aSK anything: 5.0: Designated Steve-vivor

[Heimdallr]

It is a good thing the FBI is involved this time. That is all I'm gonna say about it so I don't get banned. 

[Heimdallr]

[The Gnat]

12 hours ago, SemperFeist said:

The city is a powder keg ready to explode. Why, in the absolute 🤬, would you hold a press conference only to say nothing significant? 

You have to work hard at having such a lack of common sense.

Complete failure in leadership. 

Because Jacob Frey was going to hold one this morning at 6 AM and manage to say less?

Thus far, now that the riots and looting have moved west on Lake Street, we're still safe where we're at. No daycare, still trying to get work done, and no competent plan for stopping the violence on either side of things. I loved this city because of it's diversity, because the people in South Minneapolis had a small town feel to them, but in the past 10 years, that's changed again as a new type of person, not even those who are rioting now, showed up with a mindset and attitude of self-righteous rage over perceived slights, mindless prattling when real issues did arise, and lack of action, plan, or backbone to do anything that is right besides click retweet on whatever tweet they saw last.

We were in the process of looking to sell our house before this even started, and there will be some of those people listed above, that will probably still pay a decent sum for the house, but hopefully we're still able to move after this. Obviously that's not the biggest concern overall for the city, but for me, it is a big concern, because I have to be concerned about my safety, the safety of my wife and toddler who can't go to daycare because his daycare was without power and is too close to the epicenter to be safe, and that's run by a mixed couple who you could tell yesterday were terrified of what was going out at their doorstep, and while they want justice, like all of us do, they know that where they are, it might not be safe.

Sorry for a bit of a rampage there, I'm a good Norwegian and we're not supposed to have emotions, but this is a pathetic display all around and will end up with the city in a worse place for a long time and keep the cycles going, and I'm fed up with it.

[vikingsrule]

13 hours ago, SemperFeist said:

The city is a powder keg ready to explode. Why, in the absolute 🤬, would you hold a press conference only to say nothing significant? 

You have to work hard at having such a lack of common sense.

Complete failure in leadership. 

When you put activists in charge of leadership, what do you expect. It’s a very said situation no doubt. Major change is needed in Minneapolis after really decades of the same types mismanaging the city.

[Heimdallr]

 

[swede700]

Well, we just have to hope once again that this entire thing ignites actual change and actual action, rather than just the talk we've had for decades.  I have confidence that they will in the city and the state...now whether that spreads out to everywhere else, I have much less confidence in that.  There's far too many people that just aren't all that invested in making it better.  And there's far too many people that claim to believe in the golden rule, but refuse to live by it.  Ok...stepping off soapbox.       

[Heimdallr]

Good speech from Walz. He acknowledged the rampant systemic racism in this city and made it clear that finding justice is the top priority, but also that looting is counter-productive to that goal and anarchy won't be tolerated. Hopefully the former is acted on this time, and not just the latter. 

Now the county attorney's office needs to get their act together. Until arrests are made, there will not be peace. 

[Krauser]

3 hours ago, vikingsrule said:

When you put activists in charge of leadership, what do you expect. It’s a very said situation no doubt. Major change is needed in Minneapolis after really decades of the same types mismanaging the city.

The change needed is civil and judicial control of the police force, which cannot be allowed to act above the law and outside the scope of democratic government.

The ”activists in charge of leadership” are the ones who should have power, in a democracy. Too many people would rather have an extrajudicial police force than have the police be regulated by democratic power, when that power is controlled by the wrong party, or the wrong sort of people.

They arrested a journalist before they arrested the cop. That says everything. 

[Guest]

It's a difficult time in the Twin Cities, but it's the kindling for a greater explosion throughout the nation, unfortunately.  While I am Caucasian, my wife and I adopted a child from El Salvador in 1992.  He's 28 years old now.  I have seen the kind of systemic racism that he faces, that I never had to face...ever!  I have to say that he tends to treat the overt racism of others with a biting wit and a charming sense of humor.  But, in these racially charged times, I worry about him and his safety.  And a lot of that worry is about any encounter he might have with law enforcement.  I hate feeling this way!

[vikingsrule]

2 hours ago, Krauser said:

The change needed is civil and judicial control of the police force, which cannot be allowed to act above the law and outside the scope of democratic government.

The ”activists in charge of leadership” are the ones who should have power, in a democracy. Too many people would rather have an extrajudicial police force than have the police be regulated by democratic power, when that power is controlled by the wrong party, or the wrong sort of people.

They arrested a journalist before they arrested the cop. That says everything. 

Yet, this cop has had a number of issues stemming back decades. He could have been behind bars years ago. Who was Hennepin County’s prosecutor from the 90s to 2007. Interesting enough, it was Amy Klobuchar.

The problem is Minneapolis and Hennepin County have been controlled by one party for decades, I dont think that is what Democracy intended. Yet, Minneapolis continues to cycle through the same type of activists that have lead to no meaningful change. Look who’s supposed to be representing this district in the house, Ilhan Omar? Keith Ellison before her. Klobuchar in the Senate, who’s own issues have already been outlined. Leadership is garbage in Minneapolis, so find someone who actually cares about the city. Frey’s in over his head but I’m sure he’s basking in the attention. Seems Walz should have stepped in sooner.

Fortunately the cop has been arrested but if these looters and vandals aren’t either, that’s a problem.

[Krauser]

3 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

Yet, this cop has had a number of issues stemming back decades. He could have been behind bars years ago. Who was Hennepin County’s prosecutor from the 90s to 2007. Interesting enough, it was Amy Klobuchar.

I'm no fan of Klobuchar.

4 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

The problem is Minneapolis and Hennepin County have been controlled by one party for decades

No, the problem is that political power in the US is hamstrung in deference to the interests of certain powerful people, whose power is reinforced by implicit, and sometimes explicit, violence. The police are central to that dynamic. 

6 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

Fortunately the cop has been arrested but if these looters and vandals aren’t either, that’s a problem.

Funny he's "the cop" and not something like "the killer", while you don't describe the other people in any terms aside from their alleged crimes.

 

[Guest]

I would like to commend all of you engaging on this difficult topic.  I am impressed with the ability of members of this forum who are standing and articulating their own position and values, without robbing someone who thinks differently of their stand.  Nice work!

Edited May 29, 2020 by Guest

[swede700]

35 minutes ago, Virginia Viking said:

I would like to commend all of you engaging on this difficult topic.  I am impressed with the ability of members of this forum who are standing and articulating their own position and values, without robbing someone who thinks differently of their stand.  Nice work!

The only way to even possibly make progress is for everyone to listen.  There are certainly people here that I disagree with, and I'm certain they disagree with me, but I understand that they have a different perspective than I (I know, I just had a long similar conversation with a guy on Twitter).  Plus, it's not a problem we can solve here, nor can we solve it in one day (BTW, I'm not a fan of Klobuchar either...maybe we can agree on that  )  

[wcblack34]

55 minutes ago, vikingsrule said:

Yet, this cop has had a number of issues stemming back decades. He could have been behind bars years ago. Who was Hennepin County’s prosecutor from the 90s to 2007. Interesting enough, it was Amy Klobuchar.

The problem is Minneapolis and Hennepin County have been controlled by one party for decades, I dont think that is what Democracy intended. Yet, Minneapolis continues to cycle through the same type of activists that have lead to no meaningful change. Look who’s supposed to be representing this district in the house, Ilhan Omar? Keith Ellison before her. Klobuchar in the Senate, who’s own issues have already been outlined. Leadership is garbage in Minneapolis, so find someone who actually cares about the city. Frey’s in over his head but I’m sure he’s basking in the attention. Seems Walz should have stepped in sooner.

Fortunately the cop has been arrested but if these looters and vandals aren’t either, that’s a problem.

Great. Now explain this problem in Texas. Louisiana? Florida? Alabama? Georgia? Last I checked, they don't have Amy Klobuchar.

This isn't a party issue. It's a police issue. This takes place in every state in the union. It's the product of the prosecutors being too closely intertwined with law enforcement and a police culture that sets cops above the laws they're supposed to enforce.

Edited May 29, 2020 by wcblack34

[Heimdallr]

1 hour ago, vikingsrule said:

Fortunately the cop has been arrested but if these looters and vandals aren’t either, that’s a problem.

It'll be interesting to see what happens tonight now that an arrest with a murder charge has been made (and with the National Guard in place). 

The people looting and burning stores probably never gave a damn about George Floyd to begin with, and were just taking advantage of the unrest, but now there will be NO excuse for violence.