I wrote this in the fall of 2006 but never posted it.
In light of Mr. Dolan's and Mr. Samuel's recent troubles, the brouhaha around Mark Loesch's murder, and the distance that time affords, it seems relevant.
In light of Mr. Dolan's and Mr. Samuel's recent troubles, the brouhaha around Mark Loesch's murder, and the distance that time affords, it seems relevant.
Before that latest young man to die at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department was identified on Wednesday morning, every honest thinking person in the City knew that the victim wasn't white. That tells us a lot about the state of our city, much more than the inane platitudes that waft out of the Rybakian spin machine.
Dominic Felder's death is a tragedy and a return to the ugly state of affairs wherein our police department kills the mentally ill without remorse. Yet the Strib pulled the story off the front page of its website as soon as it could.
And on the Minneapolis Issues List, the engaged citizenry seems to not have noticed. Plenty of discussion of DeLeSalle's football stadium, strip club zoning, the 5th District race, but not one mention of this ugly police incident. That, too, tells us a lot about this liberal bastion.
Interim Chief of Police, Tim Dolan, seemed vaguely perturbed by the whole thing and impatient with the family that will look at the site where their loved one was shot to death every time they go out the front door. That Dominic died from a police bullet rather than a "gang hit" will be no consolation to them.
Rybak named Dolan as his choice to become the Chief recently. Perhaps the council will think twice before endorsing this cold-eyed soldier for the propertied class, but I doubt it.
The nightmare for the family is that they called 911 to get help with a situation beyond their control: their loved one was flipping, he was agitated, he was in crisis, he was acting out."When you call the police, you think they would solve the situation instead of just killing him," said Chanell Felder, the suspect's sister, as quoted on WCCO.
You'd think, but here in Minneapolis, it is wise to go beyond that initial thought if you value the life of your fellow human beings: beating or killing him or her is "solving it" to far too many on our police force.
As a friend commented to me, "It makes you wonder what would happen to you if you had a really bad day."
But we are a couple of white guys who are relatively sane, today.
Poor Dominic was losing it while black. It was the absolute double whammy.
Rest in Peace, Dominic Felder.
I'd like think that our resident anti-violence vigilante hunger striker council person, Don Samuels will set up at the corner of 40th and Bloomington to call attention to the tragedy of your death.
Don't bet on it.
--Loosestrife
