Lee Merritt is a civil rights attorney representing the families of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. … [+] He is running for Attorney General of Texas with an agenda of changing police culture. Lee Merritt This week, the country has been saddened and outraged by the death of Daunte Wright, shot by former police officer Kim Potter. Even more grave is knowing his story is just one in a thousand: over the past year, over 990 people have been fatally shot by the police. While people are generally united by the idea that a 20 year-old father having his life cut short is a tragedy, they are highly divided by the question of what caused his death — a fleeing suspect with an outstanding warrant? A police vetern unable to distinguish between her taser and her gun, and in general, incapable of defusing a situation without resorting to force? I would offer a third interpretation, with broader implications: a system of policing in America that leads to never-ending cycles of criminalization of Black men, and abuses of police power that are unchecked by government authority, spurred on by the promise of economic gain. Former Officer Potter was charged on April 14th with second degree manslaughter, as Derek Chauvin currently sits trial for the murder of George Floyd in the third degree. The nation may see some rare justice (less than 2% of officer-involved shootings result in criminal convictions) served by the courts, but the courts can’t bring these men back… Click below to read the full story from Forbes
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The Money Story Behind Police Power: Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt Explains
