I read with interest "Floyd unrest probe: Still waiting" (front page, Aug. 23). The context for this article is set early on with this description of the events in the days after the murder of George Floyd: "Floyd's killing in police custody touched off large demonstrations in Minneapolis and beyond that were occasionally marred by looting and arson." Excuse me? "Occasionally marred"? Until the presence of the National Guard got things under control, those initial nights were made up of extreme lawlessness and property destruction.

On July 13, 2020, the Star Tribune published a story online titled "Buildings damaged in St. Paul, Minneapolis after riots." The following is a direct quote: "In the first few days after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police, rioters tore through dense stretches of Minneapolis, St. Paul and other metro communities in retaliation, causing millions in property damage to more than 1,500 locations.

"In their wake, vandals left a trail of smashed doors and windows, covered hundreds of boarded-up businesses with graffiti and set fire to nearly 150 buildings, with dozens burned to the ground. Pharmacies, groceries, liquor stores, tobacco shops and cellphone stores were ransacked, losing thousands of dollars in stolen merchandise. Many were looted repeatedly over consecutive nights."

It is interesting how past events can be sanitized in the interests of being consistent with the desired narrative. If the "mainstream media" wishes to be viewed as an objective source of information, distortions such as the Aug. 23 article's characterization of the days following George Floyd's murder do not help.

Peter Langworthy, St. Paul

•••

So, the report on police violence against protesters won't be done until February. Isn't that after the election, in which the charter amendment and the mayor are on the ballot? How did that happen?

John Stuart, Minneapolis

POLICING

Reform without capitulation

I laud the Rev. Alan L. Pritz's letter in support of police and policing and the Star Tribune for publishing it ("If you want better police, join," Readers Write, Aug. 23). He is correct — people "accept media narratives of 'bad police,'" and "magical thinking" will not create the "reliable security" people want.

Many in authority eagerly kowtow to whatever group of people most loudly claim victimhood, without considering the big picture of what contributes to safety and quality of life for all, including victims. We should never stop refining our goals and our institutions for a better society. But we need to make all changes after much careful thought and input leading to specifics on what those changes should be, rather than just reacting to badgering and unruly demonstrations, as our City Council has done.

I concur that most officers enter the profession to do good and deserve recognition, not condemnation. Their very presence promotes safety and cuts down on crime. Crime immediately spiked upward after City Council members advocated disbanding our police department for some vague replacement no one understands. And I don't believe my car would have been stolen out of my garage three weeks ago here in Uptown if there were a few patrol cars driving my neighborhood streets and alleys occasionally.

Linda Huhn, Minneapolis

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There are still a few practical questions about the City Council's police/emergency response team proposals:

What is the plan if a non-police unit is sent to a disturbance and it turns violent?
What specific measures are being taken to revamp police training?
What effect will all this have on response times?
In 2020, Minneapolis endured riots that devastated neighborhoods. Are we unreasonable for expecting better explanations than we are getting?

Frederic J. Anderson, Minneapolis

SEX TRAFFICKING

Long past time for men to stand up

Thank you, Sarah Barker, for putting into words what so many of us believe ("Hold men — only men — accountable for sex trafficking," Opinion Exchange, Aug. 24). The verbiage around violent sexual acts against women and children makes covering this up in a white blanket of complacency acceptable to many.

I have many males in my life, men who believe themselves to be ethical and honorable. Not one has ever made a phone call, joined a group or written a letter to demand that men be punished for their horrific acts against women and children. It is a perverted man who pays to have sexual encounters with women and children who he knows are victims. Remember the days when the prostitutes were thrown in jail and the police officers just winked at the man involved? We are not far enough removed from that day.

Even the Catholic Church — a basically all-male club — tried to deny decades of disgusting, immoral and illegal behavior by their own. Where is the hope that other men will even try to protect women and children in Minnesota and in the U.S.?

Nancy Lanthier Carroll, Roseville

CLIMATE CHANGE

The landscape is sacred

I was inspired last week by John Miller, a diver who recovered victims of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse disaster. Last week, Miller returned his awards from the state of Minnesota in protest of the Line 3 pipeline. Miller said he felt compelled to help prevent another disaster at the Mississippi River.

When the 35W bridge collapsed, my mom was the speaker of the House. As a child, I spent a lot of time in the landscape of the Minnesota State Capitol. I napped and snacked in the retiring room, traded candy with legislators, and watched sessions from under my mom's podium. As a child, I had faith that these elected officials were looking out for my future.

As a young adult, my landscape is now the Minnesota River Valley where I help care for my 97-year-old grandma on our family's farm. Our river is lower than it has been for decades due to the historic drought we are experiencing across the state. This landscape provides a daily reminder that we are all in a climate crisis.

This summer I spent time up north along the Line 3 corridor where Enbridge is creating ecological disaster, as well as violating Anishinaabe peoples' rights to hunt, fish and engage in cultural practices. I've seen how local law enforcement shutting spaces down "in the interest of public safety" has led to violent arrests of Indigenous leaders in the middle of ceremony.

I used to look to leaders in state government to protect my future. Now when I look for hope amid climate chaos, I look to Indigenous leaders on the front lines, because they are the people taking action and making sure our waters are protected.

This week I will return to the Capitol along with hundreds of others in ceremony and action to demand the immediate cancellation of Line 3. I hope you will join us at the Treaties Not Tar Sands event on Wednesday to bring the urgency of this impending disaster to those leaders I had such faith in as a child.

Frances Kelliher, Mankato, Minn.

•••

The article about overflowing landfills was on my mind Tuesday morning as I struggled with my umbrella in the pouring rain at a St. Paul bus stop ("Garbage outpacing space in landfills," Aug. 23). As I ducked into the shelter, the umbrella literally fell apart in my hands. It had been purchased less than a year ago, one of millions of umbrellas produced by untold numbers of workers in Chinese sweatshops, designed not to last, part of an endless cycle of waste and replacement. Uttering an expletive, I looked up to see a young woman standing outside the shelter. Thin, wearing a massive sweatshirt, she stood barefoot as the water puddled around her feet. She smiled, as if greeting a best friend, then began talking nonstop, her words mostly unintelligible to me, other than the occasional reference to the archangel Michael. By her manner, I guessed she was ravaged by meth. As my bus approached, she walked away, only to look back and say, clearly, "I will pray for you." In the twin drives for massive profit and overconsumption, too many things in this world have become disposable.

Barb Kucera, St. Paul

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