In "Frey off to a rocky start after campaign vows of change" (Minnesota section, Feb. 20) we learn that recently re-elected Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey does not have the public support that he needs to move the city forward now that some previous supporters are pulling back their support. And in answering questions about the killing of Amir Locke, Frey takes a position made famous by Richard Nixon — I take full responsibility, but it wasn't my fault. Frey also claims to be an advocate for transparency.
The Star Tribune Editorial Board is on record (as it should be) demanding a full investigation of the events of Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. But where is the investigation of the events of late May 2020 in Minneapolis, the Star Tribune's backyard?
We know what happened on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue S. on May 25, 2020, and the officers involved are facing whatever accountability our legal system can provide. But where is the accountability for what took place outside the Third Precinct Station (my precinct) on May 28, and along Lake Street? Where is the full investigation by our legal system? Or by the Star Tribune? Neither Frey nor then-Police Chief Medaria Arradondo has ever explained why there was zero police presence during these difficult 48 hours; let's start with that.
John K. Trepp, Minneapolis
POLICING AND MENTAL HEALTH
The big picture encapsulated in fewer than 20 words
A tiny, misleading statement in the Feb. 25 front-page article "Jury: Ex-cops violated Floyd's rights" illustrates the total neglect of the mental health aspects of the case. The statement reads: "They responded to a call from a clerk that Floyd had used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes."
The clerk's concerns in making the call have been well-reported: He was primarily concerned about George Floyd's health, both mental and physical, and wanted to make sure that Floyd got the help that he needed. The officers' response to Floyd's irrational resistance to entering a police car, to his complete terror, shows their woeful lack of training in dealing appropriately with mental-health issues, as well their having been mistrained to perceive the mythical "excited delirium."
For many years, we as a society have been cutting funding for dealing with mental illness, as if we too have an irrational fear of facing it. So long as we continue to yield to this fear, we can expect more disasters in police conduct and other areas that badly need mental health resources and training.
Paul Andrew Swenson, St. Paul