Three separate columns, beginning with this immediate-response piece which was one of the first op-eds published anywhere, after the Floyd incident occurred:

Minnesota ‘death by cop’ was sickeningly inexcusable (May 26): Why does this keep happening? Seriously, why?

The viral video of Minneapolis police kneeling on the neck of arrestee George Floyd, who died while in custody, is worse than sickening. To call it a textbook example of police brutality is to understate the case. It’s worse than brutality; it’s inhuman….

How can police be so oblivious both to human life and their own duties, even after so many well-videoed examples of police misconduct resulting in deaths or severe injuries to unarmed arrestees and the firing, and often criminal convictions, of the cops themselves?….

How could the other three cops just watch Floyd’s killing? (May 27): The killing of Minneapolis forgery suspect George Floyd shocks the conscience at a level above even the immediate, righteous revulsion against a wanton act of brutality.

Upon further reflection, what tears at the guts of a viewer is more than just the casual viciousness of officer Derek Chauvin, who brutally pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck. What is far worse is the complete indifference (indeed, the tacit approval) of the other three officers on the scene. This is especially true of officer Tou Thao, the one on camera trying to shoo away the onlookers pleading for Floyd’s life….

Penalize the officers who arrested the CNN crew (May 29):

My colleague Kaylee McGhee was right on target in explaining why there should be bipartisan condemnation for the Minnesota police officers last night who arrested an entirely respectful CNN news crew that was covering the Minneapolis riots.

I write just to add that condemnation isn’t enough….here were buildings literally burning in the background. Surely, state police could use their force in more productive ways than to arrest a crew whose leader repeatedly said things such as, “Wherever you want us, just let us know. We were just getting out of your way when you were advancing through the intersection.”….

 

 

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