Happy Monday!

Well, at least until you read today's Morning Sixpack. It's depressing out there, y'all!

The lead story is about...another Black man killed at a traffic stop...in Minneapolis, of all places.

FUCK.

The second story has a better ending, but it's still not good.

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In Windsor, Virginia, on December 5, 2020, police officers pulled over a man in an SUV. The man turned out to be an officer in the US Army. They pepper sprayed him, yanked him out of his vehicle, and made him lie down on the ground.

Then it got worse.

Fortunately, Second Lieutenant Caron Nazario wasn't killed. But he's suing the police officers.

Police officers in Virginia held an Army officer at gunpoint, handcuffed him and doused him with pepper spray — all during an illegal traffic stop.

Officials said Sunday that one of the officers has been fired. 

Officer Joe Gutierrez was fired following the December 5 incident, which was captured on video, the town of Windsor, Virginia said in a statement Sunday, acknowledging the “unfortunate events that transpired.” Caron Nazario, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, who is Black and Latino, is suing the town. 

CBS News

Nazario is Black. At one point, officer Gutierrez said, “You're fixin' to ride the lighting, son.” What a fucking goon.

This has got to stop. This country needs to examine police departments throughout the nation. We also need to reimagine policing.

It used to be about “to protect and to serve.” Some police officers–and, by extension, their departments–have forgotten this.

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The subject line above reflects my skepticism about the problem of policing. I am hopeful, however, that the tide is turning, and things have a chance at changing for the better.

Make it a great day!

Bill

☕ PS - Buy me a coffee to keep the Daily Grind News open for business!