Readers Write: Minnesota Twins' front-office philosophy, races for Hennepin County attorney (general election) and sheriff (primary)

Why am I so angry at the Minnesota Twins' talent sell-off? ("Trades provide Twins farm system plenty of players packed with potential," Sports, Aug. 3.)

They've broken a covenant we made in the mid-2000s — remember?

They pleaded with taxpayers year after year: We need you to build us a new stadium so we can be competitive.

The team's chief baseball officer, Derek Falvey, was not here then, but apparently hasn't researched Twins history.

It's the Brian Dozier trade that hurts the worst. He was a good guy who came up through our system and became an All-Star second baseman who hits 30-plus home runs a year. How do they expect to replace that, and why would any player show loyalty to this club now?

According to the Star Tribune, our starting second baseman was traded for a small gaggle of mediocrity led by the Los Angeles Dodgers' 19th-best prospect.

Wow! Falvey must be a real hard-nosed negotiator to pull off a coup like that.

I'd like to say I'm moving on to soccer, but I can't tell a whopper that big. I guess I'll move on to the Lynx and Vikes.

• • •

So many times there isn't much gold in dem dar hills when the Twins go prospecting.

• • •

Given the lack of a salary cap in professional baseball, the Twins often function as a developmental team for the half-dozen or so franchises that can consistently afford $200 million payrolls. So I was happy to see Brian Dozier get promoted to play for the Dodgers and participate in "The Real Big Show." I look forward to watching him and other traded teammates take part in postseason play now that the Twins management has run up the white flag for this year.

How surprising that it took a Star Tribune exposé on poor rape follow-up ("When rape is reported and nothing happens," July 22) for Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman to realize that this has long been a problem ("Rape cases to get new scrutiny," Aug. 2). Also surprising that it took whistle-blowing by the chief public defender for Mr. Freeman to realize that his attorneys were following the racist lead of police in charging and incarcerating small-scale black marijuana sellers. But it isn't surprising that he decided to make changes, since he's running for re-election. I plan to vote in this year's general election for Freeman's opponent, DFL-endorsed Mark Haase, who is a real rather than a fair-weather reformer.

• • •

Two years ago, I didn't comprehend the difference in treatment by the police with people of color and white people. Two years ago, I would have quickly concluded that Thurman Blevins, who was shot by Minneapolis police, was responsible for his own death ("No charges against officers in Blevins death," July 31). "He should have just listened and followed the police officers' orders. He determined his fate." My privilege allowed me to dismiss these "officer-involved" shootings as outcomes of the victims' actions. It took me a while to start listening to the experiences of people of color. I now ask vastly different questions and come to a vastly different conclusion.

What training and culture allow and perpetuate treatment of humans in the way Mr. Blevins was treated? When, if ever, did Mr. Blevins' humanity enter the minds of the officers? What happened to de-escalating the situation? What happened to the presumption of innocence?

For those who marched for immigrant families; I commend and thank you. For those who marched for women's rights; I commend and thank you. Now I ask you to stand up for our black and brown neighbors. Call the mayor and your City Council member and hold them accountable. This is no longer about saying what sounds good in a campaign speech. Demand action. Demand reforms. These officers need to be fired. The Minneapolis Police Department and the process to hold police accountable need to change. Finally, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman needs to be voted out. More white people need to stand up, show up and make our voices heard. Make them loud. The system won't change without them.

Thank you for the July 19 article "Immigration issue relatively muted in sheriff's race." Any information about the upcoming election for Hennepin County sheriff is valuable. I know, because up until quite recently I was almost entirely ignorant about the importance of who is in the role of Hennepin County sheriff. They're all cops, right? So aren't they all the same? What difference does it make?

They aren't all the same, and it makes a huge difference, as the trickle-down effect of the management style and philosophy of the person in the top role has a tremendous influence on how our peace officers engage with the community. I don't think I'm sharing breaking news when I say that Hennepin County needs to improve in this regard.

Rich Stanek, the current sheriff and incumbent, is a Republican who has aligned himself with President Donald Trump. I know I have felt increasingly baffled over the last few years at the seeming disconnect between the actions of our law enforcement and the values of the communities they serve. This is because Stanek, at the very top, does not himself reflect the values of the communities within Hennepin County. Turns out, it really does matter.

Dave "Hutch" Hutchinson is the DFL-endorsed candidate for Hennepin County sheriff. If you, like me, are looking around and are upset by the variety of problems you see plaguing our community interactions with police officers, then you should vote for Hutchinson. Hutch has been with the force for 15 years. He belongs to the Black Police Officers Association, the National Latino Police Officers Association, the Somali American Police Association and the LGBTQA Police Association.

Hutch is ready to be done with Stanek and is willing to do the work to make a change. Let's support him in the primaries on Aug. 14, and then on Election Day on Nov. 6. Hennepin County deserves better than Rich Stanek. It's time we had a sheriff who reflects our values.