Dave Piehl wrote: "The real question, though, is why this gentleman, who apparently sought treatment in January after hearing voices in his head, was not treated for his mental condition."
I agree that this is a real and valid question, but it is not the only question we must answer. We must also decide, as a city, what level of violence we can accept from our police force. What level of force is truly necessary, to protect the "innocent"? (I use the quotes because the police rarely deal with convicted fugitives, and because I consider the victim of this most recent shooting to be an innocent man.) The issue of police violence in Mpls is larger than their terrible record in dealing with the mentally ill. Their propensity to resort to violence too quickly (in my opinion) has been reasonably well-established. Examine the past few years: ISAG, the four shootings of mentally ill individuals, the shooting near Mickey's Diner--outside the MPD's jurisdiction, the shooting of Charger which recently led to a settlement by the city... I'm sure others could chime in with examples. A pattern emerges. The option of violence must come later in the procedure handbook. In the epilogue, say. That said, I agree very much with Walt. The fewer jerking knees in this discussion the further we will be able to go. (This includes the knee-jerk reaction to accuse those with whom one disagrees with having jerky knees...) And I am not interested in painting individual officers, or even the Chief, into a villainous corner. I'm far more interested in creating systems and policies that reduce the possibility of events like this ever happening again. In response to Scott's comment, "I do not see how the killing of Abu Kassim sends a dangerous and frightening message to the entire [Somali] community": could it possibly be that members and leaders ot the Somali community are of the understandable opinion that Mr. Jeilani's life would not have been ended by the MPD had he not been black? Could they even--heaven forbid--be right? Robin Garwood Seward _______________________________________ 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
