When I think about the police abandoning the precinct in Minneapolis last night, I wonder what the worst of them were doing. We know that decorated Sgt Wayne Jenkins stole two trashbags full of pharmaceuticals and delivered them to his dealer while BPD was “standing down.”
After that, when cops were supposedly “taking a knee” Jenkins made as many as 50 unconstitutional stops a night—often simply robbing those he stopped. And b/c of the “take a knee” narrative and the rise in gun violence, police brass and prosecutors praised and rewarded him
After the Uprising, BPD continued to wage war on citizens but began operating like a counterinsurgency, with a war room to coordinate intelligence. This further empowered Jenkins (here’s me and @notrivia on this) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/opinion/police-guns-baltimore.html
Even as the DOJ investigated, there was no political will to question the general war-footing, especially of “hard-charging” plainclothes units. They were going to get revenge.
@dwatkinsworld brilliantly dissects that war-footing in Daniel Hersl long before the uprising. But then add the sense of specific humiliation—the citizens rose up against you—and the general white-guy malaise inflamed by Trump and you get GTTF. https://www.huffpost.com/highline/article/daniel-hersl-baltimore-police/
In addition to immediate police action, reporters in Minnesota should watch out for counter-insurgency and long-term lawlessness perpetrated by law enforcement. Cops just escalate the logic of whiteness: laws are designed for our benefit and for others to follow.
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