Does Edina’s Police Dept. need friends like these?
October 27th, 2016
Support of police, who day in and day out, night in and night out, do a very difficult job, is important. That support is a long way from support, encouragement and attempted after-the-fact justification of police actions that are racist and unconstitutional, actions recognized near and far as problematic, illegal, and immoral. There’s this facebook page called “We Thank Our Edina Police Department” that has gone way over the line in support of the unprofessional behavior of Edina’s Lt. Timothy Olson that has received nationwide attention.
Last night at Edina City Council mtg
In the New York Times:
Black Man Is Arrested While Walking, and Minnesota City Starts a ‘Conversation’
NYT quoting NAACP’s Nekima Levy-Pounds:
The City fathers recognized that the arrest and treatment of Larnie Thomas was a problem and Chief of Police Dave Nelson, Mayor James Hovland, and City Manager Scott Neal issued a unified statement last week:
City of Edina responds to NAACP Minneapolis
PR shilling like this “We Thank Our Edina Police Department” try to spin with censoring, deleting, and blocking, but that is not going to stop progress, and only hurts the image of the Edina Police Department — this effort is as transparent as Mpls. Bob Kroll’s comments against the IACP head’s acknowledgement and apology for “historical mistreatment” — and so 19th Century. Edina is ready for change, and orchestrated efforts like this only document the problem and show that change is needed. A change is gonna come…
The City of Edina is working on the “next steps” and a timeline, and seeing this site, I’d guess their inbox and voicemail is full of nastiness and objections similar to what’s seen on the “We Thank Our Edina Police Department” facebook page. Please send emails of support to the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager for their commitment to address racism:
mbrindle@EdinaMN.gov, kstaunton@EdinaMN.gov, rstewart@EdinaMN.gov, swensonann1@gmail.com, jhovland@EdinaMN.gov, Scott H. Neal <sneal@EdinaMN.gov
What’s the fuss all about? The day before yesterday, this Post #1, below, shows up on the “We Thank Our Edina Police Department” facebook page. These posts are used to cast aspersions on the “video woman” who edited the very end of her video to omit her name, address and contact info, and to blame the victim by posting his District Court record, which is irrelevant in stopping someone walking down the street. They allow comments slandering Larnie Thomas, claims that he was “intoxicated” which he demonstrably was not; claim that he was “walking in the middle of the road” which he was not, and attempt to link other 911 calls. They post a “full police report” which adds as “eyewitnesses” reports of officers who were not present at the scene and were not called to the scene by Lt. Olson until he’d grabbed Larnie Thomas!
The page is associated with the “Edina Crime Prevention Fund” , and here are their IRS Form 990s:
My comments have been deleted (and they were oh-so-gentle), one in particular was hilarious. From #3:
Bev MomStrong Armstrong Aaaaand you have voiced your opinion on every Web page word for word. Carol Overland [and my posts were deleted today]. If it is such a problem for you in your opinion, why don’t you run for city council and change things????
Kianta Hafling Carol, the mayor and city council never have been in a situation like police officers are in everyday. They’d have no clue what it’s like to have people show you their worst and be criticized for everything because of their uniform. It’s easy to judge something you’ve never done. It’s even easier to jump on bandwagons these days, I guess. Police departments around the country are hiring. Sign up. We could use some experts in the front lines.
To Kianta Hafling, I responded: “I am an attorney sworn to uphold the Constitution. “It’s easy to judge something you’ve never done.” (Dead air, but they deleted it this afternoon. SNORT!)Brent Yorkshire Carol, if you were truly a lawyer you would know the police would be subject to a “failure to act” lawsuit if they didn’t do something about someone creating a danger to themselves and others. Get a clue!!
Folks, get a clue. Posts like these three “SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT” on the “We Thank Our Edina Police Department” facebook page do not help at all. The Edina Police Department doesn’t need “thanks” like that, and the world doesn’t need the waste of these electrons — your “support” hurts them. With “friends” like this, who needs enemies.? Think about it. The City of Edina is under scrutiny, rightfully so. The City gets it, and the City will have to do some soul-searching review and make thoughtful changes that will not be easy. The whole world is watching.
Here’s what “We Thank Our Edina Police Department” facebook page, posts #1, #2 and #3 “SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT. SHARE THIS” have to say:
#1: SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. SHARE THIS.
http://edinamn.gov/…/Incident_16003134_Redacted%20website.p…
An updated police report [HERE in case it gets disappeared: incident_16003134] [note p. 5-6 & 8-18 state “”THE INFORMATION BELOW IS CONFIDENTIAL – FOR USE BY AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY”] dated 10/21/16 includes 5 officer statements, 14 witness accounts, witnesses describing repeated behavior by subject later in the day on France Ave, corroborating Minneapolis 9-1-1 transcripts and a documented admission by the original videographer the video was edited to remove her name and number and everything afterwards before posting to YouTube and her reluctance to provide the police department with a full, unedited copy. There is certainly a lot to be learned by all parties. If you care about Edina and your Edina Police Department, then take 15 minutes and read this. Read this before you read anything else. SHARE these facts with your Twin Cities friends. SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. We thank our police officers here at home and those around the country who protect and serve ALL OF US – regardless of Age, Race, Sex, National Origin, Religion, Disability, Pregnancy, Medical Condition, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation and the like – each and every day.
Then yesterday, #2 and #3. First #2:
#2: SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. SHARE THIS.
Updated Edina Police Report as of 10/21/16 with our summary below of 14 witness statements including Minneapolis PD 9-1-1 call transcripts collaborating characterizations of Subject activity leading up to the “viral video” incident AND then a completely separate incident just two hours later about one mile north on France.
http://edinamn.gov/…/Incident_16003134_Redacted%20website.p…10/12/16 11:45 AM (shortly before the video started):
Witness CR: “The (subject) was not acting rational and that he had never seen so much restraint by any person as he did by the officer”
W JR: “…had to turn (car) slightly into the northbound lane to avoid (subject)”
W MB: “(subject) was walking down the middle of Xerxes, wearing headphones, with southbound traffic backed up behind (subject)”
W MB: “(subject) continued to walk down the center of the street even though (subject) turned and saw the squad car behind (subject)”
W TG: “He observed (subject) walking down the middle of Xerxes Av while wearing headphones and southbound traffic was backed up behind (subject).”
W TG: “(subject) would not move over.”
W TG: “He did not feel that (officer) did anything wrong and wanted to add that ‘he handled the situation well.’”
W MB: “…enough of an obstruction to traffic that drivers were honking their horns…traffic was briefly delayed at one point.”10/12/16 ~1:50 PM (about one hour after subject was dropped off at Southdale at ~12:30 PM)
W KM: “…man in the intersection of 52nd & France Avenue acting strangely.”
W KM: “…traffic stopped because the man (same one from YouTube video) was standing in the intersection blocking…a driver of truck honked the horn and the man pounded on the hood, then side of the truck…went to the drivers door and grabbed the handle trying to get the door open…”
W BM: “…erratic behavior similar to what he has seen before with patients in a mental health crisis. There were cars stopping and honking at him. At one point the man tried to open the door of a vehicle that had stopped in traffic.”
W DG: “…saw the man (same person he saw in video) later in the day…walking northbound on France Avenue…noticed the man trying car door handles on 2-3 unoccupied parked cars…”
W JW: “(sent letter to Edina police and he is the owner of the white pickup truck man tried to enter)
W SW: “She lives on France Avenue and was stopped in traffic while driving near the area of 52nd & France Ave…man acting strangely (later saw this same person on YouTube viral incident)…man was walking along France Avenue yelling and making sudden movements which she believed were attributed to a mental crisis…”
MPD Call 1: “…a male who was acting very strangely who was yelling at cars, stopping traffic movement and confronting drivers…”
MPD Call 2: “guy walking down the middle of France Ave. near 47th St. W…caller stated the male just about walked into the caller’s vehicle and described the incident as very scary.”We thank our police officers here at home and those around the country who protect and serve ALL OF US – regardless of Age, Race, Sex, National Origin, Religion, Disability, Pregnancy, Medical Condition, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation and the like – each and every day.
And now #3:
#3: SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT. SHARE THIS.
Subject Person of the “viral Edina Police video” is named in an event report on 10/19/2016 after Wells Fargo bank employees called to report “they do not want to approach him due to his level of aggression…”
http://edinamn.gov/…/2016086051%20102016%20EventReport_Reda…Subject Person’s Criminal/Traffic/Petty Case Records Search Results:
07/29/13 – Fleeing a peace officer by a means other than a motor vehicle (Dismissed); Hennepin
07/29/13 – Spitting on the sidewalk (Convicted – Petty Misdemeanor); Hennepin
07/29/13 – Ride bicycle on sidewalk where prohibited (Dismissed); Hennepin
10/02/13 – Obstruct legal process – interfere w/ peace officer (Convicted – Gross Misdemeanor); Hennepin
11/27/13 – Emergency telephone calls/communication – interrupt, interfere, impede, disrupt 911 (Convicted – Misdemeanor); Hennepin
11/27/13 – Domestic assault – misdemeanor – commits act to cause fear of immediate bodily harm or death (Dismissed); Hennepin
11/27/13 – Domestic assault – misdemeanor – intentionally inflicts/attempts to inflict bodily harm on another (Dismissed); Hennepin
11/27/13 – Disorderly conduct – offensive/abusive/noisy/obscene (Dismissed); Hennepin
03/31/14 – Fail to pay taxi cab fare – defraud driver or owner (Convicted – Misdemeanor); Hennepin
06/22/15 – Disorderly conduct (Convicted – Misdemeanor); Ramsey
07/15/15 – Disorderly conduct (Convicted – Misdemeanor); Ramsey
07/24/15 – Stalking – Repeatedly make telephone calls, sends texts, induce victim to make calls (Convicted – Gross Misdemeanor); Ramsey
07/24/15 – Domestic abuse – violate order for protection – misdemeanor (Dismissed); Ramsey
07/24/15 – Domestic abuse – violate order for protection – misdemeanor (Dismissed); Ramsey
We thank our police officers here at home and those around the country who protect and serve ALL OF US – regardless of Age, Race, Sex, National Origin, Religion, Disability, Pregnancy, Medical Condition, Marital Status, Sexual Orientation and the like – each and every day.
To each of they sycophant comments, they urge people to share, over and over and over, and to any post challenge, they delete and block. Don’t worry, there are plenty of screen shots. But this behavior is so cringingly embarrassing. EEEEEEEEEEEEUW! Mighty white of you…
#blacklivesmatter
Leave a Reply