If you are pulled over by a police officer in a traffic stop, do you most fear: 1. A ticket 2. Being killed If the answer is 1, that, my friends, is white privilege.
Minneapolis black man, 20, was shot dead by cop after being pulled over for 'air freshener hanging from mirror' https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...icer-fatally-shoots-man-near-Minneapolis.html
Point taken. That said, the thing that's always bugged me about the white privilege tag is that the condition it's describing (in this case a reasonable expectation that the cop is just going to do his/her job and give you a ticket) is exactly what should be expected for all folks. Calling that white privilege, to me, makes it sound like a negative thing. The goal has to be to elevate it so that white privilege becomes all-of-us privilege.
'Holy sh*t, I shot him': Moment senior female cop killed Minneapolis black man, 20, during traffic stop as officials insist she 'accidentally drew handgun instead of Taser' Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon on Monday described the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright as 'an accidental discharge' Wright was shot dead on Sunday afternoon after he and his girlfriend were pulled over during a traffic stop for what his mother said was air fresheners dangling from his rear-view mirror, which is illegal in Minnesota Gannon revealed during a tense press conference that he believed the senior female officer who shot Wright accidentally drew her handgun instead of a taser He released police body cam footage of the incident that showed three officers approaching Wright's car after he had been pulled over for the traffic stop The footage showed an officer trying to handcuff Wright before he tried to get back in his car and flee After a struggle broke out, the female officer could be heard shouting 'Taser!' several times in the moments before she fired her gun Immediately after, the female officer can be heard saying: 'Holy sh*t. I shot him' Wright, who Gannon said didn't appear to be armed, managed to drive several blocks before coming to a stop when he hit another car. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...p-meant-draw-taser-Daunte-Wright-killing.html
Right, but that's the point--"white privilege" isn't "whites get something remarkable that makes their lives easy"...their "privilege" is getting to live life the way you'd expect life to work and not having to worry that you might not get an apartment you're qualified for, or a job you're qualified for or that a routine traffic stop will turn deadly. It's a shame that such a seemingly mundane thing is a privilege, but that's what it's become in this society.
Sounds like she should be on trial for manslaughter. I believe that's the charge for "accidental murder." If there are any degrees for manslaughter, she should probably be charged with the most severe one, as a cop who should be very clear on the difference between her weapons.
It seems to me, and I’ll admit to being an older white guy who’s never been confronted with the realities that people of color face in these situations, but there’s a difference between “legal privileges” and privilege in practice. All of the things you mentioned are cases where everyone is entitled to the same privilege under the law. Civil rights laws say that discrimination in housing, employment, and in treatment by civil servants is illegal. The “white privilege” part is that those privileges are almost never trampled on if you’re white (unless you’re a poor, homeless, or other socially “undesirable” individual. We all know that the experience for people of color far too often is different. It’s a case where legal privilege is denied by someone or an institution because they think they can get away with it. That only changes when enough lawsuits and lawful protests force a change.
Agreed. I'm not saying white people have a greater protection in the law--this is largely a social issue, rather than a legal issue.
She couldn't tell the difference between a taser and a gun? Different shapes, weight, feel. How could she mistake the two?
I can see this leading to a mistrial or retrial in the Chauvin trial. Further police incompetency is going to used as a claim of jury prejudice.
Was actually talking to my students about that today and ran across this story from a few years ago ... https://www.cnn.com/2015/04/14/us/taser-gun-confusion/index.html
I am not going to excuse anyone for this - but in a split-second high-pressure situation - mistakes are often made as anyone that was in one can attest - people do all kinds of stupid things. So, I am not going to say that it is obvious that the cop is trying to cover up an intentional murder - she might be trying to cover or not - I really do not know - but I do not think it is out of the realm of possibility that this was actually a mistake. Either way it is obviously devastating and sad - and she will, rightfully pay a price for it.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/minnesot...with-shooting-of-duante-wright-163108978.html Kimberly Potter, the officer who shot Duante Wright has been arrested and charged with second degree manslaughter.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/269443...edium=browser_notifications&utm_source=pushly COP FREED Ex-officer Kim Potter released from jail as she posts $100k bond on manslaughter charge after Daunte Wright shooting
