As information continues to trickle in about the shooting death of Justine Damond, it just becomes more and more heartbreaking. And the response of Minnesota authorities becomes less and less tolerable.
Andy Mannix and Randy Furst, Minneapolis Star Tribune:
At 11:27 p.m. Saturday, [Justine] Damond called police to report a possible sexual assault, according to a 911 transcript obtained by the Star Tribune Wednesday, later published by the city of Minneapolis.
“I’m not sure if she’s having sex or being raped,” Damond told the operator. After giving her address in the quiet Fulton neighborhood, Damond continued: “I think she just yelled out ‘help,’ but it’s difficult the sound has been going on for a while, but I think, I don’t think she’s enjoying it…”
The 911 transcript shows that about eight minutes after making her first call, Damond called police again to make sure they took down her address correctly.
She called 911 twice, because she thought a woman was in trouble and needed help. She tried to do something good for someone else. Now she’s dead. And the cop who killed her, the very man she trusted to help her, refuses to give his side of the story.
But enough about her. What about the real victims in all this? Minneapolis mayor Betsy Hodges writes on Facebook:
To the Somali community: I want you to know that you are a valued and appreciated part of Minneapolis. I stand with you and support you. The strength and beauty of the Somali and East African communities are a vital part of what makes Minneapolis so strong and beautiful. I am grateful to be your neighbor…
Justine’s death is a tragedy for our city. We cannot compound that tragedy by turning to racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia. It is unjust and ridiculous to assert that an entire community be held responsible for the actions of one person.
In other words: It’s a shame about Justine, but that’s no reason to hurt anybody’s feelings. Words are violence too, y’know.
Sounds like it’s time for a few more fake hate crimes to “raise awareness.”
Did Hodges send a similar message to the Hispanic community after Jeronimo Yanez shot Philando Castile? I’ll just assume she did.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Noor isn’t talking. He hasn’t given a good reason, or any reason, for shooting the unarmed woman who called him for help. And yet we’re supposed to be sympathetic toward him because he’s a designated victim and Justine Damond wasn’t. Her death doesn’t matter, and the suffering of her loved ones is irrelevant, because it does nothing to further the cause of “social justice.” Hey, it’s just one less affluent, middle-aged lady walking around with her white privilege, right?
Identity politics is poison.
Cities have burned for less than this. That’s not going to happen this time, and I wouldn’t condone it if it did. But nobody who’s outraged by this shooting will get any credit for keeping all the local shop windows intact.
If Justine Damond had just put in some earplugs and taken an Ambien and minded her own business that night, she’d still be alive today. That’s the lesson the Minneapolis Police Department has taught us: If someone’s in trouble, leave the cops out of it or you could pay with your life.
No matter what color you are.
P.S. Justine Damond shooting: US lawyer hits back at officer’s ambush claims. “She obviously wasn’t armed, was not a threat to anyone… nor could she have reasonably [been] perceived to be.” She didn’t grab Noor’s gun. She wasn’t beating his head into the sidewalk. She was just trying to be a good citizen. A good person. #SamaritanLivesMatter