As the sun began to set on Denver’s seventh consecutive day of George Floyd protests, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock linked arms with protesters for the first time while the city’s police chief hosted an online community town hall, attended by more than a thousand.

Minutes before Chief Paul Pazen’s hour-long meeting had even began, community members’ questions came pouring through, many of which addressed officers’ response to peaceful protesters, including their use of tear gas and pepper bullets.

The police chief was joined by Neil Yarbrough, a local black activist who marched arm-in-arm with Pazen when he joined demonstrators for the first time Monday.

“Before we begin,” Pazen said, “it’s important to say his name and to take a moment of silence for Mr. George Floyd.”

Yarbrough, who fielded community questions from Facebook and the online chat, didn’t spare many tough questions for the chief, who promised numerous times to improve and do better to hold the department accountable, without offering many specifics.

“Just like I have to hold officers accountable, I have to be accountable as well,” he said, adding that the department must take “a hard look and critical review” of officers’ actions amid protests, a process that will be overseen by the Office of the Independent Monitor.

Pazen addressed the termination of Thomas McClay that happened earlier this week, after an internal investigation revealed the rookie officer violated social media policy for writing, “Let’s start a riot,” in a social media post.

The post only served to “escalate tensions,” said Pazen, who strongly condemned the incident.

“We’ve got to do better and can’t go down the same path,” Pazen said, before acknowledging that the department needs to improve hiring, training, disciplining and holding officers responsible for their actions.

In the midst of a global pandemic, “the fact that we have thousands of people … from all walks of life that are willing to put their lives at risk to come together shows how important this is,” the police chief told Yarbrough.

“This is a start of a movement,” he said. “This is the tipping point.”

The department is taking “several steps back,” Pazen pledged, to “look in the mirror” and reevaluate its policies, including its use of force. He asked for the community’s help holding up the mirror.

Pazen also said he would support a bill that would make it illegal for officers to not intervene when excessive force is used by fellow officers. On Tuesday, the state’s three law enforcement unions called on lawmakers to strengthen state law to make it a crime for officers to stand by when a crime of “unreasonable force” is going on. 

The Wednesday evening meeting was the first of more to come, Pazen said, although dates for upcoming meetings have not yet been disclosed.

“It’s important that our department listens,” Pazen said. “Of course, words are just words until they become actions.”