Readers Write: Tim Walz in a crisis, candidates’ economic promises, student test scores, music reviews

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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The story about Gov. Tim Walz’s response to various crises improperly frames the discussion about civil disturbances in Minneapolis following the murder of George Floyd (”Walz could go to the White House. So how does he perform in a crisis?” Sept. 3). The piece focuses on the riots, but they did not occur in a vacuum. The story could have, and should have, examined the bigger picture of how the governor handled the crisis that started when a white Minneapolis police officer slowly murdered a Black man under his knee with dozens of witnesses watching.

Derek Chauvin’s action did not happen in a vacuum, either. Floyd was only the latest in a long line of Black men and women mistreated, degraded or killed by law enforcement officers around the country, including several such incidents in Minneapolis. After Chauvin’s brazen violence, many in the Black community wondered out loud if police would ever be held accountable. Shortly after the Minneapolis Police Department police chief fired Chauvin and the other three officers involved in Floyd’s murder, Minneapolis police union leader Bob Kroll protested that they all should be reinstated.

This is the full picture of the crisis that Walz faced, that all of us face even now. Yes, there were protests, and riots that involved looting and burning. And there were more excesses by police: responding to verbal protests with rubber bullets, shoving and pepper-spraying journalists, and viciously beating another Black man, Jaleel Stallings, when he returned fire with a legally registered weapon after a SWAT team in an unmarked van shot marking rounds at him without identifying themselves as police. Anyone who focuses on the riots in isolation is ignoring all the other elements of this thorny, ongoing problem.

No, Minneapolis citizens should not be subjected to the violence and destruction of riots. But nor should they be in danger from the very people who are sworn to protect them. We all want the same things: safety, peace, justice. Some changes are slowly coming. The current MPD chief, Brian O’Hara, has said he wants to rebuild a respected police force that earns the trust of the community by being accountable for its actions. The Department of Justice is working on a consent decree to stop discrimination and the use of excessive force by the MPD.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights reached a similar agreement with Minneapolis last year. That part of the Walz administration’s response to the big picture should have been included in the story as well. We should also remember that it’s not all on the governor’s shoulders. Problems and solutions have context, and we are that context.

We are not a vacuum. We are agents of change.

Jeff Naylor, Minneapolis

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I have been pondering who I’ll vote for this election for the last few weeks. Not a fan of either candidate, I was hoping the vice presidential pick could help ease the fear I have for voting for Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, but unfortunately, it hasn’t. It’s made it worse. I have thought Walz was always a stand-up governor, fair in his approach to the issues that we face as a state. But the article “Walz could go to the White House. So how does he perform in a crisis?” brought back many emotions of anger. It was during those times of the pandemic, the riots and other natural disasters that I felt Walz put party and political gains in front of the needs of our state. I have and will continue to give grace for the early months of COVID. But the line is drawn on the riots and continued endorsement of policies and rules that I don’t believe helped but rather hurt Minnesotans.

I have been looking for one thing from Walz. I may never get it, and that’s fine: accountability. Why is it so hard to say, “I messed up”? Why is it so hard to say, “I didn’t make the best decision, but I will learn from this and make sure we respond differently next time“? The inability to take ownership is what’s keeping me from going all in.

Nicholas Torntore, Lino Lakes

Business columnist Evan Ramstad wrote another fine column in the Sept. 4 paper (”Trump, Harris try to sell an economic dream”). He took a big-picture view of the economic forces (e.g., population growth) affecting the economy. In the past, Ramstad has explained the effects of population on macro economics. Now he turns to both political campaigns and gives a broad explanation of each candidate’s economic talking points. Ramstad looks at the empty stories told by both candidates. He does so in a thoughtful, nonpartisan, economically sound method. Thanks for another good column.

Anthony Harder, Woodbury

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Polls consistently show the economy and immigration as two top issues in the 2024 election. And for some reason, respondents consistently say they trust Donald Trump to better manage both issues. For folks who still believe that, I’d suggest reading Ramstad’s excellent column in Wednesday’s business section. Ramstad nailed the analysis of Trump’s plans and their impact. As Ramstad points out, Trump’s plans for mass deportation will exacerbate the existing worker shortage, leading to slower economic growth and wage-push inflation. Meanwhile, Trump’s steep tariffs on imports from China are likely to be highly inflationary as well. This combination of slower growth and simultaneous inflation (i.e., stagflation) is the worst of all economic worlds and very difficult to resolve once established.

So if you’re one of those folks willing to overlook Trump’s autocratic tendencies because you want his sure hand guiding our economy into the future, think again.

Jeff Dols, Inver Grove Heights

Regarding “Reading too much into a snapshot” (Readers Write, Aug. 31): Here is a reader lamenting that student tests are providing an incomplete or erroneous view of what they intend to measure. How else would schools know how successful they are regarding student progress unless they administer tests in a systematic way? In my day, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills was a once-per-year statewide evaluation of all students, and the results were shared with staff and parents/students. Complaining about test results being at fault sounds like the Trump administration complaining that because COVID testing showed the spread of COVID, testing should be stopped!

Duane Dana White, Edina

The review published on Aug. 31 about Friday’s Matchbox Twenty show at the Minnesota State Fair hangs on the idea that men and women like different kinds of music (”Matchbox plays to a festive full house,” Sept. 2). “That’s because, while Tom Petty, Creed and Nickelback have been called dad rock, Matchbox Twenty would be considered mom rock, along with ABBA and Bread, among others.”

I like Tom Petty, so I guess I’m a dad now?

Sure, it’s just a music review. But pitting the musical tastes of men against women does little to help me understand the fundamental questions a music review should answer: “How was the show?”

While it may seem like a throwaway line or playful taunt about different music tastes, the use of gender to frame this review is harmful. If you don’t think this kind of discourse doesn’t feed into “bro” culture and patriarchal thinking, you are failing to think critically. It’s a great example of everyday sexism that sneaks into stories and leaves readers like me frustrated.

Many reading this will think I’m overreacting. But I ask you to consider the multiplication of this kind of “men vs. women” reporting. (I won’t even get into the problem of implying that we’re all moms or dads.) Over time, it adds up and can impact civic decisionmaking.

I appreciate the time pressure on reporters to turn reviews around for timely publication. But for the sake of readers, please do better. As you continue to promote your new Minnesota Star Tribune branding and expand state coverage, your responsibility to the public is even greater.

Jennifer Moore, Duluth