KSTP News Won’t Back Down From #pointergate
KSTP News in Minneapolis has posted another story related to their laughable attempt to frame Mayor Betsy Hodges as supporting gangs. So, do you think they apologized? Said they would fire the reporter and producers responsible? Guess again
Law enforcement agencies say the criticism of the photo of Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges making what they call a gang sign with a convicted felon misses the point.
Oh, please, tell us what the point is.
Michael Quinn, who spent more than 30 years in law enforcement, including 25 years with Minneapolis Police, says the photo is not about race, or police being “alarmists.”
Well, except for the part where they freaked out about a black guy pointing, but go on.
Quinn says he does not believe Mayor Hodges endorses gangs and says she “probably didn’t even know what the hand gesture meant.”
It meant, “Hey look, I’m standing next to the Mayor.”
Quinn says the gesture is a “known gang sign of one of the most violent gangs in Minneapolis and they will use this to their advantage.”
It’s also a hand gesture common to every human culture on the planet.
Quinn says there is a reason the man posted the photo on his website and he says, “There could be another gang that would take it as a show of disrespect and commit another crime to solve the dispute.”
Or it could be to say to his friends, “Hey, here’s a picture of me standing next to the Mayor”. I mean if he was a white guy, that would be obvious, but he’s black so it may be a gang sign, not that this has anything to do with race.
What the general public does not understand, Quinn says, “is the signs have real meaning on the street and gangs take them seriously and people have died for simply flashing a gang sign. That’s all we are saying. This is serious and can lead to serious consequences.”
No, this is stupid and you need to apologize.
More: Law Enforcement Says Criticism of Mayor Hodges’ Photo Misses the Point