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Apr 1, 2021Liked by Amee Vanderpool

I feel like you’ve been sitting next to me watching. Beware of post traumatic stress disorder. I believe it is infecting everyone in the court room, even the judge whose irritation is clear in this voice. And it is seeping into the souls of all of us watching from the sidelines, giving the sensation that we are there on the sidewalk in Minneapolis.

I’m concerned about the jurors being able to continue to watch these videos and keep it together long enough at the end of this to participate in the process and render a decision.

Those who witnessed it in real time need immediate treatment, perhaps EMDR would be effective for them. I am particularly worried about DF and the former cashier. Both young folks appear to be feeling great about not being able to resolve the situation and save this man’s life.

The off-duty fire fighter, Ms Hansen, is also plagued by what if’s. Her tough, all business exterior is belied by the level of upset we experienced as her testimony concluded.

We have watched a murder take place over and over again. I agree that it is first-degree murder. Chauvin had a plan to extinguish the light from this man and leave him in the street. You can see it in his face as he wordlessly and unemotionally pushes his knee deeper into Floyd’s neck, apparently in response to the crowd telling him to stop and take a pulse.

The prosecution charged carefully: all of them are doing a masterful job at putting on an unassailable case and they didn’t want to screw it up by overcharging and risking one person on the jury who couldn’t see beyond the uniform and let a killer go free.

But Sis, let go of the pipe dream that either you or I could have intervened in any meaningful way. Those boys dishonor and disrespect older white women as much as they do people of color.

Look how they treated the younger one who had what we don’t, certificates in life-saving, EMT training and years of experience as a fire- fighter. She was scorned and turned away with rancor. Thanks to EX there is a war on us now: we don’t get to complain about or customer service, so forget about having a voice that has an opinion about cops committing murder.

They were cruising to escalate this from the start. One of the bastards pulled a gun and tapped it on the window of Floyd’s car as they first approached it. Like a vicious dog, they had blood in their mouths and were thirsty for more.

They would have taken ours gladly and sought notches on the sticks they hide in their lockers back at the cop shop.

You work on getting Minnesota to change its charging practices and allow a jury full reign. I will work on getting Minneapolis to immediately infuse their hiring, training and other employment processes with personality and stress testing before they allow anyone into the police academy or continue work on a police force. We are witnessing the results of four big hiring mistakes.

Much of this can be flushed out by proper psychological evaluation before hiring, during their tenure and at retirement. The latter is critical to assure that they are getting treatment for any lingering issues relating to what they see and experience regularly on the job that may impact their health and safety and their families’. I know police work well and personally. It is not easy or gentle on the heart, mind or soul.

Cops see the dregs of us every day. They put themselves in danger every day. The number of domestic violence incidents have escalated during the pandemic: those are the riskiest types of scenes for cops to encounter. They walk into the middle of violent, addictive dysfunctional relationships and become the focus of everyone’s sickness. Sometimes they die.

The risk-reward quotient of the job is often way out of balance. The shift work changes upset their circadian rhythms and threaten their physical, mental and emotional health. Seeing the worst of human nature changes their brains and how they perceive conflict. Without treatment, it can cause anxiety and depression and strain personal relationships. Look at police work related suicide and divorce rates for the results.

Even great cops have a bum rap, as they get painted with the same brush deserved only by the dregs in the profession.

And there’s scant thanks for a job well done.

This is why only the ones suited for police work should be allowed to do it. We need to reconsider exactly what it is we expect them to do and engage others to do what is not police work.

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Apr 1, 2021Liked by Amee Vanderpool

Thank you, Amee for this astute analysis of the defense strategy. I appreciate your legal expertise. Do you see anything different about this case that gives you hope justice will be served? We have observed so many previous cases of what appeared to be police misconduct, that resulted in acquittal. I have hope that Chauvin is convicted, but am prepared for more of the same. It’s heartbreaking to watch the trial!

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Thank you, Amee. Thank you for watching what I just cannot. Thank you for distilling the heartbreak, anguish, frustration, and agony witnessed in the courtroom for those of us who have had a hard time processing this from the moment we learned of it. I'm not naive. I know racism is ever-present in our country; pernicious and hidden, as it used to be, or bold and in-your-face, as if the former occupant gave them carte blanche to display their hatred for all to see. I just cannot manage to equate what happened to George Floyd with the actions of real human beings.

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