Santa Cruz police chief kneels with peaceful protesters

Hundreds gathered in Santa Cruz, California on Saturday to take a knee in memory of George Floyd — including Police Chief Andy Mills.

Mills posted his own photos from the protest, with the comment, “Small portion of a very peaceful protest. Black Lives Do Matter.”

The chief had previously issued a message to local residents regarding the death of George Floyd — condemning ex-cop Derek Chauvin.

“Chauvin’s actions and those around him are the antithesis of what we view as good policing. The other officers had a duty to step in and stop this violent assault, and they failed,” Mills said.

Santa Cruz Police posted the powerful image with a heartfelt caption on Instagram — which received praise from followers.

“SCPD is fully supportive of peaceful protests in the City of Santa Cruz – and we always keep them safe,”: the department wrote.

Mills has made several statements in the last few days slamming the cops involved in Floyd’s death.

“If a police officer saw a criminal kneeling on the neck of a police officer suffocating him/her to death, would they wait to make an arrest? How is this different?” Mills tweeted.

Mills comments come as cops around the country have taken drastic measures to control protesters, including tear gas, rubber bullets — and even running them over with squad cars.