Rioters and protestors in Minnesota ignored Governor Tim Walz’s seven p.m. curfew last night and engaged in the second evening of major disruption. With an estimated 40 arrests, a number of businesses were looted and vandalized; authorities report that several officers received minor injuries after taking “significant” shelling (thrown objects) from the crowd.
Never disposed to let a good tragedy go to waste, politicians were quick to jump on the bandwagon in the police shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright that occurred over the weekend in Brooklyn Center, MN. Meanwhile, the leftist media would have you believe it is open season on blacks in America. By nightfall, protestors had gathered. Cement blocks and frozen soda cans were used to pelt the Brooklyn Center police headquarters. Businesses were looted, and the Minnesota National Guard had to be called in to quell the melee.
Perhaps it is time to slow down and discover what really happened and why.
Just a Few Facts
The shooting happened around 2 p.m. on Sunday. The facts are that Wright – who had several outstanding warrants – resisted arrest and tried to flee when he was shot and killed by an officer. The police were wearing bodycams which were active during the incident.
This is not the first time Mr. Wright made a run for it. Police tried to arrest him back in June for a gross misdemeanor of carrying a pistol without a permit. Official records show that he eluded capture in that incident and failed to appear for his hearing earlier this month. Thus, a warrant was out for Wright’s arrest. The bottom line is that this was a man known and sought by police when the incident happened this weekend.
Yesterday afternoon Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said the shooting was “accidental” because the officer involved intended to reach for her Taser but mistakenly grabbed her service weapon instead. The officer, now identified as Kim Potter, a 26-year veteran, has been placed on administrative leave.
The Politicians Cometh
In a press conference, Mayor Mike Elliott said, “We cannot afford to make mistakes that lead to the loss of life of other people and in our profession, and so I do fully support releasing the officer of her duties.” Minnesota Gov. Walz put out a message on Twitter saying, “our state mourns another life of a Black man taken by law enforcement.” Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman issued a statement “offering my sincerest sympathy and prayers to the family of Daunte Wright during this heartbreaking time.”
Wisconsin State Sen. Melissa Agard piled on with, “My heart aches for the family of Daunte Wright, the Brooklyn Center community, and Minnesota as it again grapples with a senseless act of violence. It is not okay to not be surprised by this. Police officers are yet again responsible for the death of a black man.” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that the administration is “incredibly saddened” by the death of Wright. Late Monday evening, President Biden noted that he had spoken with authorities in the region and called for calm. He said:
“I want to make it clear again, there is absolutely no justification — none — for looting. No justification for violence. Peaceful protest — understandable. And the fact is that, you know, we do know that the anger, pain and trauma that exists in the Black community in that environment is real. It’s serious and it’s consequential. But it will not justify violence and/or looting.In the meantime, I’m calling for peace and calm. And we should listen to Daunte’s mom, who is calling for peace and calm.”
Without a doubt, the death of Mr. Wright is tragic. However, one senses that these publicly issued political sympathies fall into the category of virtue signaling. Sadly, this rhetoric exacerbates the situation and indirectly gives tacit permission for rioting, mayhem, and destruction. When will they learn that their words have power and that it is best not to rush to judgment in such situations?
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Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
