# data[].attributes.headline
Class Discussion: Leave Your Thoughts Here

# data[].attributes.subject
Class Discussion: Leave Your Thoughts Here

# data[].attributes.body
1. Let's take a moment to acknowledge the loss of another life that happened this week.

2. Please read the article and share your thoughts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Yesterday, at about 2:00 in the afternoon, a white police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, after what seems to have been a routine traffic stop turned up an arrest warrant. Today, the Brooklyn Center police chief told reporters that the arresting officer intended to fire her Taser at Wright, but instead fired her gun.

Wright's death took place about ten miles from where Derek Chauvin is on trial for killing George Floyd in Minneapolis last May. Then a police officer, Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds while bystanders implored him to stop. Chauvin, a white officer, was arresting Floyd, a Black man, on suspicion of using a counterfeit bill.

In the three weeks of Chauvin's trial, the former officer's defenders have noted that there was fentanyl in Floyd's blood, and suggested he expired not because of the knee on his neck but because he abused opioids. After Wright's death, those defending the police officer who shot him argued that Wright had brought the deadly outcome on himself by resisting arrest.

But here's the thing: Mr. Floyd and Mr. Wright are not on trial. Whether they abused drugs, or passed bad bills, or did something that warranted arrest, or did all of those things or none of them simply does not matter. They are not on trial.

What is on trial is the fundamental American principle of equality before the law. Our law enforcement officers are supposed to use the force of the state to deliver suspected lawbreakers to our criminal justice system. And yet, in both of these cases-and so many others in which a Black person has died at the hands of police-the officers apparently killed suspected offenders instead of delivering them to the legal system guaranteed under our Constitution. Individual police officers appear to have taken the law into their own hands and become judge, jury, and executioner.

Either Floyd and Wright had the right to due legal process, or police officers could condemn them to death without the due process of the law. If the former, it is imperative to defend the principle of equality before the law against those who would undermine that principle. If the latter, Floyd and Wright are not equal to white Americans, and we need to revisit exactly what sort of government we have.

On this day in 1861, Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, the United States fort located in Charleston Harbor, launching a Civil War that would take more than 600,000 lives and cost the United States more than $5 billion. The leaders of the Confederate States of America believed that the government of the United States of America had a fatal flaw: it declared that all men were created equal.

The men who framed the Constitution had made the terrible error of believing in equality, Georgia's Alexander Stephens, the newly-elected vice president of the Confederacy, told a crowd on March 21, 1861. Northerners, he said, stupidly clung to the outdated idea that "the negro is equal, and hence conclude that he is entitled to equal privileges and rights with the white man."

In contrast to the United States government," Stephens said, "the Confederate government rested on the "great truth" that "the negro is not equal to the white man; that... subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition." Stephens told listeners that the Confederate government "is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."

Abraham Lincoln rejected this radical attempt to destroy the principles of the Declaration of Independence. He understood that it was not just Black rights at stake, but also democracy. Arguments like that of Stephens, that some men were better than others, "are the arguments that kings have made for enslaving the people in all ages of the world," Lincoln said. "You will find that all the arguments in favor of king-craft were of this class; they always bestrode the necks of the people, not that they wanted to do it, but because the people were better off for being ridden.... Turn in whatever way you will-whether it come from the mouth of a King, an excuse for enslaving the people of his country, or from the mouth of men of one race as a reason for enslaving the men of another race, it is all the same old serpent...."

Lincoln warned that "it does not stop with the negro. I should like to know if taking this old Declaration of Independence, which declares that all men are equal upon principle and making exceptions to it where will it stop. If one man says it does not mean a negro, why not another say it does not mean some other man?" He told an audience in Chicago, Illinois, that Americans must stand with the Declaration of Independence or, he said, "If that declaration is not the truth, let us get the Statute book, in which we find it and tear it out!"

"NO! NO!" his audience cried. And when the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter, they took up arms to defend their government.

Almost four years to the day after the firing on Fort Sumter, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia, marking the defeat of the Confederacy and its attempt to create a nation in which some people were better than others.

And yet, on January 6, 2021, insurrectionists brandished the Confederate battle flag in the U.S. Capitol.

--

Notes:
https://www.nytimes.com/article/daunte-wright-death-minnesota.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/04/12/derek-chauvin-trial/
Alexander Stephens, Cornerstone Speech, March 21, 1861.

https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/speech-at-chicago-illinois/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Yesterday, at about 2:00 in the afternoon, a white police officer in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, shot and killed 20-year-old Daunte Wright, a Black man, after what seems to have been a routine traffic stop turned up an arrest warrant.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
April 12, 2021 - Letters from an American

# data[].attributes.body
It is just crazy how our Justice System can still be compared to slavery back then. Black people are somewhat still slaves because they are scared to even go out there & not be able to return back to their homes because of a police officer. I do agree with the fact that police officers seem to be the judges of the country because there is always ¨an excuse¨ as to why they killed someone that is not so reasonable & that it only happens to Black people. To be honest, it is not even about black people but everyone should have the right to be treated equally as a way to accomplish America´s principle of democracy. However, we still don´t see that today & it is not fair that a black person can´t have their chance to speak up & give their side of the story at court because they were already killed. We are just tired of the same story over & over again & the police should maybe be reform somehow & improve their practices because they know their responsibilities & they know how to use a gun so I don´t think shooting someone was a ¨mistake.¨

# data[].attributes.body
what happened was that a whiter  polices killed 20 year old

# data[].attributes.body
So What i'm hearing is that another black man was killed right near where George floyd was killed and Where they are having the chavaun trial.This is sort of a slap in the face to me because as a police officer there should be no reason why instead of pulling out a taser you pulled out a gun that's so irresponsible for a police officer you shouldn't even be one to make a careless mistake like that , and it just so happens to be close to where George floyd was also killed carelessly , this whole idea of white supremacy as the article states started all the way back towards the 1800´s and I find it quite ridiculous that a man believed being white means your ¨better¨,than the next man which makes it ok for you to oppress another race.

# data[].attributes.body
Its very upsetting that in the case of Dante Wright, the Brooklyn Center Police Chief had to speak on the behalf of the white police officer just to say that she " Intended" to fire a taser instead of a gun. I DON'T WANT KNOW WHAT SHE INTENDED TO DO! If it was a black man on trial for shooting a white woman the judge would immediately ask the jury to excuse that remark and consider it a bias plee of the court because it could affect the opinions of the jury  seeing that its was a mistake that anyone would make but the reality of that is nobody will about your mistake or you being human but it will be about you killing someone and from that point on you only be a statistic and the regular stereotype of how black people are violent. Then looking on the case of George Floyd its basically the same thing with him where the reality of white supremacy has been brought out into the open and as the way to divert racism from being the focal point of the case, they have to use stereotypes to degrade floyd so people we view him as less of a human and more like a criminal. This is evident now seen that in most news outlets they use less explanations and more words that will cause a strong reaction out of the audience such as "drug abuser" and "criminal background". When it was discovered that drugs was found in his system, this became the focal point of his case. when doing research on his case a came to find information that a lot of news outlets avoided to tell such as how fentanyl is a drug used to treat patients with severe pain, similar to morphine . Also it was found out that Floyd also suffered from a heart disease called hypertensive heart disease which is why he was taking the fentanyl .

# data[].attributes.body
this i very disappointing and upsetting because its like we as black people are always labeled and never seen as equal human beings . this article shows us that the not only don't the police care about us the system don't either. i say this because they let two white men go who clearly did a crime by killing two black men without a far justices.

# data[].attributes.body
Imagine being a black person of color . Imagine having to fight for your rights every year and not see any process . Imagine being killed by people thats suppose to protect you . Imagine not getting justice for your death . The world we live in today is crazy . Many black people are being killed and are not getting justice for their deaths . This is really disappointing because this issue keeps on happening . As being a black person of color it´s scary , it scares me to even get pulled over by a police officer . If the shoe was on the other foot and a black man killed a white boy i promise justice would be served . How do you make a mistake and kill a man ?? During the police training im pretty sure they tell you the difference between a taser and gun . This is crazy and we need justice . We need to keep fighting until they hear us . This cant keep happening . When will this stop ? When will we stop being oppressed by the white people of power .

# data[].attributes.body
Am I surprised? No. George Floyd will never get to tell hi story and neither will thousands of other black men who have died through America's unjust system. The saddest part is they are not alive to tell their story, so America always changes it, tells people who they were so that it gives them a reason to believe he was threat to society. It does not matter if Floyd was on drugs, he should not be in his grave while the man who killed him is being considered to be free! completely disgusting.

# data[].attributes.body
It really sad hearing this. As black people, we are being labeled as a criminal. I really think that the justice system is really unfair for the black people.

# data[].attributes.body
This is really sad hearing another black person who was killed because he had an air freshener. The sad part is I'm no surprised that this is still happening but I'm tired of this. How can you mistake a taser from a gun and you've been a veteran for 26 years. We cant keep making this a thing where black people are afraid too be pulled over because you don't know if the police is going too take your life. That officer played with his life because she made a "mistake".

# data[].attributes.body
Its just crazy to me that it is another black man getting killed my a white offcer.

# data[].attributes.body
It’s another story with just another African-American man as the headline. Stories like this make me so speechless because it feels as though nothing will change. There’s no possible way you can mistake an “taser” for your firearm. Your firearm that you had to take the safety off of. The firearm that you had to pull the trigger to. Then the officer just simply resigned as if her actions had no consequences to them. I feel deeply hurt for his family and the people he had to leave behind.

# data[].attributes.body
It is very unfortunate and irrational for someone to establish the argument that the police officer “accidentally” fired the gun instead of a teaser. In fact the teaser and the gun are not on the same side of the belt, so its not easy to “ accidentally” grab one over the other.  However it is not impossible but its just hard to rationalize that claim. On the other hand we see a repetition of the law not protecting all citizens and seems to victimize  African Americans the most.  History is known to repeat itself and the death of Dante Wright is another example.
- condolences to his family and everyone who is hurting from this traumatic incident.

# data[].attributes.body
this is very upsetting to me and very dissapointing in terms of how the system is and irrational they can be . black people constantly have to think about what is going to happen to them and how they cant rely on cops for ANYTHING because the cops will beleieve white over all. many go thorugh stuff just because f the color of their skin and its unfortunate that this is the world we live in today

# data[].attributes.body
1. Rip to this young man
2. Actions like this makes me so mad because its just another innocent life token from this world so young all because something a dumb officer did. How do you mix up a gun and a teaser and did he scare you much you had to take his life away. Cops supposed to be the ones to save and be able to be relied on and now I fear for my own life because I can see my self in the people thats dying shoes.

# data[].attributes.body
Seeing constant police brutality on black men just makes me nervous because I see myself getting killed. The reason I say that because these are my people that are getting killed and us black community need to get together and support each other so we can try to stop the numbers . Instead of attacking each other lets go against the rights for justice!!!

# data[].attributes.body
1.RIP DAUNTE WRIGHT
2. When is it going to end? the question I always ask myself when tragedies like this happen. I will always be speechless... and never know when it will end. May God Rest His Soul.

# data[].attributes.body
i have no words for this right now its crazy because given the George Floyd case having millions of people speaking out worldwide protest not even in the USA everyone was speaking out and thinking of that we would of thought their would been a spark a change with the country or at least some type of direction to change but no , this week a 20 year old black man Daunte wright was shot literally 20 years old and he was unarmed i think we should ask ourselves when its going stop because its not not if these laws don't change in the system because if these officers keep getting away with these murders then its going keep happing also us a a community need to do better at sticking together i know its a conversation we don't wanna have but we must because in all reality we are all that we got

# data[].attributes.body
Seeing this happen makes it hard to feel good about the George Floyd trial. Its good and Im happy that they found Chauvin guilty, but then when you see whats still happening, its like we arent going anywhere and nothing is really getting done or being changed.

# data[].attributes.body
I believe the justice system is corrupted in every way shape and form.  White people can commit murder and walk away scott free but if a black person does it they will be thrown in jail for life or they'll be killed. I think it is unfair how we are now in the 21st century and we are still facing systemic oppression due to our skin color. Why should our skin color be a representation of how we behave as humans? Why must our heritage be feared by those who don't share the same ethnic background as us? We live in a world today where your skin color counts as a strike against you and it is extremely grotesque.

# data[].attributes.body
It happens time and time again. This will conunite until we fix this problem to the roots, fixing the justice system and people in power. This won't work unless we all come together as a community and fight against racism.

# data[].attributes.body
The justice system is very much bad because whites are still going against blacks such as white police and nobody really notices it but blacks because we have to deal with it