Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Protesters Burn Minneapolis Police Precinct
On Monday, four members of the Minneapolis Police Department killed George Floyd, a citizen and taxpayer, during an arrest. Three different videos show that the officers used excessive force including one kneeling on his neck as he lay handcuffed faced down on the street. The mayor condemned the actions, and the chief of police fired the four immediately. However, the District Attorney has not yet charged anyone with anything. For three nights, the city has seen civil unrest and violence. Last night, the Third Precinct where the officers were based was burned. The rioters killed no one, however. This is entirely unnecessary, but the political leadership of the city needs to arrest the officers. Let a jury decide their guilt or innocence.
This sorry situaiton underscores two of the biggest problems in American society as it frays further. The first is institutional and personal racism that has no basis in biology but is the cornerstone of most social interaction. The only people who deny it exists are those white people who never encounter a cross word from those with less money and privilege.
The second is the dysfunctional policing that occurs from sea to shining sea. The police are not properly trained in what their function is, they are given a gun and inadequate understanding of how and when to use it, and above all, the pool of candidates is not suitable for the very serious job of being a police officer in a free society (any idiot can be a cop in Orwell's Oceania).
Related to this is the institutional coziness of the police and prosecutors. The DA in every city or county needs to cooperation of the police to do his or her job. When the police decide to protect their own from justice, the DA usually caves because, well, because there are bigger fish to fry -- like re-election that hinges on being tough on crime.
The DA of Hennepin County (the county of which Minneapolis is part) is Mike Freeman, and he has thus far given the world a masterclass in cravenness. He said yesterday, "my job in the end is to prove that he violated criminal statute and there is other evidence that doesn't support a criminal charge. We need to weigh through all of that evidence and come through with a meaningful determination and we are doing that to the best of our ability."
To use a technical term, that is complete and utter bullshit. His job is to prosecute based on the evidence. It is up to the jury to determine if the accused violated criminal statute. All too often, prosecutors decide to take the bat out of the jury's hand by simply letting cops walk by not prosecuting.
So, some people in Minneapolis took to the streets, and a fraction of them committed arson and looted businesses. The usual appeals for calm and non-violence came from the usual talking heads. As a general rule, violence by a mob is not helpful. This time, they burned a police station, a hard target by any definition. This directly increases the pressure on Mr. Freeman, and one hopes he comes to his senses. Otherwise, tonight will see more of the city burn.
The National Guard has been called out. State troopers are supporting the city police. The crackdown on protesters is happening. Yet, there is a much easier and less dangerous way to resolve this problem. Make the arrests for which the videos provide probably cause.
How many millions in property damage is Mr. Freeman prepared to visit upon the city to protect four former cops who were immediately fired for cause, namely use of excessive force during an arrest.
His name was George Floyd.
© Copyright 2020 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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