Ms. Nelson's observation rings true; not enough is known about the reports
against brutal treatment by police. From eyewitness accounts, stories told
in whispers, even down to the "criminal element" that uses brutal encounters
with police as a badge of courage, a rite of passage, if you will.
I believe Mr. Krueger was trying to draw attention to the low incidence as a
means of "allaying fears" associated with persons openly displaying arms,
who maybe either "off duty" or plainclothes policemen. From another post
came the suggestion that such officers should be in the habit of displaying
their badge at the same time. That would certainly help ease the discomfort
one might experience when encountering an openly armed person.
I, and probably others, appreciate a police force that can respond with
appropriate force, sufficient to the task at hand. That is required to
maintain (law)and restore order. In fact, that is the bench mark of policing
a civil society. Brutality, on the other hand,connotes a mandate to force
acceptance of unpopular rule, be that law, dictates, or subjection. The
point being, one engaged in civil authority should never view any measure of
brutality as acceptable, justifiable, nor statistically as compared to other
acts of violence against citizens. Fortunately, Mr. Krueger's reputation as
an outstanding officer is still intact and we can view this as an ordinary,
human error.
Robert Anderson
IP Candidate 61B
-----Original Message-----
From: Rosalind Nelson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2000 5:52 PM
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: Re: handguns and carry permits
Luther Krueger wrote:
> I regret I don't know what to say to allay your fears
> about the plainclothes officers, except perhaps to say
> you have much more to fear, and I think statistics
> would back up the statement, from crooks with hidden
> guns and knives than from plainclothes cops. So far
> in the year 2000, 985+ felony assaults (mostly with
> weapons) in Minneapolis have been reported, not
> including 80+ felony assaults on officers, nor
> hundreds of aggravated robberies of persons. I would
> be surprised if the number of complaints of
> police brutality so far this year approached
> those numbers...
A few things come to mind...
The number of complaints most certainly do not necessarily reflect the
number of occurrances. Many people are afraid to bring complaints against
the police, or they believe that the deck is stacked against them and
bringing a complaint will do no good. During the city council hearing on
the ISAG conference, people talked about the difficulty of bringing an
excessive force complaint when they weren't able to identify the officer
(due to gas masks and other riot gear).
Also, the possibility of being attacked or abused by a police officer
carries an element of fear that the chance of an ordinary act of violence
does not have. No one can help you if a police officer is out to cause
harm. The best you can hope for is to find a talented lawyer after the
violence is over. I've been told that unless bones are broken, there is no
point in even trying to get redress.
And here in Minneapolis, any given individual's risk of paying additional
property taxes or associated rent to finance the police department's
adventurous response to genetics protesters is nearly one hundred percent.
Rosalind Nelson
Bancroft
