Activists: MN Police Shooting Adds To Trauma, Calls For Action

By Mike Moen, Public News Service

April 13, 2021

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. -- As testimony continues in the Derek Chauvin trial, the emotional pain felt by the Black community and racial justice advocates has reached new levels after a Black man was fatally shot by police in a Minneapolis suburb.

President Joe Biden and state leaders responded Monday to the weekend incident in Brooklyn Center, where 20-year-old Daunte Wright was shot during a traffic stop.

Police officials say the officer intended to use her stun gun but pulled her handgun by mistake.

Nekima Levy Armstrong, executive director of the Wayfinder Foundation, civil-rights attorney and activist, said it shows the state still has failed to address the issue of racial profiling.

"The fact that police officers would prioritize pulling someone over for allegedly having expired tabs is unconscionable in the midst of a pandemic," Armstrong asserted.

Activists say Wright, who had an outstanding warrant and got back into his car while being handcuffed, should not have been in that situation because he wasn't a serious threat.

The incident resulted in protests and civil unrest Sunday night, and prompted curfews Monday evening, announced by Gov. Tim Walz.

President Joe Biden called for peace and calm while noting pain and trauma in the Black community.

Meanwhile, a statewide police association said it's too early to draw conclusions, and certain political statements fuel anger toward law enforcement.

Armstrong remarked she was among the organizers Sunday night trying to maintain peace, but she feels protesters were met with the same resistance seen during last year's protests over the police killing of George Floyd; resistance she feels is unnecessary.

"We have hyper-vigilant police forces, heavily militarized police forces waging war against American citizens within their own communities," Armstrong contended.

She added Black residents having fatal encounters with police isn't just a Minneapolis issue, as they have happened in other Minnesota cities. Reform advocates said that is why the Legislature needs to adopt more expansive proposals than the one it approved after Floyd's death.

This story was originally published by the Public News Service. For more information, visit publicnewsservice.org. And subscribe now to Public News Service’s “2020Talks,” a daily 3-minute podcast that will answer all your election questions.