Lifting prayers for the families of Daunte Wright and Kim Potter.
This morning, I was watching closing defense arguments in the Kim Potter trial and had some feelings come up.
I said in a FB post,“
Kim Potter much has been hitting the crack pipe when she picked a lawyer. Total freaking idiot. Makes me wonder if the end game is winning on appeal after all the heat dies down. Might get a new trial possibly even. Amazing how graduating from law school can still produce completely incompetent trial attorneys.
Perhaps majoring in law and minoring in in social work would be a good combination.”
My friend answered with an interesting possibility. She said, “Mistook gun for taser... subconsciously wanted to kill.. would this be an excuse if it wasn't a cop?”
I responded, “Never thought of that! Maybe there was a subconscious desire, I don't know. A very slow brew, if that's the case. I've seen people frayed at the edges who make poor decisions that turn into tragic consequences. Getting cops the right help they need before they implode is crucial. Trauma can destroy anyone if unresolved. I know a guy who offed himself recently from unresolved grief. I think a lot of us are suffering from exactly that. Rage...kneejerk reactions compounded over time sublimate into serious mental illness. So many people are attacking each other just because they're there when they lose it. Finger-pointing and fostering a spirit of bullying the bullies perpetuates and ingrains the problem. Honesty is the beginning of the pathway to peace. A good cop is one that helps bad cops heal or stops them from harming others. I have stories of police abuse on many levels, but I also have good stories to recite post-sobriety. When one side quits contributing to the problem, it cuts the problem down to a manageable size (not always, of course). Change IMO begins with transparency and honesty. Hence, Body Cams and offering psychological screening for new employees and having MI professionals seeing officers periodically for 'check-ups from the heart-ups.' Process Drift affects every industry, but high-stress jobs wear down people's empathy over time until they end up only feeling HUGE emotions like rage or depression. I don't wish that on anybody. Generational Trauma is a real thing. But mistaking a gun for a taser is better than mistaking a taser for a gun, but both are nearly impossible for me to wrap my mind around.”
THEN my friend responded:
yes, the other cops have to help, and not lie and cover-up for the ones who do wrong. Seems like it's always been like that, though, the cover for each other. they never know if THEY might need to be covered. I read this book long ago. Since it happened in MA and I was living there at the time, it was more of a big local deal”. https://www.amazon.com/Cops-Are-Robbers.../dp/0933341709
She continued, “of course, not all cops are corrupt or bad, but since police are "the law" (there, at the time) it's really only them who can police themselves. Like George Floyd, the other cops there COULD have stopped it.”
I ended the conversation (so far) with this:
“There were citizens there trying to stop it. Had I been there, I'd have gone to jail, because I would have pushed him off with my foot, saying while recording, "I'm only trying to save his life." The discipline and self-control of the onlookers were astounding. The recordings helped secure a conviction, despite anti-cop hatred and brainwashed citizens that assume every cop is a wonderful angel on earth. If the book is in audio, that would be cool. My eyes get too tired reading actual books these days. Sad, because I love reading books.”
Here’s Kim’s Mug Shot.
