We are dealing with two sets of sterotypes, one that black people on the Norhtside are drug dealers and bad (and therefore it's OK for cops to do whatever they want to them...Dyna won't say it out loud, but these clearly seem to be her views),
Gee, Tamir, I didn;t realize you were inside my head and evesdropping on my every thought! And when someone disagrees with you and the issues in question involve race, is calling your opponent in debate a racist the best argument you can make?
and that cops have to be brutal thugs by nature, or that they are not effective. Also, that anyone concerned about police brutality supports crime.
Your stereotype, not mine.
I just returned from a trip to Tucson Arizona, and I read about the Minneapolis incident in the Arizona Daily Star. It struck me that in Tuscon, despite the usual obnoxious cop attitude, the police really do try to help everyone, even the "freaks." I think that this is because the people who live there don't have this fundamental resentment of those who are different, either by race or by choice.
I've seen the same courtesy and service from police in several cities, including Minneapolis.
From the moment I stepped off the plane, I noticed howangry we are. I heard people complaning about the Somalis, about Black people, about the gutter punks and the hippies and how they wished they'd all go away.
Your mail wouldn't move without the labors of Somalis, Blacks, etc....
If you support what happened to Mr. Porter, you support police brutality and you do so for racist, (or predjudice) reasons.
We have yet to see proof, or evidence for that matter, that anything happened to Mr. Porter.
If you support what happened to Al Flowers (or Bryce Williams..I'm still not clear on this one exactly, but I know the Minneapolis Police Department and I still say that there isn't a good one in the lot, and even since I cut my hair I haven't met one that looked anything other than mean) you support police brutality and do so for predjudice reasons.
I suppose you think all us Postal Workers are part of the conspiracy too.
I'm waiting to see who starts making excuses for the behavior of Bill Finney's son, and I'll bet it's the same people who are supporting police brutality but won't openly say it. ( I know this is St. Paul, but since so many people seem to think that Finney is the answer to all of our problems I thought I'd throw that out there.)
I've met Chief Finney a couple times and he's a regular guy- quite friendly and approachable. In contrast to the Minneapolis incident where there is not a single eye witness to Mr. Porters alleged assault, their are several credible witnesses to the St.Paul incident.
I also noticed criticism from people I respect of many of CUAPB's statements. I am one of the founding members of this organization, and I've known Michelle for years. There's no conspiricy against cops, no false statements, no coddling of criminals. Just a buch of people from ALL walks of life who are horrified (as were a bunch of cops I talked to in Arizona) at the behavior of the Minneapolis Police Department.
What "behavior"- a 6 time loser gets busted again while awaiting sentencing and dreams up a story that his favorite body cavity for stashing crack was invaded by a toilet plunger?
I think it's a horrible irony that the only people (besides CUAPB and the traditional activist group who are willing to do anything about it is the Ashcroft/Mueller FBI.
More conspiracy theories...
I think the fact that the MPD can't go for two weeks without a brutality allegation, and hasn't done so in years, should have risen enough eyebrows that the problem should have been taken care of years ago.
Just about every day someone gets quite justifably arrested and screams "police brutality" like a baby deprived of some treat.
I'm not really suprised at the MPD's behavior, I am however shocked, ashamed and angry at the prominent Minneapolis residents who quietly support and obviously approve of the racist acts of police brutality.
Again, you forget that these are alleged and unproven acts of "police brutality". Mr. Porter has been given fair trials and convicted no less than 6 times in 7 years of felonies.
PS, Dyna, I thought you moved to the suburbs, why would you care?
I write tonight from my second home in Starbuck, Minnesota. It's nice and peaceful here but the same Republicans at the state capital that have been starving Minneapolis are Starving Starbuck too. There's a supplemental school bond referendum coming up on the November ballot and I'm supporting it.
standing up in Starbuck,
Dyna Sluyter
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