Walt, you raise several good points about caution regarding this situation. And we should be wary of making sweeping generalizations about the police department or "murder" et. al. We cannot afford to demonize the police not because they might go somewhere else to work, but because it's not the right thing to do. These are men and women who put their lives on the line everyday to protect our community and our lives. That kind of commitment deserves and demands our respect.
But just like with any other job or position, you will have good and bad people. I saw one of the good ones today, one of our neighborhood SAFE officers. Talked with him at the bookstore, he's a great guy. That doesn't mean that every officer is great or exercises the same restraint of judgement he does. And while we don't need to demonize them, we also have to recognize the mood of the community and the reality of what seems to keep happening, not just here, but nationwide. People of color are being shot and killed in a manner that can only be described as overkill. I'll reserve my opinion until we have all the facts, but already those facts are starting to become muddled. One source says the man was waving wildly another says he had his hands by his side. One says he got back up too quickly for police to subdue him another that he was on the ground when he was shot. When the facts all come out, hopefully we'll have a better understanding, however, investigations into situations like this seem to either drift away or officers are exonerated. One need only look at Rodney King, Amadou Diallo or Abuka Sanders to see that something doesn't seem to make sense. Justice sometimes is not only blind but also unconscious. Andy, really brought out the point well (thank you sir) about living with this fear and concern. Everyday people of color and other disadvantaged groups worry if this is the day that something happens. It is not that far in the past when officers of the law killed or harmed them for sport or spite, and while this is no longer that time, all of those people, unfortunately, are not gone. We must be ever vigilant, because we never know when the next "accidental" shooting might take place. History may be of the past, but it does have a long memory, and a tendency to repeat itself. The first time something of this nature happens, one might be wary yet still understanding. The second time, a little more cautious. But when you come from a history of this type of thing and it happens with the consistency that it has, you become alarmed. And when each time you hear, "calm down, we'll look into it", with apologies to Fannie Lou, you become "sick and tired of being sick and tired." The question is not just what happened yesterday, but also how long? How long do we have to continue to watch people die especially the overwhelming slant to people of color, before we do something serious? How long do we have to do studies and analyses before we begin to really address the problem? Most importantly, how long will people remain calm about these situations before they explode? How long before those inalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are given more than just lip service in the face of tragedy and justice? Lord knows, it's about time. We do need to keep from going overboard, but it's important to also keep this situation in perspective. It is not just the incident yesterday, it is a part of a larger dynamic that permeates our society and must be dealt with. I was glad, although not surprised to see R.T. and Dean Z. at the press conference this morning and appreciate the response they have made thus far. I hope that they continue to move in the direction that I see them going and that they push to make certain that a full disclosure of the facts is realized and that justice not only is served, but real systemic changes are brought about to address the root of this issue and not just the symptoms. Jonathan Palmer Stevens Square-Loring Heights _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
