A Black Officer, a White Woman, a Rare Murder Conviction. Is It ‘Hypocrisy,’ or Justice?

[OCS: This is not a case that should have been racialized by an author who owes his living to creating stories of racial disparity and dysfunction.]

While many in the community said Mr. Noor should have been held accountable, they could not help but wonder what the outcome would have been if the races of the officer and the victim had been flipped.

“This is an anomaly based on the race of the officer, and the race and affluence of the victim,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and activist in Minneapolis. “The system treats African-Americans and white people differently, whether they are the victim in a police-involved shooting case or whether they are the police officer. This is absolutely outrageous.”

[OCS: Armstrong is full of crap. This is not about race but clear police misconduct that resulted in an innocent life lost. Had the races been reversed, one might imagine the presumption of guilt and riots in the streets.

To even suggest that their is systemic racism is ludicrous. Especially when one considers that the police, investigators, prosecutors, judge, and jury would all have to be racist to bring about charges of systemic racism.]

Even as activists and community leaders said that Ms. Ruszczyk deserved justice and expressed their condolences for her family, the verdict raised uncomfortable questions about the racial dynamics of the case.

[OCS: What racial dynamics? On the part of the responding officers: The action occurred in a dark alley, within a police vehicle running in dark mode, and it is unlikely the the police officer identified the race of the soon-to-be victim or else he would not have taken the shot.

On the part of the investigators: there was ample evidence that Officer Noor was not psychologically suited for police work and it had nothing to do with race other than the fact that he may have been an affirmative action hire to promote progressive diversity.

Former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor concerned psychiatrists and training officers about his fitness for duty long before he fatally shot Justine Ruszczyk Damond, new court records show. Revelations about Noor's past were introduced by Hennepin County prosecutors on Wednesday in response to a motion by defense attorneys to dismiss the third-degree murder and manslaughter charges filed against him in Damond's death. Noor was flagged by two psychiatrists during the pre-hiring evaluation in early 2015 after he exhibited an inability to handle the stress of regular police work and unwillingness to deal with people, according to the records. <Source>

On the part of the prosecution: both sides presented their evidence and interpretation of the evidence.

On the part of the jury and sentencing court: it appears that justice prevailed and a negligent police officer was held accountable for his actions. Unfortunately, the residents also suffered as the city paid $20 million to the victim’s family – money that could have been spent improving the protection and lives of the city’s residents.]

Some saw a system and a society that was quick to embrace and sympathize with Ms. Ruszczyk, a benefit that black victims rarely enjoy. Others felt that Mr. Noor did not get the vocal support of the police establishment that they usually see in police-shooting cases and wondered whether this would deter black people from law enforcement careers.

[OCS: What deters black people from law enforcement is black people who denigrate law enforcement, actively oppose law enforcement, refuse to cooperate with law enforcement, and in some cases target law enforcement. It is similar to the majority black student attitude against smart black students in local schools. The police are not the enemy.]

“The only difference is that the officer involved in the shooting in this case happened to be a black Muslim immigrant, and the deceased person is a Caucasian lady,” said Waheid Siraach, a former police officer and a founder of the Somali-American Police Association. “People can put the two and two together.”

[OCS: Obviously Siraach is a racist by virtue of viewing everything through the prism of race rather than evidence leading to a just outcome.]

Read more at the New York Times.