Elder offered up a few pertinent questions to Mad Max:

The police? All of them? Not just racist white cops? And Waters meant now, today — not decades ago. She said police are “led to believe that their greatest challenge … is to keep … Black people in their place”? Led to believe this by whom?

Is it relevant that many of our major cities have or have had Black police chiefs? Is it relevant that many big-city police departments increasingly reflect the racial diversity of the communities they protect and serve?

Is it relevant that an increasing percentage of the nation’s sworn police officers are officers of color, including the police chief in Minneapolis, where George Floyd died? //

“Police departments across the country have become less overwhelmingly white since the 1990s, according to a study published by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics last fall.

“The agency’s survey of police departments found that the share of white non-Hispanic police fell from 78.5 percent in 1997 to 71.5 percent in 2016.” //

“Irresponsible attacks against the supposedly “systemically racist” police by politicians like Waters are, in part,” wrote Elder, “responsible for the “Ferguson Effect,” the phenomenon of cops pulling back from proactive policing for fear of accusations of engaging in “systemic racism.”

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles County, Waters’ home base, homicides during the first two months of 2021 were up 186% compared with 2020, according to Fox News. //

When cops pull back from proactive policing, crime goes up. By teaching young Blacks that cops hate them, why would a young Black man comply when pulled over by a “systemically racist” cop?

And this failure to comply can turn a traffic stop into something deadly. Waters’ rhetoric has led to an increase in homicides in America’s cities, where the majority of the victims are the very “people of color” she claims to care so deeply about.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) is hosting dinners to express appreciation for the brave men and women in law enforcement. Yet after the BGEA’s president, Franklin Graham, invited police in Seattle, Wash., to attend one of the free dinners at a four-star hotel, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) issued a condemnation of Graham and his organization due to their support for biblical Christianity. Leftists and antifa in Seattle have demonized police, but it seems evangelical Christians are the lowest of the low — even the police want nothing to do with them.

Earlier this month, SPD Chief Adrian Diaz revoked a department-wide email invitation to the BGEA’s Seattle-area law enforcement appreciation dinner on May 11, citing concerns about alienating “our community’s LGBTQ members.”

“An internal email was shared this week informing SPD employees of a free appreciation dinner hosted by the Rev. Franklin Graham. Based on Graham’s history and affiliations, the email has raised concerns that the SPD may not be committed to the equity of our community’s LGBTQ members,” Diaz shared in a message on the police blotter. //

As Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, put it, “You cancel a dinner by one of the most famous Christian organizations in all of American history in the name of diversity and inclusivity. That only works by the way if you take the definition of those words and turn those definitions on their head.”

People in left-leaning cities like Seattle may regard police as the dregs of society, a systemically racist institution. Yet even the police are too good for those horrific evangelical Christians.

Reducing the size of the police force will reduce the number of interactions between the police and the citizenry — but not necessarily between the criminals and the citizenry.

According to a story from Forbes back in February,

A new survey of crime data in 34 of America’s biggest cities found a 30% increase in homicides in 2020, a jump researchers describe as having “no modern precedent” and link tentatively to the coronavirus pandemic and racial justice protests that started over the summer.

While homicide rates calculated from this survey topped 2019’s numbers in every month of the year, the biggest increase came after the May protests, with homicides rising 37% compared to 2019 in June through August (the study notes that this increase is statistically significant even taking into consideration a typical increase in homicides over the summer months).

My time and experience as a participant in the mechanism of the criminal justice system left me with one lasting impression that is not something well enough understood by the citizenry at large.

A function of the freedoms we all enjoy as citizens of this great country is that, for the most part, the police in the United States are not empowered to arrest people in order to prevent crimes. Most exercises of police power in the United States come in the aftermath of crimes that have already been committed, and the arrest is the action that begins the process for establishing guilt and accountability for the illegal acts in the criminal justice system.

One aspect of this freedom is that it incorporates a “risk-reward” calculation in criminal activity — “Is the reward from the criminal conduct such that it is worth the risk that I might get caught and go to jail?”

There is an entire segment of the population of the United States that lives according to this calculation because for them crime is easier than work. It takes less time and is usually more financially rewarding for those who don’t want to learn skills valuable to employers. It leaves much more free time every day of every week to do what they want to do rather than what their employer requires them to do in order to earn a paycheck.

When the risk of apprehension goes down, the risk-benefit calculation weighs even more heavily in favor of criminal behavior as compared to finding a job.

“Defunding the Police” makes the “work” of those who choose crime over employment even easier and less risky. ///

Once crime gets bad enough that politicians have to act, they will swing the pendulum so far the other direction that it may get stuck there: arresting people people to prevent crimes, because the population is so fed up with crime that they will accept ANY solution to make everyday life more safe.

In short, regardless of Chauvin’s actions, Derek Chauvin never had a chance for anything approaching a fair trial. He was tried by a jury composed of people who were well aware that the city government wanted Chauvin convicted. They were rightfully fearful for their own lives, property, and careers; if they returned anything less than guilty on all counts, their lives would never be the same…assuming that some number of jurors didn’t hide their feelings to get on the jury so they could ensure the correct verdict.

We have moved beyond the Constitutional ideal of a fair trial to something much more sinister, that is, the use of the judicial process to exact vengeance on a man not only as an oblation to the mob but as a way of moving a political narrative forward. None of us are safe because trials are no longer about guilt or innocence or justice; they are about ensuring the right outcome in the right cases. //

Mitchie
@wittywriter
The George Floyd case would've been an easy way for Republicans to bridge the gap with black voters. After all, we all saw George being murdered. But instead, the GOP let the crazy lead and found themselves on the wrong side of history AGAIN!! I give up. //

If it takes kangaroo trials to build bridges, then I’m not interested in crossing that particular canyon.

I am saying that, per training, the officer did his job, and we need to start looking at each incident as its own incident.”

Keilar, as you’ll soon see in the video, did not appear to be impressed with Barkdale’s calm logic and insight. But co-host John Berman clearly was, and in the process, he made this important admission:

“I’m so glad you said that. I’m so glad you put it that way. Because we have to be able to say that, yes, things are a tragedy. Something can be tragic and not necessarily call into question the entire way that an officer responded.

And you say, look, we’ve got to look at each of these cases differently.”

Catherine Herridge
@CBS_Herridge
#Context With federal prosecutors today predicting +50O will be charged in connection with the Capitol Riots, data from last Fall shows +300 were charged for riots/civil unrest - including breakout for Portland. //

“Of 96 cases the U.S. attorney’s office in Portland filed last year charging protesters with federal crimes, including assaulting federal officers, civil disorder, and failing to obey, prosecutors have dropped 47 of them, government documents show,” per the WSJ. “Ten people have pleaded guilty to related charges and two were ordered detained pending trial. None have gone to trial.”

“The penalties levied so far against any federal defendants, most of whom were arrested in clashes around federal buildings in Portland including the courthouse, have largely consisted of community service, such as working in a food bank or encouraging people to vote,” the outlet added.

Like most Black men, I received “The Talk” from my parents about “Driving While Black” after earning my driver’s license at 16. The Talk included not driving around with a bunch of other [Black] boys so I wouldn’t draw too much attention from a police officer.

The Talk also included what to do if I was ever pulled over by a police officer. They told me to keep my hands in plain sight and on the steering wheel and to make no sudden movements. If it was nighttime when I was pulled over, they suggested I turn the dome light on so the officer could see everything going on inside my vehicle.

I was to answer politely with “yes sir” and “no sir” to all of the officer’s questions. And no matter how unjustified I felt the encounter was, I was never to argue or become sarcastic with the officer. I said a few paragraphs earlier that “encounters” was the operative word in this piece.

When I was young and foolish in my late teens and twenties, I had a lead foot that netted me many speeding tickets. I would forget about the court dates and, of course, a warrant would be issued for my arrest for non-appearance. I’ve had countless numbers of these warrants, and each and every time, one of my parents would come and bail me out of jail — usually in the middle of the night!

On one of these encounters, my father said something to me that changed my perspective and motivated me to become more responsible. He said he worried about me getting all these bench warrants — and that one day, I was going to encounter a police officer who was having a bad day, or worse, who was a racist.

He was worried that I was going to say something sarcastic and the police officer was going to beat the hell out of me and claim I was resisting arrest. Or worse, I was going to be accidentally shot after making a sudden move or reaching for something on my person or in my vehicle. He told me point-blank: “You need to stop having all these encounters with the police before something bad happens to you.” Those words resonated with me that night and I changed my driving habits.

I decided from that day forward I was going to become more responsible and limit my encounters with the police as much as I can. Sadly, in most of these shootings, the victims initiated the encounter with the police and they escalated the encounter when they resisted arrest.

I am in no way suggesting that police should be judge, juror, and executioner while doing their dangerous jobs. But resisting arrest, no matter the justification, is usually not going to end well for the offender.

I said earlier that I received “The Talk” from my parents when I earned my driver’s license in the early ’80s. Millions of my peers received that same talk. I think I can speak for most of us and say that it is UNIMAGINABLE for us to have ever considered resisting arrest. My parents never had to include that in “The Talk.”

Nicholas Fondacaro
@NickFondacaro
In their report on the officer-involved shooting in Columbus, Ohio, NBC Nightly News deceptively edited the 911 call to leave out the part where the caller says a girl was "trying to stab us." They also don't show viewers the knife in the attacker's hand just before the shots. //

Geoffrey Ingersoll
@GPIngersoll
Is this not to the level of actual malice at this point? The police officer is not a public person. The report leaves out key evidence in such a way as to imply deliberate deception. //

Stephen L. Miller
@redsteeze
Lester Holt gave a speech about facts and truth two weeks ago. //

Lester Holt’s speech is ironic, but it’s also a window into his problematic understanding of journalism and what his role is in reporting.

From Fox:

“[I]t’s become clear that fairness is overrated,” and [he] added that “the idea that we should always give two sides equal weight and merit does not reflect the world we find ourselves in.”

“That the sun sets in the west is a fact. Any contrary view does not deserve our time or attention,” Holt said. “Decisions to not give unsupported arguments equal time are not a dereliction of journalistic responsibility or some kind of agenda. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Providing an open platform for misinformation, for anyone to come say whatever they want, especially when issues of public health and safety are at stake, can be quite dangerous. Our duty is to be fair to the truth.”

If an officer is going to be villainized, attacked, called a racist, and possibly lose his job (I highly doubt criminal charges are filed here) for quite literally saving another girl’s life, then what’s the point?

A large portion of our country have lost their minds. They are blinded by disinformation and aren’t even willing to change their minds when presented with video evidence. One woman I saw, after seeing the video, claimed that a “middle school” teacher could have handled the situation better. As a cop in America, if you shoot the “wrong” person, the facts simply don’t matter. That’s scary, and it should cause some reflection among those in the law enforcement profession.

Mitti Hicks
@MittiMegan
Just an update on this, protestors said later they're heading back to Brooklyn Center because they need more information about what happened in Burnsville first. //

First problem? The suspect was white, like most of the people who are shot by the police. So, pretty hard to argue the narrative.

Second problem? Not only did the guy fire at the police, a lot, he also carjacked a woman and took off in her vehicle. The police chased him, he shot at them and then abandoned the vehicle. He then pointed a gun at another motorist and then tried to carjack another car.

We always talk about peoples’ lives mattering. Adam Toledo’s life mattered. Adam Toledo’s life mattered enough that the people around him should never have allowed a 13-year-old child out into an alleyway in the city in the middle of the night with an armed 21-year-old who was a prohibited possessor. No one’s having that conversation! Lives matter! And they matter enough to take care of him, Sean. Lives matter enough that they don’t allow children to get in this situation.

If everybody’s going to be going off on this cop, where are all the adults in Adam Toledo’s life right now? And that is not politically incorrect to say, that is the correct thing that people should be saying right now.

[…]

If Adam Toledo’s life mattered then it is worth it to ask why it didn’t matter enough, apparently, to keep him out of that alley. As a mother, I’m asking!

The discussion starts with Geraldo speaking as an expert on how police wear their weapons and suggesting the gun should be moved to the non-dominant hand’s side. As Bongino points out, that’s a ridiculously stupid idea. Anyone that has tried to cross-draw knows the problems with it, and that’s specifically true when you might be pinned down on the ground with someone on top of you.

The reason police wear their guns where they wear them is so they can access them and shoot them accurately in situations that may be completely out of control. If you’ve ever shot a gun single-handed with your non-dominant hand, you understand. It’s not that it’s not possible, but it’s not ideal, and “not ideal” can be the difference between life and death in policing. That includes possibly hitting a bystander due to decreased accuracy.

Geraldo also tried to claim that black people are killed at twice the rate of white people by police per capita, insinuating there’s some kind of racial animus driving those numbers. What that ignores is the increased number of police encounters due to higher crime rates among certain demographics. There is no evidence, for example, that the warrant being served on Daunte Wright was motivated by racism. The same is true for the attempted arrests of George Floyd and Jacob Blake, to name a few. That doesn’t give license for police to go outside of what is legal and proper, but it is valuable context when you consider the predominant narrative being pushed by groups like Black Lives Matter.

Bongino rightly points out that there is no data to back up the idea that there is a plague of police officers hunting down and murdering black men. Geraldo then launches into an obscenity-filled tirade about how Bongino is why protesters have the rage they do. Apparently, facts make them outraged?

Look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Be skeptical of police power. To do so is actually a good thing because you should be skeptical of all government power institutions. But that does not mean a-factual narratives not backed by data get to form an excuse for rioting and stupidity, nor should they shape our public debate. Bongino was right on the facts here. That’s what should matter.

As a general matter, Potter could be convicted of the charge each of the following was proven by evidence beyond a reasonable doubt:

1. Her conduct in withdrawing her service weapon was “culpably negligent”.
2. That negligence created an unreasonable risk, and
3. In doing so she CONSCIOUSLY took the chance of causing death or great bodily harm.
   Maybe because of my capitalization and emphasis you might detect a hint of where I think there might be a problem in the case against her. //

A Glock and a Taser do not feel the same in your hand — and in some respects, the design of the Taser is purposely so.

But I want to give a H/T here to my friend Jazz Shaw over at Hotair who was the first I saw to raise the issue of “slips and capture” and how it might play into the analysis of Potter’s mistake.

What is “slips and capture”? I’m guessing that is a very common question, and one we will hear more about in the weeks and months ahead. //

“Capture” is the term used for when the officer’s attention is “captured” by an outside distraction. In the same moment, a high level of discernment is necessary to engage in a specific and precise form of conduct — in this case, making an intentional move to grab the Taser rather than their handgun. But the distraction takes away from the ability to engage in the higher-ordered thinking at a specific moment in time when needed, and the actor — in this case Potter — “slips” in the processing of what she needs to do and instead follows a well-practiced course of activity without the brain making an appropriate “attention check” before an action takes place that cannot be recalled. The action which is unintentionally taken is normally that which is the most habitually reinforced by practice — i.e., drawing her handgun.

He was not pulled over for an air freshener as the family claimed, but rather, the registration of the vehicle was expired. Upon learning who the driver was, police were made aware that an outstanding warrant existed for Wright’s arrest. //

Wright was accused of aggravated robbery stemming from a 2019 incident in which he allegedly choked a woman and held her at gunpoint in an attempt to steal $820 dollars. After being released on bail, the warrant was issued and his bail revoked because Wright was in possession of an illegal gun.

Why not? There’s only one explanation. Prosecutors didn’t tell you. Antifa-friendly Attorney General Keith Ellison, who picked those multiple private attorneys from white-shoe firms to replace regular Hennepin County prosecutors, didn’t tell you. The media obviously didn’t tell you. And the threatening mob that recorded the horrific site of George Floyd handcuffed and prone on a Minneapolis street didn’t tell you. Black Lives Matter certainly didn’t tell you. This is the group that overtly lied about the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, Patrick Kimmons, Jacob Blake, and others. //

Midway through the second week of testimony, defense attorney Eric Nelson showed video from police body-worn cameras from a different angle showing Derek Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’s shoulder and upper back, not his neck. Prosecutors immediately began changing their verbiage from “neck” to “neck area,” according to Andrew Branca of Legal Insurrection, who is listening to the trial as I am. //

Pills found in the Mercedes SUV and the police squad car, where Floyd had been for a brief time, had meth and fentanyl in them, which he was believed to have eaten to hide evidence from cops. //

Chauvin and his partner came to back up two other cops who had tussled with Floyd in an attempt to get him in the back of their squad car. It was a priority-one call for a non-compliant, suspected drug-addled perpetrator who had just fought with cops. They encountered Floyd, whom his girlfriend testified worked out every day with weights and played sports. Chauvin weighed 140 pounds and is 5’9″, compared to Floyd’s 223 pounds and 6’4″ frame. //

Testimony in cross-examination of the prosecution’s medical care training expert, Nicole MacKenzie, revealed that the hostile crowd could have contributed to Floyd’s death. How? Due to the hostility, threats, and the possibility that the crowd could get violent, the Minneapolis officers had to “load and scoot” Floyd to get to a safe area where they would meet paramedics and treat him. Paramedics arrived at the previous location and had to find where Floyd had been moved to, burning up a crucial eleven minutes.

As she regained her composure, Perino noted to Gallagher: “And I understand that there is concern that cash bail has hurt segments of the population, that minorities are hurt more, but we also have to think about these victims.”

Incidentally, therein lies one of many fundamental differences between the right and the left. The left views those who commit crimes as victims — of racism, oppression, police brutality, whatever — while the right and other sane people view victims as victims.

The debate over cashless bail, while having gone on for years, was brought to national attention during the “peaceful protests” in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in May 2020, while in the custody of Minneapolis Police officers. //

According to Fox News, Tanner met with Illinois Democrat Governor J. B. Pritzker and told him that in order for situations like hers to never occur again, the state needs “stronger,” not weaker bond conditions, and needs to elevate the voices of domestic violence survivors.

But instead? Gov. Pritzker on Tuesday signed legislation making Illinois the first state in the nation to end cash bail.

“He absolutely let me down,” Tanner said. “I made a plea to him prior to him signing this bill and to hold off and to actually think about victims.” Ah, “the victims.”

As I said earlier, the left disagrees with you, Cassandra. Just ask Kamala Harris, 13 members of Biden’s presidential campaign staff, and the majority of the Democrat Party.

NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association:

SBA
@SBANYPD
FACT: Walter Wallace was armed with a knife & trying to kill 2 uniform police officers. Do the 2 officers lives’ not matter to you? This further explains why NOT ONE police organization in the USA has endorsed you. @realDonaldTrump

Joe Biden
@JoeBiden
Our hearts are broken for the family of Walter Wallace Jr., and for all those suffering the emotional weight of learning about another Black life in America lost.

Walter’s life mattered. https://joebiden.com/2020/10/27/the-shooting-of-walter-wallace-jr-statement-from-vice-president-biden-and-senator-harris/

SBA
@SBANYPD
Walter Wallace was a career criminal ARMED WITH A KNIFE. He wasn’t waving it to cut 🥬🍅🥑🥕🥦🍍. He was arrested for assaulting his own mother. Are you really that much of a fool, stop lying to the people. @BernieSanders #feelthestupidity

Bernie Sanders
@BernieSanders
Walter Wallace should be alive today, and our thoughts are with his loved ones. The police responsible for murdering him in front of his mother instead of getting him the medical attention he needed should be arrested, investigated, and prosecuted by the Justice Department.

As I was writing this article I found myself toggling between immense feelings of pride in the good people of this country and fits of anger over those who seek to destroy it. In the end, I said to myself, aloud:

“Hmm. That pretty much sums up 2020.”

They say there is a first time for everything and in the case of the Florida Police Chiefs Association’s recent endorsement of President Donald Trump, that is 100% true. What this means is another lost opportunity for Joe Biden to finally get one Police Association endorsement before election day. //

Florida GOP
@FloridaGOP
.@realDonaldTrump received the endorsement from the Florida Police Chiefs Association, which is the @floridachiefs first presidential endorsement ever, because he has demonstrated unwavering support for the brave men and women who risk their life to keep our communities safe. //

That this is the first EVER endorsement of The Florida Police Chiefs Association has to give you a heads up something is happening with those first responders on the front lines.

They must really believe that Donald Trump is better than Joe Biden for the country they serve and that should tell you all you need to know about the two main candidates on this year’s ballot.

So you just marched to the White House because you understand to protect the lives of Black Americans and all Americans, you have to have your police support you. You have to have that. If the Left gains power, they’ll launch a nationwide crusade against law enforcement, and they’ve already done that, and you see them. They’re doing that at a level that nobody’s ever seen before.

We’re here today to deliver a united message to police officers all across our great land… every American, every race and color, we love you. Every race, color, creed, we support you. We honor you. It’s a dangerous profession. They’ve been doing an incredible job, and I just want to thank them on behalf of everybody here today, because that’s why we’re safe.