Pruning the Police

Grab your gardening tools and let’s get to work.

During the unrest in Minneapolis in the spring of 2020, I had the privilege of living with my best friend for a few months. It was fantastic! She has a great house not far from where we both grew up and a wonderful came-with-the-picture-frame family. I cannot overstate enough how much I adore them! My bestie is an avid gardener and I…am not.

I sat on the deck out of the way and watched her garden, repeatedly asking her, “What’s this?” and “What’s that?” in relation to the plants. She has all the gardening tools like shovels, hand trowels, rakes, and gardening shears. “What’s that for?” I’d ask continually. (I’m lucky she loves me!) She patiently explained each tool is designed for a specific purpose, but in totality, they’re used to maintain the garden so it’s not only aesthetically pleasing, but also so each plant has a chance to thrive.

After a few months, I moved into the city. I now Iive in the shadows of the Hennepin County Government Center where the murder trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derick Chauvin is taking place. The former officer’s murder of George Floyd has ratcheted up the heat under the already-existing debate on police reform, not just in Minneapolis, but across the country. And in the last week of the trial, national news broke the story of 2nd Lieutenant Caron Nazario who was pulled over and cruelly assaulted by Virginia police. In that same week, just 15 miles north of Minneapolis, Daunte Wright was shot to death for the egregious offense of…