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It's not terribly surprising that between the "opening up" of businesses, and the protests that started late last week, the number of cases of the virus have doubled in the state this week. Some folks just believed/wishfully thought that reopening meant it was all over, and that the signs in the stores that have opened asking customers to wear masks are political correctness as Trump puts it. I guess I don't mind young adults taking risks, but it does bother me that parents are taking their kids to the stores again with no protection. The initial disease doesn't seem to be serious for the vast majority of kids, but the later symptoms some kids have come down with weeks later ought to scare any parent.
Warning: Because of the following content, I'm turning off comments for this post. It is intended as an honest statement of what I've seen and what I understand now (right or wrong) for future reference not as a start of a discussion of any kind.
Years after the events in Ferguson, MO, what seems to have happened then is that Michael Brown went into a store with a few friends to buy some cigars. It is unclear whether the cigars were out in the open or a clerk got them out. It is clear that the clerk, a fairly young black man, realized that Michael was too young to legally buy tobacco products and an argument ensued. I do not know whether Michael tried to pay for the cigars or not. Whatever happened, Michael left the store with the cigars, and the clerk called the police. The police station sent out an ambiguous message to the nearest policeman, who soon found Michael and his friends and confronted them. Instead of listening to what the officer was saying, basically to stop where he was, Michael began nervously circling the officer and pulled the cigars out of his pocket. The policeman assumed what he saw was a weapon; Michael's buddy thought the spread out cigars were Michael trying to raise his hands. They were both wrong. The policeman panicked and shot Michael several times killing him. His buddy spread the word that Michael had called out, "Don't shoot." There is no evidence that ever happened in the clear video of the events. (The buddy died a couple years later, apparently killed in neighborhood drug violence.) On the one hand you have a poorly informed, and poorly trained police officer assuming the worst about a big, black kid and on the other you had a different black kid embellishing what was already a terrible situation.
What happened last week in Minneapolis appears to be something even worse. George Floyd, A large, drunken, black man went into a store to buy some cigarettes. As he was leaving the clerk noticed the $20 bill he'd been handed in payment was counterfeit and called the police. Four police officers arrived on scene. I understand that Floyd was handcuffed and put in the back of a police cruiser. I have no evidence, but I assume that the drunken Floyd began violently thrashing around in the car. He was pulled out of the car and after getting him to the ground, a white police officer chose to subdue him into submission by kneeling on Floyd's neck until he passed out. Floyd had a heart condition and the treatment resulted in his death.
The shocking thing coming from this incident was that this choking of suspects till they pass out, seems to have become a common practice among the Minneapolis police. What I heard was that it happened at least 44 times before. Why this was allowed to happen is unfathomable, given that there had been recently another publicized case of a suspect in another city dying from being in a choke hold (black suspect, black officer). Would not city authorities everywhere in the country, for fear of lawsuits, warn their police forces that that kind of action could not be tolerated?
The charges against the officer: the initial charges seemed both severe and appropriate. The fact that the other officers present have been charged with complicity seems reasonable. But I have to assume that the upgraded charges brought out yesterday against the officer who caused Floyd's death had more to do with calming down protests than good law. I don't know Minnesota law, so I do not know what constitutes first, second and third degree murder in the state. It would seem almost a given that the officer went beyond what was reasonable in his actions, so is guilty of manslaughter. It also seems absurd to think that the officer arrived on the scene with the intent to kill anyone, let alone Mr Floyd in particular. I think the prosecutor who takes this case is going to have a very difficult time proving second degree murder, whatever the details of that may be. So what happens when the jury or appeals court comes back and clears the officer of the most serious charge or charges? Another round of protests and violence?
The protests now are entirely justified, but everyone should be aware that they have been amplified by the number of people out of work. You don't see many people my age out there protesting, we really can't take the risk. It is good to see so many earnest white faces in the crowds, though I wish more of all of the crowd would wear some protection. Odd. Before this virus, I'd be among the first to say wearing a mask to a protest was an act of extreme cowardice!
What can I say about the violence? It seems certain that along with the usual bad actors taking advantage of a bad situation to indiscriminately destroy property and steal a few things, some white supremacists came out of their holes to purposely cause chaos and flare things up worse. The unemployment and recent confinement at home have just made it all the worse.
Warning: Because of the following content, I'm turning off comments for this post. It is intended as an honest statement of what I've seen and what I understand now (right or wrong) for future reference not as a start of a discussion of any kind.
Years after the events in Ferguson, MO, what seems to have happened then is that Michael Brown went into a store with a few friends to buy some cigars. It is unclear whether the cigars were out in the open or a clerk got them out. It is clear that the clerk, a fairly young black man, realized that Michael was too young to legally buy tobacco products and an argument ensued. I do not know whether Michael tried to pay for the cigars or not. Whatever happened, Michael left the store with the cigars, and the clerk called the police. The police station sent out an ambiguous message to the nearest policeman, who soon found Michael and his friends and confronted them. Instead of listening to what the officer was saying, basically to stop where he was, Michael began nervously circling the officer and pulled the cigars out of his pocket. The policeman assumed what he saw was a weapon; Michael's buddy thought the spread out cigars were Michael trying to raise his hands. They were both wrong. The policeman panicked and shot Michael several times killing him. His buddy spread the word that Michael had called out, "Don't shoot." There is no evidence that ever happened in the clear video of the events. (The buddy died a couple years later, apparently killed in neighborhood drug violence.) On the one hand you have a poorly informed, and poorly trained police officer assuming the worst about a big, black kid and on the other you had a different black kid embellishing what was already a terrible situation.
What happened last week in Minneapolis appears to be something even worse. George Floyd, A large, drunken, black man went into a store to buy some cigarettes. As he was leaving the clerk noticed the $20 bill he'd been handed in payment was counterfeit and called the police. Four police officers arrived on scene. I understand that Floyd was handcuffed and put in the back of a police cruiser. I have no evidence, but I assume that the drunken Floyd began violently thrashing around in the car. He was pulled out of the car and after getting him to the ground, a white police officer chose to subdue him into submission by kneeling on Floyd's neck until he passed out. Floyd had a heart condition and the treatment resulted in his death.
The shocking thing coming from this incident was that this choking of suspects till they pass out, seems to have become a common practice among the Minneapolis police. What I heard was that it happened at least 44 times before. Why this was allowed to happen is unfathomable, given that there had been recently another publicized case of a suspect in another city dying from being in a choke hold (black suspect, black officer). Would not city authorities everywhere in the country, for fear of lawsuits, warn their police forces that that kind of action could not be tolerated?
The charges against the officer: the initial charges seemed both severe and appropriate. The fact that the other officers present have been charged with complicity seems reasonable. But I have to assume that the upgraded charges brought out yesterday against the officer who caused Floyd's death had more to do with calming down protests than good law. I don't know Minnesota law, so I do not know what constitutes first, second and third degree murder in the state. It would seem almost a given that the officer went beyond what was reasonable in his actions, so is guilty of manslaughter. It also seems absurd to think that the officer arrived on the scene with the intent to kill anyone, let alone Mr Floyd in particular. I think the prosecutor who takes this case is going to have a very difficult time proving second degree murder, whatever the details of that may be. So what happens when the jury or appeals court comes back and clears the officer of the most serious charge or charges? Another round of protests and violence?
The protests now are entirely justified, but everyone should be aware that they have been amplified by the number of people out of work. You don't see many people my age out there protesting, we really can't take the risk. It is good to see so many earnest white faces in the crowds, though I wish more of all of the crowd would wear some protection. Odd. Before this virus, I'd be among the first to say wearing a mask to a protest was an act of extreme cowardice!
What can I say about the violence? It seems certain that along with the usual bad actors taking advantage of a bad situation to indiscriminately destroy property and steal a few things, some white supremacists came out of their holes to purposely cause chaos and flare things up worse. The unemployment and recent confinement at home have just made it all the worse.
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