GUILFORD, Maine (AP) — A sheriff urged demonstrators to protest peacefully during President Donald Trump’s visit Friday to a medical products company.
Piscataquis County Sheriff Robert Young posted on social media that he hopes workers at Puritan Medical Products in Guilford have their “moment of recognition” for their hard work and long hours producing specialized swabs used for coronavirus tests.
But the presidential visit comes amid racial unrest after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last week after a white officer put a knee on his neck.
Young wrote that “my stomach turned” when he watched the video of Floyd, and said his deputies don’t employ such tactics.
“In ordinary times, a presidential visit to Guilford, Maine, would be a great thing, regardless of who the president is,” Young wrote. “Sadly, at this time, our nation is so full of strife and rancor, that the good nature of his coming is overshadowed by the politics of our time.”
He said he hopes “for the protesters to peacefully make their point, and for the president’s supporters to peacefully enjoy the moment.”
Puritan is one of only two manufacturers worldwide making a specialized swab used for coronavirus tests. The federal government is providing $75.5 million for the company to double production to 40 million swabs per month as the nation ramps up testing.
