regular column by former Minneapolis Chief of Police, Tony Bouza. He
criticizes the actions of the NAACP in going after Amy Klobuchar as:
Trophy Hunting
By Tony Bouza
[Editorâs note: I disagree with the argument and the conclusion of Tony Bouzaâs
analysis. My rebuttal follows.]
The first thing that must be said is that racism is Americaâs #1 problem.
Period.
The murder of Tyesha Edwards, 11, in 2002 is an unspeakable, unbearable
tragedy.
Myron Burrell, now 33, was convicted of murder twiceâonce by County Attorney
Amy Klobuchar and then by her successor.
Klobuchar was the best prosecutor of the 40 years Iâve been observing
themâtough, hard working, fair and no racist.
Mr. Burrell stubbornly insists he is innocent. An innocent he aintâgang member
and utterly silent on his life or any role he may have played in the tragedy.
Emmet Till this aint.
I donât see any new evidence beyond protestations of innocenceânot exactly a
novel approach.
Black leaders have called on Klobuchar to suspend her campaign.
This is the kind of trophy hunting by which the Al Sharptons catapult
themselves into prominence. Unworthy.
A juror expressed regret over participating in the conviction, but not on the
basis of new evidence.
Burrell was convicted after a fair trial. He appealed. The verdict was
overturned, but not on the basis of innocenceâprocess was the issue. He was
retried by a different prosecutor and again convicted. No evidence of
innocence was offered.
This aint the Innocence Project.
Letâs get real here.
Burrell was not found guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt. He was convicted
beyond a reasonable doubtâtwice. Might he actually be innocent? Yes. We are
not infallible.
It strikes me as an act of supreme hubris to superimpose your ambitions on the
judgment of honest citizens listening to the evidence pro and con.
The Central Park Jogger 5 were framed. They were innocent of the crime,
whatever our idiot president may write.
Tyesha Edwards would be 29 today. Letâs focus on her for a moment. Is she
entitled to justice? Has Burrell been framed?
Norman Mailer once persuaded the system to release a convicted murderer without
much beyond his arrogant beliefâwhich he did not hesitate to parse with his
considerable clout.
Shortly after being sprung the guy stabbed an innocent to death. Humility was
not Mailerâs strong suit.
Iâm very sorry to say that I think, on the basis of my experience and
observation, that black leadership in America is mostly not really worthy of
the great people they presume to lead.
Editorâs rebuttal:
First, I agree with Tonyâs basic premise: âRacism is Americaâs #1 problem.
Period.â
Second, it must be acknowledged that Tony Bouza is Americaâs leading authority
on the lies and cover-ups by police in their use of excessive force. His book,
âExpert Witness,â details 59 cases where he testified to police misconduct.
I remember more than forty years ago reading Tony Bouzaâs succinct summary
analysis: âMinneapolis doesnât have a gang problem. It has a youth problem.â
How can that same Tony Bouza sit in judgment of Myron Burrell: âAn innocent he
aintâgang member and utterly silent on his life or any role he may have played
in the tragedy.â Gone is his appreciation of gangs as a symptom of greater
social problems, and also gone is his regard for the Constitutional guarantees
against self-incrimination.
On Tuesday, January 28, the AP reported: âWith no gun, no DNA, no fingerprints,
the case against Burrell revolved around a teen rival who gave conflicting
accounts of the shooting. Later, police turned to jailhouse informants, some of
whom say they were coached and have since recanted. Alibis were not questioned.
Key evidence has gone missing or was never obtained, including a convenience
store surveillance tape that Burrell and others say would have cleared him. And
the chief homicide detective was caught on camera offering cash for information