John and I are now months into what has turned out to be an ongoing series of episodes and debates about Derek Chauvin, George Floyd, and Minneapolis, and things show no signs of slowing down. I had a sense that our initial conversation about The Fall of Minneapolis
Hi everyone. I'm the guest on this week's show. I'd like to thank you all for watching, and for your thoughtful comments.
There are a few points I'd like to make to add some context to what we talked about on the show.
First, this is nowhere NEAR the full context of what George Floyd Square is like, in the immediate aftermath of the riots, and since. There is simply not enough time to tell all the stories. But let me share a couple to help drive the point home.
1. There was a news story going around, which I don't have handy right now, that between June 2020 and around February 2021, there were 700 separate incidents detected by the shot spotter in that neighborhood.
Read that again. 700 INCIDENTS. Not shots. Less than a year after the initial riots.
I hope that gives some sense of the scope and frequency of violence in the George Floyd Autonomous Zone, now called George Floyd Square. If there were that many incidents involving gun fire, just imagine how many lower-level crimes and acts of violence took place that were not recorded, that police could not deter, stop, or punish because the civilian authorities who run the city would not allow them to police this sacred ground.
2. The Autonomous Zone was literally guarded and monitored as if it was under some sort of haphazard authority and Hobbesian rulers. They had concrete barricades, which must have been installed by the city, to block people from driving through the intersection and wandering in on foot, and they had a guard shack set up that was manned by what must have surely been dedicated BLM activists, making sure only the right people came in, for the right reasons. In other words, if you were just a citizen who wanted to wander around and investigate your city, they would quickly block your entrance, and if you somehow made your way in, they'd throw you out on our ass, and you'd be lucky if you didn't catch a beating on the way out. This threat was both implicit and overt for those not approaching the Autonomous Zone with sufficient piety and reverence.
To illustrate this, I have another friend who lived about ten blocks away from this intersection. He's a bike-riding hippy who doesn't own a car, and one night after work, I think around 11pm, he thought he'd go check out what was up in the Square to see what it looked like. This is the following summer, in 2021. As he was biking through, he heard a couple people shouting behind him "Hey! HEY!!", but he ignored it and didn't think it was directed at him, because he wasn't doing anything wrong (he thought). The shouting got closer, and then he heard footsteps, and when he looked behind him there were a few BLM activists running after him to chase him down, obviously for not being sufficiently reverent and not being there for the right reasons.
Now, I'll leave it up to you: what do you think they would have done to him if they had caught him and yanked him off his bike?
This is the reality of an average citizen who just wants to drive, walk, or bike to an intersection in their city to see just what the hell is going on where they live.
Get the point: YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED
And if you don't get the point from the barricades, checkpoint, and car-destroying speedbumps the city set up, they can probably help you get the point some other way.
3. In 2022, after the city finally fought it out with Antifa, BLM, and various ragtag protestors to clear the Square (and they literally had to fight them, for days, as the protestors kept returning to throw garbage and appliances and anything else they could find to block the intersection, for days on end), I went to a movie theater I like to go to that's a few blocks down. I decided to drive back through the Square with my girlfriend to see what it looked like now.
We now had the giant raised fist in the middle of the intersection, making the intersection a traffic circle when it hadn't been before. The intersection remained a magnet for unsavory people, street people, addicts, and thugs. When we drove to the other side of the circle, there was a giant black SUV parked diagonally in the middle of the lane on the wrong side of this small two-way street, i.e. it was parked IN the street, not a parking spot, in my lane so that I could not proceed unless I drove into the OTHER wrong lane so that I was driving in the left lane. Considering that what I was seeing around me was nothing but addicts and street people, it's not hard to imagine what kind of person thought he could park his huge SUV in the middle of the lane and block the road like that, and what his occupation might be.
This made me extremely nervous, because while most of the activists were gone, the area still had this intense feeling of "You shouldn't be here if you don't belong," that you don't have the right to be in this area unless you "belong" somehow. I was concerned about what would happened if someone thought we were the "wrong kind of people" and came out to confront us about what we were doing there, while this SUV was blocking my lane. We had to sit and wait a couple minutes while cars came from the other side, but needless to say we were very relieved when the left lane cleared and we were able to drive around the SUV and get a bit further away from the intersection.
Does this seem dramatic to you? I hope not. But if it does, let me add the coda to this story.
When we got home and were winding down for the evening (I think it was a Sunday), and kind of processing how wild it was to drive around that area, we saw on the news that someone had been shot in the head in that intersection, not two hours after we were there.
[Time 44:00]; Hachey talks about a death occurring within Minneapolis autonomous zone where police were banned for 12 months. A neighbor had to drag the dead body for 5 blocks to reach location where police were allowed. That is a violation of procedure “Do not move a dead body”. Dead body must remain in place so police and coroner can more accurately determine circumstances of death.
Wonderful you will interview Ellison. We need more of this! I am in the “venue should have changed, overcharged and defense did not have enough resources given the massive resources of the state” camp. Because if Covid, I watched this whole trial-too many people opine w/o adequate knowledge. Appreciate your acknowledgment of this fact.
Just to be clear on Jacob Blake because words matter. Blake was the biological father, but I do NOT think they were HIS children; my belief is he had no legal custody. At that point, the crime isn't car theft, it's kidnapping. And you simply CANNOT allow an armed kidnapping.
[Time 22;00]; I won’t weigh in on use of “gentlemen” because I lack qualification. I use the term as a formality and respect. On Loury’s mention of stereotype about stereotype, (Person-A expects person-B to subscribe to stereotype-X snd then judges accordingly without evidence). Yes, I agree with Loury. I have been annoyed for numerous years by reckless speculation about “stereotypes” in social science journals. Authors who do not conduct necessary research act as if entire groups of people subscribe to alleged stereotypes.
[Time 21:00]; G&J discussion of 2020 societal discourse on police “problem” after (a) Floyd was uncooperative and (b) Blake was wielding a knife. I see a pattern across woke topics:
(1) Occurrence of incident, ie civilian killed by cop.
(2) Corresponding woke propaganda that ignores important information.
(3) Mis-representation of incident as affirming crisis status of woke topic.
I observed a similar trend with regard to October 7th. Woke activists either ignore that Oct 7th Hamas attack occurred or characterize brutal murder, rape, torture and abduction as “resistance”. When Israel responds in defense- that is characterized as “offense” and “genocide” even though “River to Sea” sentiment would be genocide of Jews. While institutions and news media provide the public a gross mis-service; officials taking part in the fraud-orgy are betraying their designated role. That is no minor accusation on my part.
Terms like conservative, liberal and libertarian have more or less lost their meaning, especially during the Trump era. (Heck, a lot of things have flipped in this era.) That's probably why John is frustrated. His definitions need a severe update.
For decades, I called myself a libertarian. I was a fan of Reason Magazine and the Cato Institute, and back in the 90s, the term seemed to fit, but not anymore. If you go on Twitter/X and search "libertarian", Justin Amash and Kmele are no longer the main vibe.
It's a *very* different vibe now.
I am also old enough to remember when "conservative" was often synonymous with foreign policy hawks. But today, nothing could be further from the truth. Trump supporters--who we never describe as liberal and often commonly describe as conservative--are like old school leftists when it comes to foreign policy.
They're not economic conservatives either. (Free market capitalism who?)
"Conservative" today connotes a mostly White, mostly 'raised in the church', mostly pro- "husband, wife & kids" kind of a person; often carrying a culturally anti-left chip on the shoulder; more pro-Trump than anti-Trump by far; reflexively and sometimes maniacally distrustful of so-called "elites"; ostensibly uncomfortable with major shifts in the country's demographics (i.e., "immigration"). And despite how many on the right deny it, "conservative" very often implies more than a tinge of sympathy for White Identitarianism. (Not exactly George Will's conservatism.)
McWhorter and Loury are very anti-woke left. In the minds of many, that makes them conservative. It shouldn't, but it does. It's not that simple, but it is.
Shermichael Singleton was a guest on The Glenn Show recently. He is a proud, self-avowed "conservative". But when we think about Black conservatives in the Trump era, we think Candace Owens and Zuby, not Shermichael.
Interesting conversation Glenn. I'm very glad you plan to have Ellison on, and I see no reason why it shouldn't be a civil and productive exchange.
Since you mentioned my work on stereotypes about stereotypes, I thought I would illustrate the point with two short passes from my book with Dan, one from the preface and one from the conclusion. You've seen them but others may not have.
First on police stops:
"If both the driver and the officer at a traffic stop are white, the driver might worry about
whether any objects in the vehicle might arouse suspicion and lead to a search. If the driver is black he may wonder, in addition, whether race played a role in the stop itself. More ominously, he might wonder
if the officer gained pleasure from prolonging the stop or from finding a pretext for an invasive search. And the officer’s awareness of these concerns could affect his behavior, too, perhaps even more so if he
considers the fears groundless."
And one from strangers on a train:
"The acclaimed writer J. Edgar Wideman published an opinion piece in the New York Times in which he reported on the following informal experiment. For four years, while commuting twice a week between New York and Providence on the Acela train, he would go to the station early and secure a vacant double seat. With rare exceptions, the space next to him would remain empty for the entire trip. He concluded that “color will determine, even if it doesn’t exactly clarify, why 9 times out of 10 people will shun a free seat if it means sitting beside me.”
Wideman was right on both counts: color was implicated, but for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. One possibility is racial animus; perhaps other passengers simply found the prospect of sitting next to him distasteful. But there is also the possibility that they believed that he would find sitting next to them distasteful, and were willing to accommodate what they perceived to be his preference. Reasons may vary for different passengers, even if they act in indistinguishable ways.
In his book Chokehold, Paul Butler recounts a similar experience while commuting between New York and Washington, DC, but adds that for a month or so after the publication of Wideman’s piece, “white folks on the train made a beeline to sit next to me.” At least for some passengers, any reluctance to sit next to a black man on a train is swamped by the desire to demonstrate a lack of such reluctance."
These kinds of beliefs about beliefs are pervasive in social interactions that cross boundaries based on race, sex, and other highly salient markers of identity.
McWhorter as a conservative Republican? Hell will freeze over first. If not for the seriousness of situation, I would find the accusation funny. One of my few remaining liberal friends stopped talking to me because he has an idea not supported by our history of discussion- “He supports Trump”. I am not saying to Loury substack that I do or don’t. I have made it clear to liberals that I have zero tolerance for fraud.
John, I've got some sad news for you. From many comments I've read here over the years and before that at Bloggingheads, MANY people think you're a conservative Republican. I only know you're not because of one episode I listened to in which you said you voted for Biden. You've talked about your disdain for Trump, but some conservatives share that disdain. You hardly ever talk about any of your "liberal" views. I hope Mr. Ellison's comment spurs you to talk more about your liberal values.
As for why police engage in bad behavior, regardless of the race to whom it's directed, here's what the Police Chief of Minnesota's 5th largest city told me in a personal email a few days after George Floyd's death: "...at the core of the problems plaguing law enforcement is cultivating and sustaining community trust when we still have cops that shouldn’t be cops. Some are good people jaded and lack care and compassion, others have extreme hubris, while others lack the ability to self regulate in moments of conflict. It is these people who tarnish the badge we wear and damage the public trust so difficult to earn."
This is a bit random but I think it’s relevant here:
I was scrolling through Etsy last week and stumbled upon a listing for clip art pictures of “icons of black history”. They had all sorts of people on the cover of the listing: Michell Obama, Bill Cosby, and surprisingly, GEORGE FLOYD! I was shocked. Upon reading the listing, it was a file that included all manner of people in black history and the pictures can be used as classroom posters and a resource for learning.
I understand, but still find it perplexing the grip this case has had on the country broadly, but “black history” in particular. I often wonder what would’ve happened if it were simply a local story. Should he go down as an icon of black history?
Getting the details correct is important, particularly when it comes to an individual's trial, etc. However, I can't help feeling Glenn & John's discussions on this topic are missing the forest for the trees. The George Floyd incident was treated as vitally important, sparked innumerable protests and riots, elevated BLM & had immense impact on politics & cultures. Why? Because this incident was understood to be emblematic of a large societal sin whereby racist white cops are hunting down unarmed black men. However, in my view, we know the following:
1. The number of unarmed black men being killed by police is quite small (Washington Post database)
2. There is no evidence that Chauvin's actions were motivated by race
3. Chauvin clearly wasn't intending to kill him
For Glenn, your instincts to counter the narrative are correct, but (to me) the more important narrative to counter, and the one that in my mind is much easier to dispute, is the meta-narrative that this story was really all about.
Good conversation despite the technical difficulties. It was nice to hear another prospective from someone who had been in that area.
I am waiting for the day when Keith Ellison comes on this program. That conversation would be something that should not be listened to. It should be a live event with every Glenn Show fan watching with popcorn and a cold beverage. Just give me the date!!!
I was curious about what has happened with the crime situation in Minneapolis. After a fairly quick google search, I found this article. Violent crime was a lot higher in 2023 than it was in 2019, but it has come down from the 2022 levels.
Hi everyone. I'm the guest on this week's show. I'd like to thank you all for watching, and for your thoughtful comments.
There are a few points I'd like to make to add some context to what we talked about on the show.
First, this is nowhere NEAR the full context of what George Floyd Square is like, in the immediate aftermath of the riots, and since. There is simply not enough time to tell all the stories. But let me share a couple to help drive the point home.
1. There was a news story going around, which I don't have handy right now, that between June 2020 and around February 2021, there were 700 separate incidents detected by the shot spotter in that neighborhood.
Read that again. 700 INCIDENTS. Not shots. Less than a year after the initial riots.
I hope that gives some sense of the scope and frequency of violence in the George Floyd Autonomous Zone, now called George Floyd Square. If there were that many incidents involving gun fire, just imagine how many lower-level crimes and acts of violence took place that were not recorded, that police could not deter, stop, or punish because the civilian authorities who run the city would not allow them to police this sacred ground.
2. The Autonomous Zone was literally guarded and monitored as if it was under some sort of haphazard authority and Hobbesian rulers. They had concrete barricades, which must have been installed by the city, to block people from driving through the intersection and wandering in on foot, and they had a guard shack set up that was manned by what must have surely been dedicated BLM activists, making sure only the right people came in, for the right reasons. In other words, if you were just a citizen who wanted to wander around and investigate your city, they would quickly block your entrance, and if you somehow made your way in, they'd throw you out on our ass, and you'd be lucky if you didn't catch a beating on the way out. This threat was both implicit and overt for those not approaching the Autonomous Zone with sufficient piety and reverence.
To illustrate this, I have another friend who lived about ten blocks away from this intersection. He's a bike-riding hippy who doesn't own a car, and one night after work, I think around 11pm, he thought he'd go check out what was up in the Square to see what it looked like. This is the following summer, in 2021. As he was biking through, he heard a couple people shouting behind him "Hey! HEY!!", but he ignored it and didn't think it was directed at him, because he wasn't doing anything wrong (he thought). The shouting got closer, and then he heard footsteps, and when he looked behind him there were a few BLM activists running after him to chase him down, obviously for not being sufficiently reverent and not being there for the right reasons.
Now, I'll leave it up to you: what do you think they would have done to him if they had caught him and yanked him off his bike?
This is the reality of an average citizen who just wants to drive, walk, or bike to an intersection in their city to see just what the hell is going on where they live.
Get the point: YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED
And if you don't get the point from the barricades, checkpoint, and car-destroying speedbumps the city set up, they can probably help you get the point some other way.
3. In 2022, after the city finally fought it out with Antifa, BLM, and various ragtag protestors to clear the Square (and they literally had to fight them, for days, as the protestors kept returning to throw garbage and appliances and anything else they could find to block the intersection, for days on end), I went to a movie theater I like to go to that's a few blocks down. I decided to drive back through the Square with my girlfriend to see what it looked like now.
We now had the giant raised fist in the middle of the intersection, making the intersection a traffic circle when it hadn't been before. The intersection remained a magnet for unsavory people, street people, addicts, and thugs. When we drove to the other side of the circle, there was a giant black SUV parked diagonally in the middle of the lane on the wrong side of this small two-way street, i.e. it was parked IN the street, not a parking spot, in my lane so that I could not proceed unless I drove into the OTHER wrong lane so that I was driving in the left lane. Considering that what I was seeing around me was nothing but addicts and street people, it's not hard to imagine what kind of person thought he could park his huge SUV in the middle of the lane and block the road like that, and what his occupation might be.
This made me extremely nervous, because while most of the activists were gone, the area still had this intense feeling of "You shouldn't be here if you don't belong," that you don't have the right to be in this area unless you "belong" somehow. I was concerned about what would happened if someone thought we were the "wrong kind of people" and came out to confront us about what we were doing there, while this SUV was blocking my lane. We had to sit and wait a couple minutes while cars came from the other side, but needless to say we were very relieved when the left lane cleared and we were able to drive around the SUV and get a bit further away from the intersection.
Does this seem dramatic to you? I hope not. But if it does, let me add the coda to this story.
When we got home and were winding down for the evening (I think it was a Sunday), and kind of processing how wild it was to drive around that area, we saw on the news that someone had been shot in the head in that intersection, not two hours after we were there.
So, apparently, my instincts were right.
[Time 44:00]; Hachey talks about a death occurring within Minneapolis autonomous zone where police were banned for 12 months. A neighbor had to drag the dead body for 5 blocks to reach location where police were allowed. That is a violation of procedure “Do not move a dead body”. Dead body must remain in place so police and coroner can more accurately determine circumstances of death.
Wonderful you will interview Ellison. We need more of this! I am in the “venue should have changed, overcharged and defense did not have enough resources given the massive resources of the state” camp. Because if Covid, I watched this whole trial-too many people opine w/o adequate knowledge. Appreciate your acknowledgment of this fact.
Just to be clear on Jacob Blake because words matter. Blake was the biological father, but I do NOT think they were HIS children; my belief is he had no legal custody. At that point, the crime isn't car theft, it's kidnapping. And you simply CANNOT allow an armed kidnapping.
[Time 22;00]; I won’t weigh in on use of “gentlemen” because I lack qualification. I use the term as a formality and respect. On Loury’s mention of stereotype about stereotype, (Person-A expects person-B to subscribe to stereotype-X snd then judges accordingly without evidence). Yes, I agree with Loury. I have been annoyed for numerous years by reckless speculation about “stereotypes” in social science journals. Authors who do not conduct necessary research act as if entire groups of people subscribe to alleged stereotypes.
[Time 21:00]; G&J discussion of 2020 societal discourse on police “problem” after (a) Floyd was uncooperative and (b) Blake was wielding a knife. I see a pattern across woke topics:
(1) Occurrence of incident, ie civilian killed by cop.
(2) Corresponding woke propaganda that ignores important information.
(3) Mis-representation of incident as affirming crisis status of woke topic.
I observed a similar trend with regard to October 7th. Woke activists either ignore that Oct 7th Hamas attack occurred or characterize brutal murder, rape, torture and abduction as “resistance”. When Israel responds in defense- that is characterized as “offense” and “genocide” even though “River to Sea” sentiment would be genocide of Jews. While institutions and news media provide the public a gross mis-service; officials taking part in the fraud-orgy are betraying their designated role. That is no minor accusation on my part.
Terms like conservative, liberal and libertarian have more or less lost their meaning, especially during the Trump era. (Heck, a lot of things have flipped in this era.) That's probably why John is frustrated. His definitions need a severe update.
For decades, I called myself a libertarian. I was a fan of Reason Magazine and the Cato Institute, and back in the 90s, the term seemed to fit, but not anymore. If you go on Twitter/X and search "libertarian", Justin Amash and Kmele are no longer the main vibe.
It's a *very* different vibe now.
I am also old enough to remember when "conservative" was often synonymous with foreign policy hawks. But today, nothing could be further from the truth. Trump supporters--who we never describe as liberal and often commonly describe as conservative--are like old school leftists when it comes to foreign policy.
They're not economic conservatives either. (Free market capitalism who?)
"Conservative" today connotes a mostly White, mostly 'raised in the church', mostly pro- "husband, wife & kids" kind of a person; often carrying a culturally anti-left chip on the shoulder; more pro-Trump than anti-Trump by far; reflexively and sometimes maniacally distrustful of so-called "elites"; ostensibly uncomfortable with major shifts in the country's demographics (i.e., "immigration"). And despite how many on the right deny it, "conservative" very often implies more than a tinge of sympathy for White Identitarianism. (Not exactly George Will's conservatism.)
McWhorter and Loury are very anti-woke left. In the minds of many, that makes them conservative. It shouldn't, but it does. It's not that simple, but it is.
Shermichael Singleton was a guest on The Glenn Show recently. He is a proud, self-avowed "conservative". But when we think about Black conservatives in the Trump era, we think Candace Owens and Zuby, not Shermichael.
Interesting conversation Glenn. I'm very glad you plan to have Ellison on, and I see no reason why it shouldn't be a civil and productive exchange.
Since you mentioned my work on stereotypes about stereotypes, I thought I would illustrate the point with two short passes from my book with Dan, one from the preface and one from the conclusion. You've seen them but others may not have.
First on police stops:
"If both the driver and the officer at a traffic stop are white, the driver might worry about
whether any objects in the vehicle might arouse suspicion and lead to a search. If the driver is black he may wonder, in addition, whether race played a role in the stop itself. More ominously, he might wonder
if the officer gained pleasure from prolonging the stop or from finding a pretext for an invasive search. And the officer’s awareness of these concerns could affect his behavior, too, perhaps even more so if he
considers the fears groundless."
And one from strangers on a train:
"The acclaimed writer J. Edgar Wideman published an opinion piece in the New York Times in which he reported on the following informal experiment. For four years, while commuting twice a week between New York and Providence on the Acela train, he would go to the station early and secure a vacant double seat. With rare exceptions, the space next to him would remain empty for the entire trip. He concluded that “color will determine, even if it doesn’t exactly clarify, why 9 times out of 10 people will shun a free seat if it means sitting beside me.”
Wideman was right on both counts: color was implicated, but for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. One possibility is racial animus; perhaps other passengers simply found the prospect of sitting next to him distasteful. But there is also the possibility that they believed that he would find sitting next to them distasteful, and were willing to accommodate what they perceived to be his preference. Reasons may vary for different passengers, even if they act in indistinguishable ways.
In his book Chokehold, Paul Butler recounts a similar experience while commuting between New York and Washington, DC, but adds that for a month or so after the publication of Wideman’s piece, “white folks on the train made a beeline to sit next to me.” At least for some passengers, any reluctance to sit next to a black man on a train is swamped by the desire to demonstrate a lack of such reluctance."
These kinds of beliefs about beliefs are pervasive in social interactions that cross boundaries based on race, sex, and other highly salient markers of identity.
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674976597
McWhorter as a conservative Republican? Hell will freeze over first. If not for the seriousness of situation, I would find the accusation funny. One of my few remaining liberal friends stopped talking to me because he has an idea not supported by our history of discussion- “He supports Trump”. I am not saying to Loury substack that I do or don’t. I have made it clear to liberals that I have zero tolerance for fraud.
Great conversation! Thank you.
John, I've got some sad news for you. From many comments I've read here over the years and before that at Bloggingheads, MANY people think you're a conservative Republican. I only know you're not because of one episode I listened to in which you said you voted for Biden. You've talked about your disdain for Trump, but some conservatives share that disdain. You hardly ever talk about any of your "liberal" views. I hope Mr. Ellison's comment spurs you to talk more about your liberal values.
As for why police engage in bad behavior, regardless of the race to whom it's directed, here's what the Police Chief of Minnesota's 5th largest city told me in a personal email a few days after George Floyd's death: "...at the core of the problems plaguing law enforcement is cultivating and sustaining community trust when we still have cops that shouldn’t be cops. Some are good people jaded and lack care and compassion, others have extreme hubris, while others lack the ability to self regulate in moments of conflict. It is these people who tarnish the badge we wear and damage the public trust so difficult to earn."
This is a bit random but I think it’s relevant here:
I was scrolling through Etsy last week and stumbled upon a listing for clip art pictures of “icons of black history”. They had all sorts of people on the cover of the listing: Michell Obama, Bill Cosby, and surprisingly, GEORGE FLOYD! I was shocked. Upon reading the listing, it was a file that included all manner of people in black history and the pictures can be used as classroom posters and a resource for learning.
I understand, but still find it perplexing the grip this case has had on the country broadly, but “black history” in particular. I often wonder what would’ve happened if it were simply a local story. Should he go down as an icon of black history?
Getting the details correct is important, particularly when it comes to an individual's trial, etc. However, I can't help feeling Glenn & John's discussions on this topic are missing the forest for the trees. The George Floyd incident was treated as vitally important, sparked innumerable protests and riots, elevated BLM & had immense impact on politics & cultures. Why? Because this incident was understood to be emblematic of a large societal sin whereby racist white cops are hunting down unarmed black men. However, in my view, we know the following:
1. The number of unarmed black men being killed by police is quite small (Washington Post database)
2. There is no evidence that Chauvin's actions were motivated by race
3. Chauvin clearly wasn't intending to kill him
For Glenn, your instincts to counter the narrative are correct, but (to me) the more important narrative to counter, and the one that in my mind is much easier to dispute, is the meta-narrative that this story was really all about.
"When is the date?"
Good conversation despite the technical difficulties. It was nice to hear another prospective from someone who had been in that area.
I am waiting for the day when Keith Ellison comes on this program. That conversation would be something that should not be listened to. It should be a live event with every Glenn Show fan watching with popcorn and a cold beverage. Just give me the date!!!
And you guys are still not considering all the facts.
https://salsassin.wordpress.com/2024/02/15/re-the-retconning-of-george-floyd-by-radley-balko-a-rebuttal/
I was curious about what has happened with the crime situation in Minneapolis. After a fairly quick google search, I found this article. Violent crime was a lot higher in 2023 than it was in 2019, but it has come down from the 2022 levels.
https://www.startribune.com/after-three-most-violent-years-minneapolis-saw-drop-in-crime-summer-but-were-not-back-to-normal-yet/600301635/