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Breaking: Chauvin Found Guilty on All 3 Counts
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been found guilty on all three charges in the death of George Floyd.
The jury declared Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. Although the first charge is punishable by up to 40 years in prison, Minnesota sentencing guidelines begin at 12 1/2 years for a defendant with no criminal history.
Downtown Minneapolis is mostly boarded up and being patrolled by a large contingent of National Guard. Many were uneasy about the verdict, fearing riots worse than those experienced after Floyd’s death, not only in Minnesota but across the country.
Chauvin’s lawyers are expected to appeal, especially with concerns about comments from Rep. Maxine Waters, who seemed to be encouraging violence if the verdict was not guilty. President Joe Biden and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey both prejudged the case and made public statements that there was only one right verdict. Local press published extensive information about each juror before the decision was reached.
Published in General
I think I would get the hint immediately.
Incidentally, they are publicizing and persecuting the doxxed contributors to Kyle Rittenhouse’s defense fund as we speak. Of course, the Republican party will ignore this, just as they have been ignoring this blatantly and heinously malicious prosecution up to this point. After all, who are we going to believe, the decent journalists (who would of course never try to coercively influence a jury to an ideologically desired end) and President telling us he’s a mass murderer or our lying eyes, viewing the incidents in their entirety from multiple angles, were watching the surrounding events in real-time?
People are desperately pretending not to realize that, denial is a powerful temptation when the mind is faced with horror.
They will never allow that to happen.
I still think that a perfectly reasonable headline, shortly following George Floyd’s death, could have been:
“Criminal Suspect Dies of Overdose While in Police Custody”
Minneapolis MN: While being apprehended after allegedly passing counterfeit notes, the suspect resisted arrest, and ultimately succumbed to the effects of extremely high and fatal concentrations of fentynal, as well as several other illegal drugs, all complicated by chronic health problems. An ambulance was called early, but failed to arrive in a timely manner, and this will no doubt be investigated over the coming months to determine if reforms are required for response procedures involving criminal suspects. The governor and the mayor promised to address those concerns, while also reiterating their commitment to reduce the rising incidence of drug-related crimes, including robbery, car jacking and counterfeiting in order to keep our neighborhoods safe…..
How might things have been different?
Well that might have worked if the “victim” had been white…
Because it’s real life with his lawyer giving him advice and not a TV show or movie. There’s risk in putting somebody on the stand with a misstep.
The problem with too many conservatives is they think the left will read our reasons opinions, see our good behavior, develop shame for their own behavior become more like us.
Have you ever seen that happen?
If George Floyd had been white, this would have remained a local news story. As it should have been from the beginning. But radical leftist agitators (like Keith Ellison) gonna radically leftist agitate.
They only pay attention when we’re having more fun than they are. Shouldn’t be allowed, of course.
Drew,
I know this is a point of frustration for a lot of people, but I really think it misses the point.
I don’t think “the left” will respond to reason, any more than I think a reasoned argument is likely to change my own opinions all that much. Those of us who are strongly left and strongly right are, I believe, generally wired that way: it’s an emotional predisposition, a way of looking at and thinking about the world. It’s hard to reason people out of deeply ingrained ways of thinking.
But we don’t have to argue with “the left.” We have to persuade normal people, which I believe is the single largest group in America. These are the people who, if left alone, would be apolitical. They’re generally poorly informed because they really don’t care all that much about politics or ideology. They just want to live their lives, be safe, be comfortable, and have fun.
Those people often hear only one side, because our media tilt so strongly to the left. It’s rare for them to hear coherent conservative arguments. Most of these people are, I believe, fundamentally conservative, because I believe humans are fundamentally conservative and wary of change. We have that advantage, and also the advantage that both history and common sense are on our side. (That’s why the left would rather silence opposing viewpoints than debate them.)
I taught my kids not to waste time in one-on-one arguments with leftists. Argue for the audience, because there are people in the audience who can be reached with reasonable ideas presented in a calm, civil, and honest way. (Often simply the contrast between that and the progressive anger and irrationality is sufficient to persuade others.)
That’s my view, anyway. And it might explain why I’m still more optimistic than a lot of people. I’ve lived in lots of America, known a lot of normal people in the south and midwest and elsewhere. I think there are many who can be reached. We just need to find ways to reach them.
H.
I like your assessment.
To answer Drew’s question “Have you ever seen that happen?” There is a small percentage of people on the left or even radical far-left who have come over to the conservative side. I personally know several. More recognizable cases would be Norman Podhoretz, Daniel Horowitz, and Walid Shoebat (former terrorist). It is natural for people to start out life more liberal and become more conservative as they get older. I think it is because many conservative ideals are the result of becoming mature as a person whereas many of the liberal ideas are the result of immaturity. For instance, the belief that recreational or psychedelic drugs is a good thing is the result of short-sighted and immature thinking that doesn’t take into account that widespread drug use would eventually cripple the entire society.
Of course, there is a small hard-core group that will never mature no matter how old they get.
I understand and agree with what Henry is saying, but I keep waiting for my left-wing friends to finally figure it out. It seems they keep drifting farther and farther left. I don’t know what’ll wake them up, but being presented with facts and reason doesn’t seem to work. Perhaps they need to be personally “mugged by reality,” but I don’t wish them harm.
I hear you. I also have friends whom I despair of ever reaching. (Add alcohol and some of them go from frustrating to insufferable. So, pro tip, don’t add alcohol. ;) )
Some may never change. There is a point where I just give up on people. Often their own circumstances is what changes them, not the opinions of others. I think the hardest people to reach are the rich White Liberals in gated communities who are not affected by the daily grind that us peons go through.
Speaking as your wife…that’s David Horowitz, not Daniel. And…have you seen our house from the outside? Many of our (lefty and far-lefty) neighbors wouldn’t see us as “peons” going through a daily grind, so I had to laugh at that. The joys of a demographically mixed gentrified neighborhood (section 8 housing cheek to jowl with restored grand Victorian houses) with the wrong kind of tax incentives. I’ll add to your gated community liberals our very neighbors. They look out and see a great deal of dysfunction around them and somehow think it’s their (our) fault. I was not remotely amused to hear one of those non-self-aware neighbors talk about selling his condo to move to “Florida where the taxes are so much lower.” He was very likely one of those who voted for the exorbitant school levy (and its renewal and increase) that helped caused our house taxes to triple in the 12 years we’ve been in it.
Of course it’s only “the rich” who are supposed to pay higher taxes.
Now who’s being naive?
Then the “black community” needs to make some noise.
I don’t know about “the black community” but how do you know none of the black communities is making noise?
Don’t you think they would be heard over the agitators if they were? Or at least if a significant number were?
Not if we rely on the news media to hear them.
Unfortunately, those most impacted by crime in our minority communities are probably least able to express their opposition to the stupidity of “defund the police” and similar nonsense. They labor under the same challenges of press bias and limited platform availability as more affluent conservatives. A press that can barely be bothered to report on the carnage in Chicago can hardly be expected to poll single urban mothers to find out whether or not they’d like the drug dealers cleared from their building entrances and street corners.
The Critical Race Theory garbage is coming from the elite, and it probably has to be countered and eliminated by those who have the means to confront and deal with those elite.
I think there’s probably more to it, including that – as with people who think Congress stinks but still re-elect THEIR representative/senators over and over – those communities may want those OTHER criminals locked up, but THEIR relatives and friends – perhaps including their own children – who deal drugs etc, are just “misunderstood” or something. And the cops better leave THEM alone.
I’ve heard about polls that show that the number of Black people who want to defund the police is no different than the number of White people who want to defund the police. Both are in single digits. It is such a ridiculous idea that hardly anybody supports, yet if you listen to news media you’d think this was popular. We get a totally distorted view from news and social media. You have to ignore most of that noise. My Black neighbors don’t like any of the crime and mayhem going on, and they support the police, despite being Democrats. In fact one of their landlords is a White policeman and they get along just great.
I think if you looked closer, perhaps including checking on actual outcomes not just surveys, you may find that black people support police in general/in theory, especially as in my previous comment, but if THEIR OWN children/friends/relatives are the ones causing problems, they become… less supportive? Then remember that, with few exceptions, EVERY criminal is SOMEONE’S friend, relative, child, sibling…
Not that white people are thrilled when a friend/relative/child/sibling have trouble with police, but they’re less likely to blame it on “racism,” whether “systemic” or otherwise.
And we may soon find that the girl who was being attacked in Columbus, and her family, will be against the police that saved her life.
I suspect that if a few incumbent politicians (city/county/state level where these decisions actually happen) who support this kind of stuff started losing elections that might do the trick. Haven’t really heard or seen any of that happening yet.
meanwhile, See James Lileks most recent post about the Minneapolis parks department. Think any of the people who voted in favor will lose their jobs? I don’t.
The Democrat propaganda sheets would have to report on them.
Seems like they would be reported as “enemies of the people” like they do with Republicans/Conservatives. They would be getting doxxed, etc, if there were any significant number of them.
Judge finds against Chauvin on aggravating factors except Floyd being particularly vulnerable:
https://mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/media/High-Profile-Cases/27-CR-20-12646/Order05112021.pdf