The reaction of Twin Cities police union leaders to Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal to name a training fund after Philando Castile (front page, July 7) is disturbing. The officer who shot Castile spent days training to use force and to shoot his gun, but had only two hours of de-escalation training. The president of the St. Paul Police Federation said the governor turned his back on police. Officer Jeronimo Yanez turned his gun on Castile when there were other options available.
One measure of a functioning democracy is whether the organizations of power are able to admit mistakes. The officer made a mistake, and law enforcement leadership has erred by not emphasizing de-escalation training for officers who carry lethal weapons but face a wide variety of situations and threats. If police want to avoid unnecessary shootings, why aren't they prioritizing this training? The attitude of the union leaders is alarming to me and I'm a white guy.
Jeff Naylor, Minneapolis
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Gov. Dayton, what a slap in the face to law enforcement personnel in the state. Really, name a state-funded police training fund after Philando Castile? Excuse me! Were you on the jury? Our justice system has spoken, no matter how badly you or others may feel. Governor, do you want to be right or do what is right? You said it all: "We have a responsibility of all of us engaged in public services to bring Minnesota together, and that's the spirit of this training." Governor, suggest a more generic name for the fund if your intent is to bring Minnesotans together.
W.W. Bednarczyk, Edina
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Just because Yanez was acquitted in the shooting death of Castile does not mean people in our communities are in agreement with that outcome. Disbelief, outrage, deep sadness and a sense of despair are common emotions I have encountered in my circle of friends, black and white.
Our communities are in great pain, and I give Gov. Dayton huge credit for attempting to heal us after this tragic and senseless death.
Healing is the key word here. The police unions obviously don't understand this when they accuse Dayton of turning his back on them. It's not about them. It's about us, the people who grieve for Philando Castile.