so here’s a thing I’ve been thinking about a lot: in a lot of states, including FL and Alabama, there’s an interesting law: if you’re in a group, and someone in that group commits a crime while that group is assembled, EVERYONE in the group is considered guilty of that crime…

…This has passed numerous reviews at multiple levels of the legal system. In Alabama, it was literally used to execute a man.

I was on a jury duty case where two guys decided to run into a house and beat people up (it was dumb), and the guy who was in the car with them...

…trying to STOP them, telling them it was stupid, still got busted because of this law.

it was put into place to circumvent gang/mafia groups from committing a murder and letting a low-ranking member take the blame.

So if you have say…four people…

…and one of them oh…commits a murder. He’s the only one who actually kills the dude, the other three just stand there and watch, under this law *all four* committed a murder.

I forget the name of the law, but again, this was a part of a really odd jury duty I was on.

…so I remember it well.

Now, I don’t know if Minnesota or MSP have this law on the books.

But…

If they do…

They could literally bring the same charges against the three cops who watched as they did against the cop who was kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck...

…and it doesn’t *matter* if they did anything or not. Because they were part of the group, they’re considered just as guilty under that law.

Now, if MN/MSP *don’t* have that law, .

But if MN/MSP DOES have that law, then local folks, like oh, lawyers, local politicians…

…the ever-present and very quiet “good” cop may want to ask why it is suddenly being ignored in this case, when it tends to be used rather liberally in others. Especially when the accused is NWE, (Not White Enough.)

Just thinking out loud here.

also, I am very much Not A Lawyer. I just have an odd bit of experience with this specific law.

Someone who is a lawyer, perhaps part of the MN Bar who wanted to add in their more qualified knowledge on this issue is more than welcome to. I realize that such laws are not simple.

so yeah. Laws man.

/fin