Local Connection: Police officers and their guns, offensive place names, and quilting to send a message

When former police officer Kimberly Potter took the witness stand in her trial over the killing of Daunte Wright in Minnesota, she apologized for the fatal shooting during a traffic stop, The New York Times reports. She testified that she had intended to use her Taser but that she had had her gun in her hand instead. She added that the shooting was the first time she had fired her gun in the line of duty in her 26 years as a police officer in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb. She said she had never fired her Taser in the field.

Meanwhile, many natural features across the country have names that were once common but are now viewed as unacceptable slurs, The Washington Post reports. Although a number of the offensive place names are in the West, virtually every state has examples of them. Discussions over such names, and over landmarks named for enslavers and others with tainted legacies, have dragged on for decades. Now there are new efforts to take action. The process of renaming mountains, lakes and gullies can be extremely slow. But Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is looking to bring faster change. She has ordered the creation of a task force to remove the word squaw from more than 650 geographic names. And she has created a diverse committee to review other offensive place names. 


Finally, two quilts on display at Jackson State University honor the lives of victims of racial violence, The Christian Science Monitor reports. The Stitch Their Names Memorial Project was started in July 2020 by Holli Johannes, a high school math teacher in Eugene, Oregon. A group of 75 stitchers from around the country worked to construct the quilts as the nation grappled with systemic racism after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Johannes said the goal was to create art to humanize the souls who were lost to racial violence. Some portraits focus on faces, others show the full body. Each one tells viewers something about a victim's life.

PLUS: A pro tip from Kim Todd, author of "Sensational: The Hidden History of America's 'Girl Stunt Reporters.'"

THE STORY: DURING TESTIMONY, KIMBERLY POTTER APOLOGIZES FOR KILLING DAUNTE WRIGHT

When former police officer Kimberly Potter took the witness stand in her trial over the killing of Daunte Wright in Minnesota, she apologized for the fatal shooting during a traffic stop, The New York Times reports. She testified that she had intended to use her Taser but that she had had her gun in her hand instead. She added that the shooting was the first time she had fired her gun in the line of duty in her 26 years as a police officer in Brooklyn Center, a Minneapolis suburb. She said she had never fired her Taser in the field.

LOCALIZE IT: Although incidents in which police officers fire their weapons get a lot of attention in the news, there are many law-enforcement officers across the country who have fired their guns or Tasers only in training or on firing ranges. Talk to local law-enforcement officials and officers about how many officers have not fired their weapons. This can add perspective to the view of police officers and what they do. 

Here are some questions to ask:

• What weapons do police officers routinely carry in the line of duty?
• What kind of training do they receive on those weapons?
• How often do officers have to upgrade their training or be recertified on various weapons?
• What weapon is deployed most often in line of duty?
• What happens after a weapon is deployed? Is there a review? Does that review apply to all weapons, for example night sticks, or just firearms and Tasers?
• How many officers have never deployed their firearms in the line of duty?
• How many officers have never deployed their Tasers in the line of duty?
• Do officers receive specific training in avoiding confusion between guns and Tasers?
• For officers who have never fired a gun, how do they explain that situation? Have they been in situations where they de-escalated to avoid firing a gun? Or has it just been a case of not being in a situation where use of a firearm would be authorized?
• Does the department have any training focused on de-escalation or avoiding use of a firearm?

THE STORY: MISSISSIPPI QUILTING DISPLAY REMEMBERS VICTIMS OF RACIAL VIOLENCE

Two quilts on display at Jackson State University honor the lives of victims of racial violence, The Christian Science Monitor reports. The Stitch Their Names Memorial Project was started in July 2020 by Holli Johannes, a high school math teacher in Eugene, Oregon. A group of 75 stitchers from around the country worked to construct the quilts as the nation grappled with systemic racism after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. Johannes said the goal was to create art to humanize the souls who were lost to racial violence. Some portraits focus on faces, others show the full body. Each one tells viewers something about a victim's life.

LOCALIZE IT: Quilting has long been a form of activism and art. Look around in your community for people who are using quilting as a special means of expression. Check with retailers who sell quilting supplies, galleries or museums to find individuals who send a message with their quilts. Profile someone who is making such quilts.

Here are some questions to ask:

• How long have you been quilting?
• How did you get involved in quilting?
• What were your first quilts like?
• How much planning goes into your quilts before you start sewing?
• How long does it take to make a quilt?
• Why do you use quilts to express your message as opposed to other art forms, like painting?
• What has been the response to your quilts?
• What are you currently working on?
• Do you have a favorite quilt that you've completed?
• Do you find peace or comfort in doing this work?