Meghan Markle praises Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone in graduation message to high school students

Meghan Markle appears to praise Norfolk Police Chief Larry Boone during a video message to graduates of her old Los Angeles high school, Newsweek reported.

In the video, Markle spoke out against "the senseless act of racism" that caused George Floyd's death in late May, then praised Boone and Genesee County, Michigan Police Chief Chrisopher Swanson for "standing in solidarity" with the communities they serve in their response to the demonstrations that followed Floyd's death.

Markle spoke about her experience living through the 1992 Los Angeles riots in response to Rodney King's beating at the hands of Los Angeles policemen, then compared it to the civil unrest and protests spurred by Floyd's death, saying, "That's something you should have an understanding of, but an understanding of as a history lesson, not your reality."

She then said, "The other thing, though, that I do remember about that time was how people came together. And we are seeing that right now, we are seeing that from the sheriff in Michigan or the police chief in Virginia. We are seeing people stand in solidarity, we are seeing communities come together and uplift, and you are going to be part of this movement."

On May 30, Boone joined a march protesting Floyd's death outside of the Norfolk Police Department and spoke with protesters in order to let them know he was listening to their concerns.

“My response to them was let me help you; here’s my number; let’s meet; let’s come up with some game plans; let’s do this together,” Boone said. “We got programs after programs after programs, and it breaks my heart to see an incident in Minneapolis destroy all that.”

The Norfolk Police Department tweeted a response to Markle's video, saying, "Thank you Meghan Markle for recognizing Chief Larry Boone's leadership and willingness to support the community's desire to be heard during demonstrations in Norfolk, Virginia."