A Stark Contrast between Derek Chauvin's Coldblooded Murder and Kim Potter's Culpable Negligence
- Ivis Wonlah
- May 10, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: May 11, 2021
by Ivis Wonlah,
TGA Editorial, May 10th 2021 8pm est.
Brooklyn Center, MN - The verdict is in, and Derek Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in the cold-blooded murder of George Floyd, but he may not get the sentence most Blacks are expecting. Even though his murderous act was witnessed by the world, yet a plethora of legal and nebulous treachery led to a long and unnecessary trial. This too is America!
According to a recent Associated Press report, citing legal experts, Derek Chauvin will only be sentenced for the most severe charge against him: second-degree murder. This would likely leave him facing far lesser time in prison- a slap on the wrist for such a hideous crime to say the least. This too is America!
-Associated Press - April 2021
While Black athletes, television personalities and movie stars enjoy unprecedented power, money, and prestige in America, ordinary Blacks continue to suffer violence and brutal attacks from police officers who have taken oaths to protect them, or at least not harm their community. Even under President Obama's administration that was led by a Black attorney general, Eric Holder, police interactions with blacks led to mass incarcerations, massive deportation, unwarranted injuries, and sometimes senseless deaths.
It seems as if a line has been drawn in the sand [or streets] between middle-and-low-income Blacks and White police officers. Blacks seem to always on the wrong side of the road, even when simply commuting to the grocery store or heading to their jobs. Even when there are good reasons to pull over a Black person over for real traffic or other violations, both the officer and that black person can expect undue tension, violence- or even murder.
Everyone today is plagued by fear, even good police officers. Having witnessed countless public incidences of Black's mistreatment and cold-blood murder by White police officers, as in the case of George Floyd, one cannot help but prematurely convict all police officers with the same fate, even when the violence or shooting appear to be unintentional or provoked.
CASE IN POINT: A recent Instagram post stated “KIM POTTER, YOU’RE NEXT. #JusticeForDaunteWright”
This makes it impossible for society to objectively judge any police aggression, even when the Black individual is harmed from fleeing cops, which may endanger innocent pedestrians, bystanders, and oncoming motorists. Even under such circumstances where a Black person is in the wrong, deep-rooted suspicion of police complicity against Blacks, and an orgy of current and past police shootings of Blacks make it difficult to trust White police officers explanation of an incident involving Blacks. Furthermore, the systematic injustices and mass incarceration of Blacks in America- disproportionate to White, lends justification to this suspicion.
LET ME MAKE THIS DISCLAIMER: I am in no way, shape, or form condoning or making any excuses for the longstanding violence and indifference towards Black People in America by numerous White police officers. However, I’m simply looking at one incident of a White police officer who action, if viewed objectively, should not get the same sentence as Dereck Chauvin in the untimely and senseless death of Daunte Wright that took place on April 11, 2021.
Meanwhile, the Black Media has a responsibility to view every police violence with fervent and broad-mindedness. More importantly, each incident must be examined on a case-by-case basis, leaving out sensationalism and undue speculation in order to move the Black cause forward. While Derek Chauvin may get a sentence far lesser than what he really deserves for his hideous transgression, other police officers like Kimberly Potter, for example, is not deserving of a similar fate. I believe Kim Potter, the former Brooklyn Center police officer who frantically shot and unfortunately killed Daunte Wright should be prosecuted, but not with the same second-degree manslaughter which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars. More leniencies should have accorded her as this may very well have been an accidental shooting, as she lamented shortly after fatally shooting Daunte Wright.
Kim Potter (48) is now changed with second-degree manslaughter for the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. This happened recently and pieces of evident are expected to be submitted in court either against her or for her, while some are likely be uncovered as the trial progresses. After reviewing the video clip of the incident, there is little doubt in my mind that the shooting was an honest mistake by a frantic veteran police officer. And although she was never asked to resign, she did so nevertheless, unlike Chauvin who was dishonorably dismissed
From the initial video released, she seemed to have made a very hasty and unprecedented decision, which cost this young man his life. Many have argued that because she is a twenty-something-year veteran police officer, it could not have been a mistake. Most blacks believe, and understandingly so, that Daunte was shot simply because he was Black. Still, others have ruled out any chance of a mistake, human misjudgment or human error.
The error of being former officer Potter mistaking her gun for a taser. In the video, Daunte is seen being cuffed by a male officer when another officer approaches him (it is not clear whether it was Potter or not). It appears that the second officer came to assist him with a jammed cuff. Daunte breaks free of the cuffs, jumps into his vehicle, and drives away.
Potter, whose voice is heard on the video says, “I’ll tase you… taser… taser…” Then a single gunshot went off and Potter is heard saying, “(explicitly) I shot him.”
Why would Potter speak of tasering Daunte, but instead shoots him, how bizarre? It has been almost commonplace for officers to shoot a Black person under less threatening circumstances such as holding out their driver's license. She [Potter] did not have to pretend to shoot Daunte if she wanted to, considering it's almost "Police Standard Procedure" in many police precincts to shoot a person [usually Black ] who puts up the slightest resistance in an arrest.
Associated Press. Oct 25, 2020
Based on the interaction in the video, this tragedy could have very well have been a mistake, and here is why. Let us assume for a moment, policing is an extremely dangerous job. We must first realize that police officers themselves do not write the rules, or their standard procedures; those are written by the city council members, and elected official (both Democrats and Republicans).
Moreover, police officers also fear danger from belligerent and dangerous suspects while in pursuit. They often must make split-second judgment calls that save or take away lives. And like every other dangerous job i.e., being a soldier, pilot, nurse, doctor, to name a few, human error and mistakes are not impossible but inevitable.
So far, all the chatters on social media and personal conversations suggest that it is beyond the bounds of possibility that Potter's act could not have been a human error. Although very few, if any, of those making those claims have ever worked in law enforcement or other dangerous occupations.
Reuters. April 14, 2021
Our society today holds people to such high standards and scrutiny as though we are the judges, juries, and bailiffs of rights or wrongs; and, most importantly, what is or is not a human error- even if a person claims it is. By no means am I saying that taking the life of an young men should be marginalized or tolerated? However, on the flip side, to categorically conclude that we could know without a shred of doubt that Kim Potter’s actions were intentional or not is a bit prejudice within it and of itself.
Kim Potter should be held accountable for negligence. Similarly, doctors and nurses lose their licenses, pay punitive damages, and on rare occasions are jailed for negligence when death occurs at their hands, so too must police officers. They must be held accountable under any circumstances-unintentional or not, and they must never be immured from some form of prosecution, especially when injuries or death occurs. City laws must be reversed to include financial restitution for a victim in addition to the officer's conviction.
Police action must also be judged on a case-by-case basis leaving out public stereotypes. While I understand that one bad apple can ruin an entire barrel, we should also be mindset that everyone is an individual and should be judged as such- even police officers.
Nonetheless, the level of animosity towards the coterie of police officers, and the ability to possibly see Potter’s actions for what it is: a frantic officer who acted with gross negligence.
One group of Blacks protest police violence, while other Blacks enjoy fame and future
Black and White's communities need to start holding officers accountable based on their codes of conduct: to protect, and not take away lives. We must hold city councilmen, mayors, and state representatives also accountable for their failures to put tougher standards in place to prevent an officer from overreacting in these situations. And we should hold ourselves accountable for judging incidents mostly passionately and never objectively. Finally, by condoning any form of police negligence, we endanger the entire community. Therefore, let’s start being more objective in our fight for equality, and make Black Lives truly Matter in honor of Daunte Wright, George Floyd, and the countless other Black victims who died at the hands of a White police officers .
This too is America!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ivis Wonlah.is a fashion model, author, and scriptwriter,
She is also an intellectual with progressive ideas, and an change agent of objective reporting. Her writings have also been featured in the Atlanta Black Star News magazine.
Ivis is a senior writer at The Global African News and a member of its Editorial Board. She is a licensed Realtor in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
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