Opinion: This is a Result of Democrat Governance

Article by Mike Ford in "RedState":

See the picture above? It’s a result of Democrat governance. The outrage we are seeing manifested over the past few days, is focused on the wrong target(s). We are getting wall to wall coverage of the aftermath of the in-custody death of George Floyd. Riots in major cities, property damage and even a few deaths are just part of that aftermath. Innocent people are being harmed, while at the same time, some are attempting to affix cause and blame for Mr. Floyd’s death on the wrong parties.

As usual, using admittedly disturbing video, there are some who in a rush to judgement and to take advantage of this terrible tragedy for their own political ends, cannot seem to wait for the facts to come out. Instead, they instigate violence and property damage and actually harm the very folks they purport to care about. Also as usual, the more time that passes, the more information comes out that increases our knowledge and subsequently alters our perception of exactly what happened.

Two critical pieces of such information have just come to light. One is more critical than the other (more on that in a bit). This new information may have actually changed the legal aspect of this situation. First of all, The Medical Examiner’s preliminary report found, according to my good friend and colleague, Betsy Vaughn

the autopsy “revealed no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation” and that Floyd had underlying health conditions.

That implies that former Officer Derek Chauvin’s knee on Floyd’s neck, although very disturbing to look at, likely was not the proximate cause of his death.

Here is the second and and from my foxhole, the more critical piece of information. First, some background. During my brief, ten year stint as a Deputy Sheriff, Florida Law and Sheriff’s Office Procedures, considered any blow to the groin, head or neck, to be a use of “Deadly Force.” The only time you can do that, would be the same type of situation where you could legally shoot somebody. In short…Generally it’s a huge No-No.

My original thoughts, based on what I could see in the video, that it was unlikely, given the position of Chauvin’s knee, that there was any impediment to Floyd’s airway. The Preliminary Autopsy report would seem to confirm that. Having said that, and considering that any time you are hitting, grabbing or holding somebody by the neck, that’s still an inherently dangerous situation. My previous Law Enforcement experience and training, had me thinking that although a murder conviction was unlikely, there might be a good chance of an Aggravated Battery conviction for using an inherently dangerous and forbidden technique.

Imagine my surprise when I read this, out of a Law Enforcement Publication

According to the Minneapolis Police Policy Manual (emphasis NOT mine) the restraint used was in policy and it also indicates that training is given to officers on the maneuver.
According to the policy, a neck restraint can be used as a form of a “non-deadly option” and is defined as  “compressing one or both sides of a person’s neck with an arm or leg, without applying direct pressure to the trachea or airway (front of the neck).”
Chauvin was applying pressure to the back and side of the neck and not in the front and appeared to be compliant with existing policy.

So let’s recap this situation. We have a Police Officer with a long history of questionable contacts with members of the community he serves. Recent disclosures also tell us that the (likely now former) Democrat VeepStakes front runner, Senator Amy Klobuchar owns a piece of this. According to my good friend and colleague Brad Slager, Klobuchar, while a Hennepin County prosecutor, failed to indict Chauvin and several other Officers in a Police shooting and death of a citizen. That wasn’t the only time.

Beyond that one case involving Chauvin, activists have pointed to more than two dozen other instances of police-caused citizen deaths which she did not take action on during her tenure. As the Floyd case percolates these instances seem to make Klobuchar even more toxic.

What can we reasonably conclude? Well, we have a Democrat run city that hasn’t had a Republican Mayor in over 4 Decades. This city government allowed a police officer with a very questionable track record to remain on the force. Moreover, the (lately heretofore) leading contender to be former Vice President Biden’s VP pick, is now being scrutinized over her lack of prosecution of Police Officer shootings (Chauvin among them) of civilians back when she was a county prosecutor. Finally, We find out that the most horrifically perceived part of the whole incident, a Police Officer’s knee on a handcuffed arrestee who does not appear to be struggling, is actually a sanctioned (by the Officer’s agency) “non deadly” or “non lethal” restraint technique.

Here’s the bottom line. Not only does Democrat governance own a piece, a large piece of Mr. Floyd’s death, but such governance has also made it immeasurably harder to bring to justice, the man who was likely responsible for his death. I have absolutely no regard for the violent, property destroying protestors. As for the folks who are rightfully disturbed by the manner in which George Floyd died, they might wish to reconsider the targets of their outrage. It’s Democrat governance.

https://www.redstate.com/darth641/2020/05/31/opinion-this-is-the-face-of-democrat-governance/