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u.s. news Dialuna 21 Februari 2022

Wright family, activists see injustice in Potter’s sentence

(AP) — The issue of race thy by invoking a quote from
was barely brought up Barack Obama “as if that will
during the trial of Kim make you and others sleep
Potter, a former suburban better at night.”
Minneapolis police of-
ficer who was convicted Rachel Moran, a law profes-
of manslaughter for kill- sor at the University of St.
ing Daunte Wright after Thomas, said she can under-
she said she confused her stand why the judge believes
handgun for her Taser. two years was appropriate;
Potter is not at risk of reof-
But Wright’s family mem- fending, she will serve about
bers and many activists say 16 months of her sentence in
the killing of the 20-year-old prison and the shooting was
Black motorist has always deemed a mistake.
been about race, from the But Moran said the public
moment officers decided to is used to seeing high prison
pull him over, to the mo- sentences and not used to a
ment a judge gave Potter a judge showing mercy.
two-year sentence, which
family members decried as “Where it becomes so pain-
giving more consideration to ful is that that mercy is not
the white defendant than the frequently shown to many
Black victim. other people,” Moran said.
When you think about peo-
“What we see today is the legal state guidelines. tice Institute at Case Western Levy Armstrong said Chu ple who get more prison time
system in America in Black “The judge overstepped her Reserve University in Cleve- showed a lack of empathy for for drug offenses, “it’s really
and white,” Ben Crump, an bounds and undermined any land, said the level of kind- the Wright family, especially hard to swallow two years for
attorney for Wright’s family, legitimacy from the judicial ness Chu showed Potter was when encouraging those lis- someone who killed some-
said after Friday’s sentencing. process that happened in remarkable. tening to walk in Potter’s one.”
this case,” said Nekima Levy shoes. And she said one of “I think the sentence could
Wright was killed on April Armstrong, a civil rights at- “If it’s not about race, cer- the main reasons Chu cited be right, and it still could feel
11 after Brooklyn Center torney and activist. She said tainly she made a point to for going below the state horrifyingly unjust to people
officers pulled him over for the sentence “again under- make it clear she has a high guidelines — saying this who are active in the com-
having expired license tags scores why many Black peo- regard for public service that case is not as serious as some munity and have seen the
and an air freshener hanging ple have a distrust of the jus- police officers give in our other high-profile police kill- pain and trauma of higher
from his rearview mirror, vi- tice system at all levels.” society,” Hardaway said. She ings because it was a mistake prison sentences” for offens-
olations that civil rights activ- said white people have long — was “disingenuous and ir- es that have caused less harm,
ists say are used as a pretext Levy Armstrong said the sen- been held in higher regard in responsible, not to mention Moran said.
to stop Black motorists. tence essentially rolled back the judicial system and “we insensitive.”
the jury’s decision to find saw those realities playing Family members and activ-
Officers discovered Wright Potter accountable and that out as the judge was deliver- Johnathon McClellan, presi- ists pointed to the case of
had a warrant for a weapons Chu’s demeanor and com- ing her sentence.” dent of the Minnesota Jus- Mohamed Noor, a Somali
possession charge and they ments during the sentencing tice Coalition, attacked the American who was a Minne-
tried to arrest him but he stoked distrust and showed Hardaway also said the sentence as unfair, especially apolis police officer when he
pulled away. Video shows how Black people are viewed judge’s words — and the compared to what he said killed a white woman, Justine
Potter, who is white, shouted in the justice system primar- fact that she got emotional as were the “many Black, brown Ruszczyk Damond, in 2017.
several times that she would ily as defendants rather than she was announcing the sen- and poor people” sent to jail Noor was sentenced to more
use her Taser on Wright, but victims. tence — “from a professional to be made examples of. He prison time than Potter, on a
she had her gun in her hand “The judge made Kimberly standpoint is something you was especially rankled that lesser charge of second-de-
and fired once into his chest. Potter look like the victim,” would not want to see.” Chu had pleaded for empa- gree manslaughter.
she said.
Many felt the traffic stop was Chu called it “one of the sad-
the result of racial profil- dest cases” she’s seen. Federal officials confirm bird flu detected
ing and shouldn’t have hap-
pened. The shooting, which “On the one hand,” the judge
occurred as Derek Chauvin said, “a young man was killed in New York
was on trial in Minneapolis and on the other, a respected
on murder charges in George 26-year veteran police officer (AP) — A highly patho- quarantined the site in Suf- State officials in Indiana
Floyd’s killing, sparked sev- made a tragic error by pulling
eral days of demonstrations her handgun instead of her genic avian influenza has folk County and birds on confirmed Saturday the vi-
outside the Brooklyn Center Taser.” been detected in a non- the affected properties “will rus has been detected in a
police station marked by tear Chu said “the evidence is un- commercial backyard be depopulated to prevent fourth commercial poultry
the spread of disease,” said flock in that state. Officials
flock of birds on Long Is-
gas and clashes between pro- disputed” that Potter didn’t
testers and police. intend to use her firearm, land in New York, feder- the USDA in a statement, have begun euthanizing the
which made the case less se- al authorities confirmed noting that birds from the 15,200 birds at the latest
Family members and activ- rious than other recent kill- Saturday. flock will not enter the food farm to prevent the spread
ists applauded in December ings by police officers. She system. of the disease.
when a mostly white jury asked those who disagree to Samples from the flock
convicted Potter of both first- try to empathize with Pot- were tested at the Cornell The virus has been detect- The U.S. Centers for Dis-
and second-degree man- ter, and appeared to choke up University Animal Health ed at commercial turkey ease Control says the recent
slaughter. This week, they and wipe away a tear when Diagnostic Center and farms in southern Indiana, a detections of the bird flu
felt as if justice was yanked she said Potter didn’t mean confirmed at the USDA’s flock of commercial broiler do not present an immedi-
away when Judge Regina to hurt anyone. Animal and Plant Health chickens in Kentucky and ate public health concern.
a backyard flock of mixed No human cases of these
Chu gave Potter two years, Inspection Service laborato-
well below the presumptive Ayesha Bell Hardaway, as- ries in Ames, Iowa. species birds in northern viruses have been detected
in the U.S., according to the
Virginia.
sentence of just over seven sociate professor of law and
years she had faced under co-director of the Social Jus- New York state officials have USDA.