The people of Minnesota and the entire country
have been mourning and protesting
over the death of Daunte Wright.
And today, the police officer who pulled the trigger
was put on notice.
NEWSMAN: Another night of unrest in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota.
Some demonstrators used a line of umbrellas
to shield themselves as police fired off flash-bangs.
-(chanting): Whose street? -(chanting): Our street!
-Whose street? -Our street!
NEWSMAN: The protests coming hours
before an expected announcement today
on possible charges for Wright's death.
NEWSWOMAN: The officer who shot him has been arrested.
Agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
say they've taken former Brooklyn Center police officer
Kim Potter into custody.
Potter was booked
on second-degree manslaughter charges
in the death of Daunte Wright.
Yes. The officer who killed Daunte Wright
was charged with second-degree manslaughter just today.
And, look, I think it's good that she's being charged,
but let's be honest.
That doesn't mean much on its own.
I mean, charging a police officer
is like announcing that you're withdrawing from Afghanistan.
I'm not gonna hold my breath for results.
Now, I don't think there's any one change that we can make
to police procedure or equipment or funding
that would fix the entire problem
of how cops treat Black people.
But the mayor of Brooklyn Center,
where the killing of Daunte Wright took place,
did make one interesting point
that I found very revealing.
As of this moment, uh,
I don't believe any one of our... of our officers,
uh, live in Brooklyn Center.
Uh, that is,
uh, something that we...
are aware of.
We do feel very strongly that we...
that we-we need, uh, officers
to be, uh, from the community.
Obviously, not every officer can live
in the city where they work.
Uh, I-I don't think that that would be feasible
or practical.
But there-there is a, um...
...a huge importance
to having a, uh,
a significant number of your officers,
uh, living in the community where they serve.
Yeah. The mayor is completely right,
and that is a startling thing to hear.
Not a single one of his city's police officers
actually live in the city that they police,
which is a huge problem.
When a cop is taking you downtown,
he shouldn't have to ask you how to get downtown.
And it matters when you're not policing
your own community when you're an outsider
because then you've been sent in to enforce.
You're an occupying force.
Because it's human nature to treat people differently
when you're not from there.
You know, when you go to your neighbor's house,
you're respectful. You're courteous.
When you go to a hotel room in a different city, I mean,
that's when things get covered in semen for no good reason.
Plus, it's harder to brutalize people
when you live in the same community.
You're less likely to body-slam someone to the ground
when your moms might be in the same book club.
And if you want to see how different groups
are policed in America,
you don't have to look any further than the Capitol riots,
where we're still finding out just how much leeway
a violent mob of white conservatives was given.
We're learning more about the advanced warnings
Capitol police received
leading up to the January 6th insurrection.
According to a new inspector general's report
reviewed by The New York Times,
police were warned three days before the violent attack,
including a potential for violence,
which, "Congress itself is the target."
The report found that officers were instructed
by their leaders not to use their most aggressive tactics
to hold off the mob.
That would include things like stun grenades.
Think about that.
They knew that a violent group
was coming after Congress itself.
Congress.
The place where America's most important laws
are filibustered.
But they still told the police
not to get too aggressive.
Now, this report didn't exactly explain
why this order was given.
But if you ask me,
this is what happens when police see you as people.
They give you the benefit of the doubt.
And that's really what the truth is.
America is a country where white people
who are coming to storm the Capitol
are given the benefit of the doubt.
But Black people just going about their lives
are treated like they're about to storm the Capitol.
And look, I'm not saying that the cops
should be maximally aggressive with citizens,
but, I mean, there's got to be a happy medium between,
"He's driving while Black. Shoot him,"
and, "They're storming the government!
"Well, let's see where this goes. Let's see.
"I just want to see how it turns out.
Yeah, I want to see what they're doing."
And if there ever was a time and a place to be aggressive,
I feel like January 6th would have been it.
I mean, Congress was certifying the election.
They were actually doing something.
Do you know how rare that is?
It's like pandas mating.
There can't be any disturbances, or they'll get spooked,
and it won't happen again for years.
And look, I know it's exhausting
to keep having to deal with this shit
over and over and over again.
And I'm sure there are people out there who are like,
"Well, you know what, why even bother protesting?"
You know, Derek Chauvin's trial is on right now,
and they're still shooting Black people.
But marching in the streets and challenging the system
actually does make a difference.
Just look at this story about a police incident
from 15 years ago
that's finally getting a rewrite.
NEWSWOMAN: Former Buffalo police officer Cariol Horne
is celebrating a major legal victory this morning.
Judge Dennis Ward ruled she's owed a full pension.
Horne was fired after she intervened
to stop another officer from using excessive force
during an arrest in 2006.
Judge Ward also ruled Horne is owed two years of back pay.
In his decision, he wrote, "While the Eric Garners
"and George Floyds of the world
"never had a chance for a do-over,
at least here the correction can be done."
Yeah, that's right.
This former Buffalo police officer
literally fought a fellow cop
to stop him from putting a handcuffed suspect
into a choke hold.
Which must have been really confusing
for the guy being arrested.
He must have thought this was
the most elaborate good cop, bad cop routine ever.
But then Officer Horne was fired for doing that,
which actually tells you a lot,
because people always say, "Police aren't a problem.
It's just a few bad apples."
But in one of the rare incidents
where there was a good apple who tried to step up,
what happened?
The system turned against her
and protected the bad apple.
The only good news is that, now,
thanks to a law passed in Buffalo last year,
she's getting her pension back,
she's getting her salary back,
and she's finally getting the recognition that she deserves.
And, remember, that law was only passed
because of the pressure of the Black Lives Matter movement.
And, yes, it may be a small step,
but every step that holds the police more accountable
to the community that they're supposed to protect,
well, I think that's a step worth marching for.