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Former cop convicted in shooting of Daunt Wright seeks redemption
Potter was convicted in the fatal shooting of motorist Daute Wright and is now speaking to law enforcement groups about her experience, angering Wright’s mother.
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — A former Minnesota police officer who was convicted of killing a Black motorist when she used her handgun instead of her taser during a traffic stop is out of prison and delivering presentations at law enforcement conferences, stirring up a heated debate over how officers punished for misconduct should atone for their misdeeds.
Kim Potter served her sentence for killing Daunte Wright, then met with the prosecutor who charged her case. That former prosecutor, Imran Ali, said Potter wanted to do something to help other officers avoid making the same mistake Potter made in taking a life. Ali saw making a presentation on her experience as a path toward redemption for police officers who have erred and an opportunity to promote healing in communities already shaken by police misconduct.
But Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, said the plan amounts to an enraging scheme where her son’s killer would turn a profit from his death and dredge up painful memories in the process.
“I think that Kim Potter had her second chance. She got to go home with her children. That was her second chance,” Wright said. “I think that when we’re looking at police officers, when they’re making quote-unquote mistakes, they still get to live in our community. They still get to continue their lives. That’s their second chance. We don’t have a second chance to be able to bring our loved ones back.”
Potter did not respond to phone and email messages, and Ali declined to show the AP the full presentation. But he described Potter’s opening line in a presentation for a law enforcement agency in Washington state, which read: “I killed Daunte Wright. I’m not proud of it. And neither should you be.”
A planned presentation by Potter as part of a law enforcement training session was abruptly canceled in September after news reports generated criticism. But other law enforcement groups, including one of the largest in Minnesota, have hosted the presentation and are continuing to invite Potter to speak.
Some see canceling her presentation as short-sighted, saying she could share a cautionary tale with others who have to make life-or-death decisions in the field.
“This is the definition of why I decided to walk away. You have somebody that recognizes the need for reform, recognizes the need for redemption, recognizes the need to engage. And still,” Ali said. “If you’re in law enforcement in this country, there is no redemption.”
Ali initially was co-counsel in the case against Potter. But he resigned his post, saying “vitriol” and “partisan politics” made it hard to pursue justice. Ali is now a law enforcement consultant and said he is working to help departments implement changes that could prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office took over the prosecution of Potter after Ali resigned, has also said the former officer’s public expression of remorse could help the community heal.
Wright was killed on April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where the officer who killed George Floyd was on trial. Wright’s killing ignited protests as communities in Minneapolis and beyond were still reeling from Floyd’s murder. A jury later found Potter guilty of manslaughter. A judge said Potter never intended to hurt Wright and sentenced her to two years in prison. She was released after 16 months and later connected with Ali.
“I was like, wow. Even after being convicted, even after being driven out of your home, even after having so many death threats against you and having been incarcerated, you just don’t want to go away,” Ali said.
Potter and Ali have become a fixture at Minnesota Sheriff’s Association events. They delivered training sessions at conferences in June and September, with a future training scheduled in October. They also took their presentation out of state in May when Potter presented at a law enforcement conference in Indiana, event agendas show.
Jeff Storms, the Wright family’s attorney, said the description of the Washington training session in the contract prepared by Ali’s law firm reads more like an advertisement tailored for police officers who feel embattled, rather than a heartfelt story of Potter’s regrets.
“The officer, and the prosecutor who quit in protest, will deliver a dynamic presentation on the truth of what occurred, the increased violence and non-compliance directed towards law enforcement, the importance of training, and steps we can take in the future,” says the contract for the training session, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
That passage suggests Ali is engineering support for Potter and his law firm, Storms said.
“They profit from law enforcement training. And so to say this is simply about sort of a redemption arc for Ms. Potter in doing this training, it sounds really hard to believe that that’s the case,” Storms said.
Ali’s firm proposed a $8,000 charge for the Washington State training session, which includes speaking fees and travel costs, the contract says.
“To say my firm is trying to benefit off an $8,000 contract is ridiculous,” Ali said.
He did not say how much money Potter would earn but said the amount was far less than what she might earn telling her story through a book deal or another project.
Ali said he is committed to helping law enforcement agencies implement changes that would prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake. The backlash to Potter telling her story at the training session speaks to a view among some that redemption for those convicted of crimes does not extend to police officers, Ali said.
“We can give the benefit of the doubt to people that are former Ku Klux Klan members or former skinheads that come in and educate, sometimes even our youth,” Ali said. “But we cannot give law enforcement that chance.”
Rachel Moran, a professor specializing in police accountability at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, said the perspectives of victims and their families should be considered by law enforcement agencies when they decide who to include at training sessions. But Potter’s voice might be able to penetrate a law enforcement culture that is skeptical of outside criticism, she said
“Police officers culturally do have a pattern of not wanting to hear outside perspectives and not believing other people can understand the situation,” she added. “So to hear from someone who is very much in their shoes, who’s actually willing to admit an error, I think that has potential to be heard more by officers than an outsider.”
In an interview, James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, said Potter’s upcoming presentation to his group would go on despite the recent blowback. His organization has a responsibility to learn from the “national moment of upheaval” sparked by Potter’s killing of Wright.
“She’ll be the first to say she’s not a hero and it was a horrific tragic accident,” Stuart said. “I understand the concerns and the criticisms, but I would also hope they could understand the value of learning from mistakes and making sure that no other families find themselves in that same situation.”
The Giving Voice Crosstown Chorus serenaded their audience Friday with a blend of traditional tunes and Christmas favorites.
EDINA, Minn. — A unique chorus and community added their voices to the holiday season on Friday.
The Giving Voice Crosstown Chorus serenaded their audience with a blend of traditional tunes and Christmas favorites.
Choir members also shared about the beautiful community they’ve created, as every member is either a person living with Alzheimer’s or other form of dementia or their care partner.
KARE 11’s Karla Hult was honored to join the festivities as a featured speaker, adding that this concert is a “highlight of my holiday season,”
To learn more about Giving Voice – and the opportunity to support this organization or become part of a choir yourself – just click here.
You can also learn about the benefits (and joys) of music for those living with dementia in Karla’s conversation with Giving Voice Artistic Director Debbie Richman on Karla’s podcast, Hello Alzheimer’s. You can find the conversation here or wherever you get your podcasts.
On the eve of a big holiday event in downtown Northfield, someone cut down a tree in the center of town. It wasn’t down for long.
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — On the morning of the annual Winter Walk event in downtown Northfield, the brightly colored Christmas tree at the center of it all was in shambles.
“I got a text from one of the city streets guys saying the Grinch has been downtown and took out a tree,” said Jane Bartho, president of the Northfield Chamber of Commerce and Tourism. “I’m like, are you sure the wind didn’t take it out?”
After seeing a photo of the tree, Bartho had a definitive answer to her question.
Jane Bartho: “Yeah, clearly it was not the wind. It looked like a chainsaw took it off. You could see a path where somebody dragged the tree across the street.”
Kent Erdahl: “So you see the path and then you think, ‘Okay, it is the Grinch.’
Bartho: “It was the Grinch because who else? Who else would do it? I just can’t imagine. I cannot imagine who… who would have done that.”
But dwelling in ‘who?’ville wasn’t an option for Bartho, not with a event just hours away, which would draw thousands of people into downtown.
“Honestly, most of my focus yesterday was about the event,” she said.
Though the city crew was able to trim the base of the tree and get it upright again, the decorations were in disrepair.
“I mean, even the lights were cut,” Bartho said.
“Yeah, they cut the lights,” said Zandra Bornhauser, who was part of the team with Home Town Credit Union who sponsored the tree and had decorated it. “So we had to redecorate it fully, pretty much.”
“We were just shocked,” said Kurt Halverson, who helped with the tree repair. “It was just hard to understand who would take the effort on such a cold night to come down here in such a public space and cut down something that’s just meant to be a symbol of good and cheer.”
Thanks to their quick work, the team of helpers made sure that Grinch didn’t rob anyone of that cheer. The tree was back shining bright by the time the festival began Thursday night.
“It was magical,” Bartho said.
“It was so inspiring to see how everybody rallied around to wish us good luck in re-setting up the tree,” Halverson said. “It really did bring the community closer together on such a cold evening.”
As for the cold-hearted grinch, Bartho says they’re still checking security cameras and asking around.
“To see if anybody was looking out,” she said. “If anybody saw anything.”
And if they are eventually identified?
Bartho: “Maybe the punishment would have to be to decorate the tree every year in this frigid weather.”
Erdahl: “If you’re going to keep with the theme, you’ve got to invite them down and sing with them, right? You’ve got to warm that cold heart.”
Bartho: “At the end, yeah, his heart was warmed by the people in his life, so maybe the punishment would be to come down and have hot chocolate, feel the Christmas spirit and never do that again.”
Almost 80 percent reported that they have less than a year before they face financial distress.
MINNESOTA, USA — Despite Give to the Max Day breaking donation records, nonprofits tell us they still need help to keep up the demand for their services.
According to a recent survey by the Council of Nonprofits, 73 percent of Minnesota organizations reported they have grown programs and services to meet the demands of Minnesotans.
Almost 80 percent reported that they have less than a year before they face financial distress.
Open Arms is a nonprofit that delivers food to critically ill people. It said December is a crucial month for donations, because they will make decisions on their programs and services for the next year.
“Wages and the cost of ingredients have gone up 30% since the end of COVID or the end of the COVID years, and so that is really, really hard on all nonprofits,” said CEO Leah Hébert Welles. “And then the second thing, government funds have dried up.”
“It’s almost kind of like the way that the tide works and a big body of water where there is still significant need, but that wave of resources from 2020 has backed up, and the need for nonprofits is still right there,” said Jake Blumberg, the executive director of GiveMN, the organization in charge of Give to the Max Day.
Blumberg says 30% of donations for nonprofits happen in the last six weeks of the year.
“We have to make really hard decisions about what we can do next year, how many more people we can help, how many more staff we can hire,” said Welles,
To consider donation or volunteering to Open Arms of Minensota, click here.
To explore more nonprofits, visit GiveMN.org.
