April 23, 2021

I know Kim Potter said the words "Taser Taser Taser" before she shot her gun and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright. But you will never convince me that something in that veteran cop didn't know exactly what she reached for when she pulled that gun from its holster.

Now his family is grieving, because racist police saw fit to pull him over for expired tags, saw an air freshener, attempted to arrest him for an outstanding warrant, and (as so many cops do) reflexively saw Black people as both more dangerous and more dispensable than white people.

This all happened just miles down the road from where George Floyd was murdered; while Derek Chauvin was on trial for executing him. Even in the midst of their tragedy, the Floyd family found room in their schedules and hearts to comfort the family of Daunte Wright.

"It has been such an honor to meet their family and to really sit down and speak with them. They are some of the most beautiful people," said Naisha Wright, Daunte's aunt. "Like, they have given my family so much support. And even what they've been dealing with, like literally, they put aside what they are dealing with to see how my family is doing. And it takes a lot of strength. It takes a lot of strength to be able to do that. They've seen over and over and over and over their brother, their uncle being murdered. Murdered!"

Ms. Wright plans to emulate the Floyd family and draw strength from theirs, and keep up the fight.

"And that family, they see us, and they give us hugs, you know, just encouragement to keep going because that's what we're going to do. We're going to keep fighting," she insisted. "You know, I'm going to keep fighting. Because this isn't over with."

I'm afraid she's right. Police departments aren't going to take the Chauvin verdict as an eye-opening, heart-swelling sign from the universe to change their ways. They're going to take it like a "Last Call" announcement at a bar. They won't hand over their power to shoot unarmed Black people with impunity without a fight. They're going a'hunting.

Ms. Wright continued, "You know, yes, it was amazing to get that judgment that came in, but we've got to keep pushing because we've been fighting way too long for this, way too long to be accepted as people. And we are people. We are human beings. If I cut you and you cut me, we both bleed red. We're not bleeding no different."

Comparing the oaths of doctors and police officers, Ms. Wright explained wondered why cops who make "errors" aren't dealt with the way doctors are. (Insert argument to jettison qualified immunity here...)

"We just want to be treated again the same. We want the same. When it comes to the police, again, I'm going to say this, we want the highest. Why? Because they take an oath to protect and to serve us," she demanded. "Just like doctors take an oath. If doctors so-called make a mistake, oh, they go for them. So again, for the people who protect and serve us, you take an oath to protect me. To protect my children. To protect Ben. To protect everybody. At the end, we shouldn't end up six feet deep."

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