Letter to Governor Walz

Hi Governor Walz and Lt Governor Flanagan,
Like many citizens of the Twin Cities, I've been glued to the news this week. I want to let you know I'm so thankful that Chauvin got arrested.

Now he needs to be convicted and go to jail.

I've seen again and again that the police get let off with a slap on the wrist. This does not work.

I want to show you what a cop told me.

"The training involved lecture, personal testimony from people who have had crisis interactions with police, and role-playing scenarios, in which the cops are tested. They generally did not do well. Many didn’t take the training seriously. Most don’t respond well to being challenged. They want to be obeyed. They want total control. People in crisis rarely give them that, and things tend to escalate. The cops are taught how to deescalate situations, using techniques such as mirroring, silence, and modulating the tempo. But, as I said, many of them consider this stuff bullshit. A culture change is necessary, from the top down and from the ground up. A big help would be if cops were legally held to the same standards that regular citizens are. Currently they are not, so there’s no real incentive for them to change."

Note that last part:

"A big help would be if cops were legally held to the same standards that regular citizens are. Currently they are not, so there’s no real incentive for them to change."

This behavior is a disservice to our community. It's also a disservice to the cops who are TRYING to DO THEIR JOBS.

Clearly the training isn't working. We need a different approach.

To wrap up, here's what I'm asking in this email:

1. Put Derek Chauvin behind bars. Murderers do not have a place in our community.
2. Do something about police reform BESIDES retraining.

Adit