Kim Potter’s Punishment Meant to Dehumanize Black People

John Johnson

By John Johnson li

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone in America and especially to Black people that ex-officer Kim Potter received a heartfelt sentencing for murdering Daunte Wright. If Officer Potter killed a Public Safety Dog, under Minnesota Statutes Sec. 609.596, she could’ve received not more than two years or to pay a fine of not more than $5000, or both.

Former police officer Kim Potter’s conviction by a mostly white jury, for first and second degree manslaughter for killing Daunte Wright came as a surprise. Astonishingly, Judge Regina Chu wept not for Daunte Wright’s grieving family, instead her grief and tears appeared to be more for the defendant she sentenced to just two years in prison and a fine of $1000.

Judge Chu’s explanation for her leniency was due to Potter’s difficult job and her remorse. Doesn’t Judge Chu know the difficulty of being Black in America? Or did it not matter to her? It’s a good thing ex-officer Derek Chauvin didn’t show any remorse for murdering George Floyd. Otherwise, he might have received probation.

Rittenhouse didn’t receive an Oscar for his role as a crying murderer. But unsurprisingly, he  was found not guilty by an overwhelmingly white jury. Subsequently, he became the Republicans’ poster boy and white supremacists’ celebrity.

Because of this senseless and inexcusable murder, prosecutors instead sought an even longer prison term than the seven years Potter was facing for the most serious charge.

It was preposterous to believe that a twenty-year veteran of the Minnesota’s Police Department couldn’t distinguish between her taser and her service weapon. Could it be that her level of discretion was conflicted because she attempted to apprehend a Black man?

Police officers typically carry their taser on their weak side and the handgun on their dominant hand side. Also, Potter’s handgun weighs over two pounds white her taser weighed under a pound.

Once again, America dearly shows that racism is systemic, and it continues to blatantly dehumanize the lives of Black people. Only in America are animals afforded greater protection under the Law.

YOU BE THE JUDG

 

About Carma Henry 26594 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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