe. He says he's spoken with the organizer of the Guilford protest, who says they want to speak for social change, in a peaceful manner. His hopes are that those who oppose the protest will be peaceful, as well. 'Violence begets violence, and is never going to solve the issues of our land,' Young says in the FB post.

The Sheriff goes on to say how disturbed he was by the video of George Floyd and the actions of Minneapolis Police Officers. Floyd died when Officer Derek Chauvin kept his knee on the man's neck, despite his loud pleas that he couldn't breathe. Young says members of the Piscataquis County Sheriff's Office would never treat a suspect this way and, in the event that they were in distress, would immediately provide aid.

President Donald Trump will be in Maine on Friday, for his visit to the Guilford facility. Secret Service agents have already arrived in Piscataquis County to get things set up in advance.