This past Saturday I was walking down Nicollet Mall at
approximately 5pm. As I was crossed fifth street i saw
a tall man dressed in black jeans, a black tank top, a
tattoo on his left bicep, carrying a black canvas bag,
with a handgun and holster strapped to his waistband
crossing NSP(Excel)Plaza headed toward fifth street.
As the downtown command office of the MPD is directly
across from this plaza I presume that he was an off
duty officer on his way into work. I also presume he
has a carry permit as is generally the case with many
police officers. I have no reason to suspect
otherwise.
Having said this I must say that I felt an immediate
sense of fear and revulsion at the sight so much so
that I stopped to ask another young man sitting nearby
if he had seen the same thing. He said yes and shook
his head in a sort of sad resignation.
Several weeks earlier I had seen another person
standing on a the corner of 6th and Nicollet dressed
in shirt and tie, smoking a cigarette, a gun likewise
worn on his waist. I made him for a cop as well.
What Gives? Does anyone else find this offensive? Does
the MPD have any rules regarding this display of fire-
power. Is it some macho trip on the part of a few or
is this institutional intimidation?
I'm not a gun guy myself but I must say that I react
pretty strongly to intimidation. Am I taking this all
too personally? Should I just say, "hey, that's just
these guys thing" and let it go at that.
I think it is just them to some degree and it ought
not effect me so and yet I find it incredibly
provocative and though I am not a gun guy, I repeat,
and not given to violence, it makes me want to pick up
an ouzi. It makes me even more frightened than by what
I saw ten feet away during ISAG.
For years I have considered the MPD nothing more than
a well armed gang of thugs and shakedown artists. This
is the ultimate blatant outcome of failing to police
the police. Does anyone else see this as a
problem????????
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