To the editor,

In reply to Jacqueline Murray Brux, I am not racist. Racism is out there in all ethnic groups. The history of racism is violent and murderous for sure. We cannot undo that.

There are cops who have murdered. The cops who brutally murdered Tyre Nichols should never see daylight. The men who murdered Ahmaud Arbery shouldn’t either. “No knock warrants” should be illegal because of innocent victims like Breonna Taylor.

This is about George Floyd. I do not believe these four cops were racist cops who murdered a black man beyond a shadow of a doubt. No video showed them punching, kicking, or beating him. He did resist arrest. Floyd had an extremely large amount of illegal drugs in his system. A dangerous amount. Original autopsy stated no evidence of strangulation or asphyxiation. Yes, it was about a petty crime of a “counterfeit” $20. The choice to buy cigarettes with that counterfeit $20 at a local business who serves the community. This petty crime is why the cops were called.

There is a man named Roland Fryer. He is an economist and studied policing. His data showed there is racial bias of police in lower levels use of force. Reform is needed. As to data of racial bias of lethal use of force in police shootings there is none. As many white people are killed by police. Nobody says their names.

To demonize all police because of the terrible actions of some is a mistake. There are over 10 million arrests a year. Police are deployed to neighborhoods partly on basis of crime rates.

After Floyd riots in New York City, the cops logged 45,000 fewer arrests from June to December. A 38% decline, but sadly they added more than 100 additional homicides (58% increase). Milwaukee slashed 120 officers. The city saw a 98% increase in killings.

The last homicide of 2020 in St. Paul was a 2-year-old child shot. The first homicide in 2021 was a 3-year-old child found on a back porch in January. We need police!!

Lastly, your statement that we cannot say “all lives matter until Black Lives Matter” might not hold true to people who lost loved ones in shootings of schools, grocery stores, religious places or malls. To the person who lost a loved one who was murdered for absolutely no reason. I surely can and will say “All Lives Do Matter.”

We do need civil discourse on many things. Thank you for your letter.

Carol Fuller

Ellsworth