Whenever a police officer shoots a civilian under questionable circumstances, one question looms large: How can our moral, ethical, and intellectual betters frame the narrative to advance liberal agenda items? When a white cop shoots a black person, of course that’s racism. When a black cop shoots a black person, then that’s institutionalized racism. But what if it’s a black Muslim cop shooting a white person?
That’s what happened in Minnesota on Saturday night, when Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor shot an Australian woman named Justine Damond behind her home after she called 911 to report a possible assault nearby. A lot of things about the story don’t add up: Damond has in her pajamas and didn’t have a weapon, the police say there’s no footage from the patrol cruiser’s dashcam or the body cameras that Noor and his partner were wearing, and Noor has had several complaints filed against him since joining the force in 2015. The cops haven’t been able to explain why this officer shot and killed an unarmed woman who had called 911 for his help.
When a Hispanic police officer named Jeronimo Yanez shot Minneapolis resident Philando Castile last year (which I found indefensible), it was easy to fold that into the ongoing Black Lives Matter narrative. Yanez isn’t white, but close enough. But this one is a bit more tricky. This one requires a bit more finesse.
David Chanen and Faiza Mahamud, Minneapolis Star Tribune:
After changing careers to join the Minneapolis Police Department in 2015, Mohamed Noor was lauded by the mayor and his fellow Somalis as a welcome addition to the force.
“I want to take a moment to recognize Officer Mohamed Noor, the newest Somali officer in the Minneapolis Police Department,” Mayor Betsy Hodges posted on Facebook last year. “Officer Noor has been assigned to the 5th Precinct, where his arrival has been highly celebrated, particularly by the Somali community in and around Karmel Mall…”
Meanwhile, some Somali residents who knew the officer are scrambling to understand what happened. Others chose to remain silent, wary that the incident could shed a negative light on the state’s Somali population.
Ah. Yes, this is a promising narrative avenue: “Muslims Fear Backlash.” Sure, it’s pretty messed up that this cop shot this lady for no apparent reason. But do you really want to keep harping on this, if it means promoting bigotry against the real victims in our society? Do you really want people to think you’re a racist? Do you want to be called an alt-righter? Maybe you should just drop it.
It remains to be seen what Officer Noor and the Minneapolis Police Department have to say for themselves. But at least a plan of action is forming amongst the Woke Brigade.
P.S. Fast work, WaPo.
