Race in America - Riots Explode in Chicago

[cradleandshoot]

Kim Potter

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action? Experienced, 48 years old (26 years on the force), exemplary COP, new officer trainer, Casket Honor Guard, ex-Police Union President, Prom Queen, 5th Grade Spelling Bee Champion, prettiest baby in the nursery.

She was scared and she panicked. In 26 years on the force how many times has she been in this situation? I have no idea. IMO today I don't know why anybody would want to be a cop.

This may not be relevant but it reminds me what even experienced people can do when they are stressed out. My unit in the 82nd was doing a live fire training exercise at Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah. We were assaulting up this hill with all kinds of live ammo going off everywhere. One of the soldiers in my platoon tossed a live grenade up the hill we were assaulting. The damn thing hit a rock and started rolling back at us rapidly. The only reason I'm probably writing this now is that Vernon forgot to remove the safety clip from the grenade. It wound up about 10 feet from where we had our faces buried in the dirt. We were all stressed during this entire event. This was a screw up that probably saved our lives. The only relevant point is that when people are scared they make stupid mistakes. That is always when bad chit happens. I am making no excuses for this officer. She will have to live with mistake for the rest of her life.

[jhu72]

Daunte Wright

Apparently the COP that killed Wright was the senior officer in the pair. She was training her partner. "Oh Sh*t" is right!

She is also the shop steward for the police officers' union in Brooklyn Center. Oh boy.

Foe the news conference, they admitted all the national media and local activists first thus shutting out the local news media from the event.

The elected Mayor then convinced the city council to vote to can the appointed long-time city manager who is/was in charge of staffing and management. Expect the mayor to can the officer and the police chief next.

A total cluster F all around by just about everybody involved.

... the Chief of Police behaved really strangely during the press conference as well - unannounced running out of the presser like he was trying to avoid the questions.

[Brooklyn]

life in Lake Wobegone:








Like it or not, it's a true story. I've seen it enough times as whites openly drive with weapons in their cars and the cops never stop them. But the moment they see a black guy, somehow, the driver needs to be stopped under any and every pretense.

[jhu72]

Kim Potter

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action? Experienced, 48 years old (26 years on the force), exemplary COP, new officer trainer, Casket Honor Guard, ex-Police Union President, Prom Queen, 5th Grade Spelling Bee Champion, prettiest baby in the nursery.

She was scared and she panicked. In 26 years on the force how many times has she been in this situation? I have no idea. IMO today I don't know why anybody would want to be a cop.

... scared of what? When I originally saw the video and heard her Oh Sh*t exclamation, was not watching closely, mostly audio, it sounded like she was surprised when she shot him. Gave her the benefit of the doubt. I am now not so sure. Watching the video a few more times, I don't see what she is scared of, I don't understand the mistake, I don't understand the pulling of the trigger. A skinny black 20 year old, no weapon we know of, not attacking her -- nope don't see why taser or gun was needed at that point.

[jhu72]

life in Lake Wobegone:








Like it or not, it's a true story. I've seen it enough times as whites openly drive with weapons in their cars and the cops never stop them. But the moment they see a black guy, somehow, the driver needs to be stopped under any and every pretense.

[old salt]

Air freshener ? Were Wright's tags expired or not ? Did he have an outstanding warrant for carrying a pistol without a permit & failure to appear.
Did he resist arrest when the black male cop who stopped him tried to cuff him ?

[Peter Brown]

Air freshener ? Were Wright's tags expired or not ? Did he have an outstanding warrant for carrying a pistol without a permit & failure to appear.
Did he resist arrest when the black male cop who stopped him tried to cuff him ?

Yes. To everything.

[ggait]

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action?

Because she was within 21 feet of a suspect. So she is trained (stupidly) that she is in mortal danger at that moment. And must defend herself with all necessary force. The biff of pulling the gun instead of the taser can happen. Multiple instances of that mistake being made by other cops.

The root cause/problem is that the cops are trained to escalate -- creating situations (unnecessarily) where weapons are drawn and life/death decisions have to be made. Once weapons are drawn, then the shirt gets real very fast.

It is like car chases.

Until recently, cops were trained to chase down fleeing suspects. Then people figured out that the car chases themselves were way too dangerous and were the problem that needed to be solved. Now, cops are banned from engaging in car chases in all but the most extreme circumstances (like a child kidnapping). Problem solved. There's a hundred easier/safer ways to deal with the suspect than a car chase -- and cops now use those easier/safer means.

The cops in Brooklyn and Windsor easily could have eased off and made everyone (including themselves) safer. But they are trained to always escalate and dominate any confrontation. Not trained to ask "do I need to be in this confrontation right now?" Add in the effects of racism and adrenaline, and we all see how these completely avoidable situations are not avoided.

Hey Brooklyn cops -- you got three officers on the scene vs. one suspect. How about someone bothers to close the forking car door after the kid gets out? Instead of leaving it open so the kid can hop back in? Stupid, sloppy and dumb.

[Peter Brown]

Who knew a lacrosse website would have so many police experts?!

[ggait]

I get my info from all of my family members who are cops.

My family is brimming with cops, troll boy.

[jhu72]

Brooklyn Center Chief of Police and the Officer who killed Wright both resigned this morning. Apparently the Mayor has not accepted resignation of the shooter yet. The mayor is in way over his head IMO.

Good news is, the new Chief of Police is impressive, seems committed to community policing, doing the work. PS - not a single policemen currently lives and works in Brooklyn Center.

[jhu72]

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action?

Because she was within 21 feet of a suspect. So she is trained (stupidly) that she is in mortal danger at that moment. And must defend herself with all necessary force. The biff of pulling the gun instead of the taser can happen. Multiple instances of that mistake being made by other cops.

The root cause/problem is that the cops are trained to escalate -- creating situations (unnecessarily) where weapons are drawn and life/death decisions have to be made. Once weapons are drawn, then the shirt gets real very fast.

It is like car chases.

Until recently, cops were trained to chase down fleeing suspects. Then people figured out that the car chases themselves were way too dangerous and were the problem that needed to be solved. Now, cops are banned from engaging in car chases in all but the most extreme circumstances (like a child kidnapping). Problem solved. There's a hundred easier/safer ways to deal with the suspect than a car chase -- and cops now use those easier/safer means.

The cops in Brooklyn and Windsor easily could have eased off and made everyone (including themselves) safer. But they are trained to always escalate and dominate any confrontation. Not trained to ask "do I need to be in this confrontation right now?" Add in the effects of racism and adrenaline, and we all see how these completely avoidable situations are not avoided.

Hey Brooklyn cops -- you got three officers on the scene vs. one suspect. How about someone bothers to close the forking car door after the kid gets out? Instead of leaving it open so the kid can hop back in? Stupid, sloppy and dumb.

... ok so I get it now. Not in any danger but within 21 feet = COP kills an unarmed (presumably) 20 year old and doesn't get charged. Got it. Sweet deal. This stuff is so easy and straight forward, I don't see why the community gets so upset.

[Kismet]

Brooklyn Center Chief of Police and the Officer who killed Wright both resigned this morning. Apparently the Mayor has not accepted resignation of the shooter yet. The mayor is in way over his head.

Yep. Absolutely. That said, he has quite a bit of company in this regard.

[cradleandshoot]

Kim Potter

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action? Experienced, 48 years old (26 years on the force), exemplary COP, new officer trainer, Casket Honor Guard, ex-Police Union President, Prom Queen, 5th Grade Spelling Bee Champion, prettiest baby in the nursery.

She was scared and she panicked. In 26 years on the force how many times has she been in this situation? I have no idea. IMO today I don't know why anybody would want to be a cop.

... scared of what? When I originally saw the video and heard her Oh Sh*t exclamation, was not watching closely, mostly audio, it sounded like she was surprised when she shot him. Gave her the benefit of the doubt. I am now not so sure. Watching the video a few more times, I don't see what she is scared of, I don't understand the mistake, I don't understand the pulling of the trigger. A skinny black 20 year old, no weapon we know of, not attacking her -- nope don't see why taser or gun was needed at that point.

She was scared enough and stressed out enough she could not differentiate her tazer from her handgun. I'm not making excuses for her Doc. I have not seen the video and really do not want to. her actions and decision making will be gone over with a fine tooth comb. Her career and her life as she knew are as dead as the young man she shot. I would have expected better decision making from a veteran of the force of 26 years.

[cradleandshoot]

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action?

Because she was within 21 feet of a suspect. So she is trained (stupidly) that she is in mortal danger at that moment. And must defend herself with all necessary force. The biff of pulling the gun instead of the taser can happen. Multiple instances of that mistake being made by other cops.

The root cause/problem is that the cops are trained to escalate -- creating situations (unnecessarily) where weapons are drawn and life/death decisions have to be made. Once weapons are drawn, then the shirt gets real very fast.

It is like car chases.

Until recently, cops were trained to chase down fleeing suspects. Then people figured out that the car chases themselves were way too dangerous and were the problem that needed to be solved. Now, cops are banned from engaging in car chases in all but the most extreme circumstances (like a child kidnapping). Problem solved. There's a hundred easier/safer ways to deal with the suspect than a car chase -- and cops now use those easier/safer means.

The cops in Brooklyn and Windsor easily could have eased off and made everyone (including themselves) safer. But they are trained to always escalate and dominate any confrontation. Not trained to ask "do I need to be in this confrontation right now?" Add in the effects of racism and adrenaline, and we all see how these completely avoidable situations are not avoided.

Hey Brooklyn cops -- you got three officers on the scene vs. one suspect. How about someone bothers to close the forking car door after the kid gets out? Instead of leaving it open so the kid can hop back in? Stupid, sloppy and dumb.

... ok so I get it now. Not in any danger but within 21 feet = COP kills an unarmed (presumably) 20 year old and doesn't get charged. Got it. Sweet deal. This stuff is so easy and straight forward, I don't see why the community gets so upset.

I understand why the community gets so upset. I don't understand how burning chit down and looting assuages the anger?

[Brooklyn]

Brooklyn Center Chief of Police and the Officer who killed Wright both resigned this morning. Apparently the Mayor has not accepted resignation of the shooter yet. The mayor is in way over his head IMO.

Good news is, the new Chief of Police is impressive, seems committed to community policing, doing the work. PS - not a single policemen currently lives and works in Brooklyn Center.

At one time Rondo was a prosperous black district in St Paul. Folks were dispossessed in order to build up a highway. Many were resettled in Brooklyn Center. Here is the story of Rondo:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rondo_Neighborhood


Brooklyn Center remains largely black, middle class. But as usual, all the high paid jobs go to whites from outside the city. No surprise that all those white cops live elsewhere.

[Farfromgeneva]

Kim Potter

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action? Experienced, 48 years old (26 years on the force), exemplary COP, new officer trainer, Casket Honor Guard, ex-Police Union President, Prom Queen, 5th Grade Spelling Bee Champion, prettiest baby in the nursery.

She was scared and she panicked. In 26 years on the force how many times has she been in this situation? I have no idea. IMO today I don't know why anybody would want to be a cop.

... scared of what? When I originally saw the video and heard her Oh Sh*t exclamation, was not watching closely, mostly audio, it sounded like she was surprised when she shot him. Gave her the benefit of the doubt. I am now not so sure. Watching the video a few more times, I don't see what she is scared of, I don't understand the mistake, I don't understand the pulling of the trigger. A skinny black 20 year old, no weapon we know of, not attacking her -- nope don't see why taser or gun was needed at that point.

She was scared enough and stressed out enough she could not differentiate her tazer from her handgun. I'm not making excuses for her Doc. I have not seen the video and really do not want to. her actions and decision making will be gone over with a fine tooth comb. Her career and her life as she knew are as dead as the young man she shot. I would have expected better decision making from a veteran of the force of 26 years.

It would be wrong to state “her life as she knew it is as dead as the young man she shot” as she still has her life...

[Brooklyn]

It would be wrong to state “her life as she knew it is as dead as the young man she shot” as she still has her life...

... and a generous pension to comfort her

[cradleandshoot]

Kim Potter

What I want to know is why did she un-holster her gun? What caused her to take that action? Experienced, 48 years old (26 years on the force), exemplary COP, new officer trainer, Casket Honor Guard, ex-Police Union President, Prom Queen, 5th Grade Spelling Bee Champion, prettiest baby in the nursery.

She was scared and she panicked. In 26 years on the force how many times has she been in this situation? I have no idea. IMO today I don't know why anybody would want to be a cop.

... scared of what? When I originally saw the video and heard her Oh Sh*t exclamation, was not watching closely, mostly audio, it sounded like she was surprised when she shot him. Gave her the benefit of the doubt. I am now not so sure. Watching the video a few more times, I don't see what she is scared of, I don't understand the mistake, I don't understand the pulling of the trigger. A skinny black 20 year old, no weapon we know of, not attacking her -- nope don't see why taser or gun was needed at that point.

She was scared enough and stressed out enough she could not differentiate her tazer from her handgun. I'm not making excuses for her Doc. I have not seen the video and really do not want to. her actions and decision making will be gone over with a fine tooth comb. Her career and her life as she knew are as dead as the young man she shot. I would have expected better decision making from a veteran of the force of 26 years.

It would be wrong to state “her life as she knew it is as dead as the young man she shot” as she still has her life...

Her life as she once knew it is dead and gone. She may still be alive and breathing but the stigma, no matter what the legal system does to her, will never go away. She will always be the cop who killed a black kid

[Farfromgeneva]

Better than being dead.