lessons have been learned from situations that have resulted in the deaths of
people at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
A District Court judge, at the sentencing of a police officer for one such
killing, related the jurors' questions that they told her were not answered
during the trial. So I began asking the Council to discuss the killing of
Justine Damond at that time. Nothing happened.
After the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, I began writing the Council
weekly emails asking them to begin such discussions for all those killings for
which they had in recent years agreed to substantial civil settlements, namely,
David Alexander, Justine Damond, Jamar Clark, and Terrance Franklin. In July,
the issue was finally raised at the Council's Policy and Government Oversight
Committee, leading to the chair of that committee, Council President Bender
saying she would like to schedule something around this.
Shortly thereafter, the reorganized Public Health and Safety Committee of the
Council then assumed the oversight jurisdiction over the Minneapolis Police
Department. Still nothing happened.
So here's yet another email to that Council committee, this one titled "A
continuing disgrace: Still no Council discussion of what lessons have been
learned from past tragedies":
"Dear Public Health and Safety Committee members,
"Once again, as you have done ever since I have been asking you to respond to
Judge Kathryn Quaintance and the questions she relayed to you a year and a half
ago, your agenda for tomorrow's committee meeting does not include anything
about what lessons have been learned from the killings of David Alexander,
Terrance Franklin, Jamar Clark, and Justine Damond.
"When Chief Arradondo agreed this should be done and Council President Bender
then said during that Policy and Government Oversight Committee meeting in July
that this would be a good idea and she would like to schedule something, my
hopes were raised and I stopped my weekly emails to you asking you to do this.
"Now it's four months later.
"You apparently have learned NO lessons from these killings by MPD officers.
"Enough said. There really are no words sufficient to describe this continuing
incompetence. Since your July POGO Committee meeting clearly showed all of you
are
now aware of this, I probably should call it continuing malpractice.
"Keep safe; stay healthy.
"Yours,
"Chuck Turchick
Ward 6"
Chuck Turchick
Phillips