#J. Alexander Kueng

[minnesotafollower]

Kueng and Thao Reject Proposed Deals for State Guilty Pleas for George Floyd Killing                                                                                                         On August 15, 2022, in Hennepin County District Court Minnesota Assistant Attorney General Matthew Frank offered the following plea deal to J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao: (a) drop their convictions for aiding…

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#George Floyd #Hennepin County District Court (Minnesota) #J. Alexander Kueng #Judge Peter Cahill #Tou Thao

[gwydionmisha]

#J. Alexander Kueng #Tou Thao #George Floyd #Police Brutality #News

[conandaily2022]

Why Derek Chauvin, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, J. Alexander Kueng arrested George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota

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#Derek Chauvin #George Floyd #Hennepin County #J. Alexander Kueng #Minneapolis #Minnesota #Thomas Lane #Tou Thao

[globalcourant]

Judge delays trial of 2 ex-cops in Floyd killing until 2023

Judge delays trial of 2 ex-cops in Floyd killing until 2023

Community members lay flowers down near gravestone markers at the ‘Say Their Names’ cemetery Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in Minneapolis. The intersection where George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police officers was renamed in his honor Wednesday, among a series of events to remember a man whose killing forced America to confront racial injustice. (Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)

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#crime #Death of George Floyd #delays #Derek Chauvin #excops #Floyd #General news #George Floyd #homicide #J. Alexander Kueng #Judge #killing #Law and order #Legal proceedings #Minneapolis #Minnesota #North America #Thomas Lane #Tou Thao #trial #Trials #United States #Violent crime

[redghnews]

George Floyd: Ex-officer J Alexander Kueng sentenced for manslaughter

George Floyd: Ex-officer J Alexander Kueng sentenced for manslaughter

A former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s back has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for his role in Mr. Floyd’s death. J Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty to a state charge of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in October. He was one of four officers involved in the arrest, filmed by bystanders, of the 46-year-old. Mr. Floyd was killed by police in…

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#Ex-officer J Alexander Kueng George Floyd

[beardedmrbean]

The officer, Tou Thao, was found guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter by a Minnesota judge in May.

Mr Thao testified that he acted as a "human traffic cone", holding back bystanders while Derek Chauvin knelt on Mr Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes.

Mr Floyd's death on 25 May 2020 sparked mass protests across the US.

All four former police officers involved in the incident were convicted on federal civil rights charges, in addition to state murder charges for Mr Chauvin. Ex-officers Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Thao, who was sentenced to three and a half years over his civil rights conviction, will serve the 57 months at the same time.

The former officer had waived his right to a jury trial in the manslaughter case, opting instead for Judge Peter Cahill to determine the verdict. He also waived the right to testify and question witnesses.

In a 177-page ruling in May, Judge Cahill said that Mr Thao's actions - which included shielding Chauvin and the two other officers from the crowd - prevented a trained emergency medic from being able to help Mr Floyd.

"There is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Thao's actions were objectively unreasonable from the perspective of a reasonable police officer, when viewed under the totality of the circumstances," the judge wrote.

Judge Cahill added that Thao's actions "were even more unreasonable in light of the fact that he was under a duty to intervene to stop other officers' excessive use of force and was trained to render medical aid".

#nunyas news

[politicalantibody]

All of the officers directly involved with George Floyd’s murder have now been sentenced. This is a high point of police accountability for manslaughter and murder of (black) civilians. Unfortunately, many others are still protected by their badges.

PROTECT (your fellow officers when they commit a murder or lesser crime) AND SERVE (their needs above those of the general populace)

[socialjusticeinamerica]

[minnesotafollower]

Tou Thao, ex-MPD Officer, Convicted for Aiding and Abetting Second-Degree Manslaughter of George Floyd

On May 1, 2023, Hennepin County District Court Judge Peter Cahill, after a trial on stipulated evidence, issued the Verdict that Tou Thao, a former MPD officer, “committed and is GUILTY of the offense of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in violation of Minn. Stat. [section] 609.05, Subd. 1, 609.205(1) in connection with the death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 . . . and is hereby…

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#Derek Chauvin #George Floyd #Hennepin County District Court (Minnesota) #J. Alexander Kueng #Judge Peter Cahill #Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison #Robert Paule #Thomas Lane #Tou Thao

[magnetictapedatastorage]

A former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd's back has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for his role in Mr Floyd's death.

#bbc

[ausetkmt]

The economics of how structural racism damages us all – The Catalyst

One of the most influential events of 2020 was the death of George Floyd at the hands of Derek Chauvin, J. Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao. Sparking nationwide protests, these events served as a stark reminder for the majority of Americans that the implicit racism that has always been intertwined with American society, and by extension its government, is very much alive.

With that being said, despite several months of protests and several criminal justice reform bills being passed (at a painstakingly slow pace with the issue being far from solved), the general public has seemed to once again have set the systemic racism issue onto the backburner.

Perhaps with the start of jury selection for the primary killer of Mr. Floyd, Derek Chauvin, however, the issue of American systemic racism will once again be recognized by the American government as the major threat to the American public that it is.

Unfortunately, with headlines such as “Derek Chauvin murder trial delayed for decision on extra charge” (The Guardian), and “Derek Chauvin Trial May Be Delayed Over Court Ruling on Third-Degree Murder” (The New York Times), it does not appear that the American criminal justice system has recognized the severity of systemic racism.

So why has this happened? It is almost universally agreed upon that racism is morally detestable, so why is our government so slow to act? Well, I, and probably many other fellow cynics, would argue that in our current society, money speaks louder than morals.

This assumption can be supported by the numerous cases of markets and governments becoming hopelessly intertwined. The post-2008 $700 billion bailouts of the banks are a perfect example of this.

While generally agreed upon (in moral terms) that the massive banks that caused the crisis should not be bailed out at the expense of the lower and middle classes, the size and power of these banks made it so that unless one wanted to see an economic collapse comparable to the Great Depression, a bailout was necessary to maintain relative economic well-being.

While the nature of the post-2008 world is an entire essay in it of itself, I hope that my brief examination of this topic has illustrated the relevance of my earlier assertion that in our current society money overpowers ideals.

This assertion is necessary for understanding the relevance of the rest of this article, as from this point onward I wish to address the issue of systemic racism. I wish to address it, not from a moral standpoint but rather from an economic standpoint.

Using basic economic theory (and several empirical cases to highlight my hypothesis), I hope to illustrate that a continued government failure to address the systemic racism issue is a real threat in the economic terms that our current political-economic system seems to value.

The idea that systemic racism is an economic threat is hardly a new concept to contemporary American politics. With the aforementioned Black Lives Matter protests in mind, the economic effects of structural racism against Black Americans are easy to find and distinct. A 2013 United States Department of Housing and Urban Development study concluded that prospective Black homeowners are shown 17.7% fewer homes compared to comparable white prospective homeowners.

Similarly, in 2011, Bank of America settled a $335 million lawsuit after acquiring Countrywide, amid accusations of charging 200,000 Black and Hispanic borrowers higher fees on the basis of race. Yet, while all these issues are incredibly problematic, they are also reflective a specific type of economic racism: supplier-based discrimination.

Supplier-based discrimination, as the name suggests, is discrimination on the part of the seller. While it is definitely problematic, according to market-based economic theory, supplier discrimination tends to sort itself out because charging a certain minority group more or hiring that group less invites competing firms to create specific policies that cater to the certain group and reap more of a profit.

In simplest terms, the market “sorts” out supplier-based discrimination in the long run. Now while that theory only applies if we presuppose that all actors in the market are solely profit-driven, (and aren’t influenced by inherent emotional factors like racism), there does appear to be some level of merit to this theory, as a study by Devah Pager provided some empirical support to this claim.

The center for American Progress, however, provided data that suggests that even near full employment, Black unemployment remains 2 to 1, when compared to white unemployment. Nevertheless, due to the ongoing debate over the “effects” of supplier-based discrimination, I believe that the supply side of the racial economic argument is a dead end.

Thus, I want to take another approach in spurring those with power to take decisive action. That approach is the other form of discrimination: consumer-based discrimination. As the name suggests, this is preference-based discrimination done by the consumer, and unlike its supply side counterpart, market economic theory doesn’t argue that the problem will solve itself. The logic is relatively easy to follow: if consumers don’t want to see or interact with a certain minority group then it is in each supplier’s best interest to enforce discriminatory policies. So, is this an issue? Is general American society really that racist?

While it is incredibly difficult to quantify a given society as more or less racist, I would argue the metrics we do have suggest that consumer-based racism can be a real problem. Harvard Implicit Bias tests suggest that about 68% of its correspondents have some level of subconscious preference for white-presenting individuals over Black-presenting individuals.

When we consider that notion with other general observations such as white supremacists hijacking Black Lives Matter protests and the continued existence of “sundown towns,” the conclusion that large sectors of our population might have an unconscious bias against Black Americans seems less and less outlandish. Now obviously this is a moral crisis, but if you remember at the beginning of this piece, I promised I would highlight how this is an economic crisis.

When minority inventors or future entrepreneurs face a heightened aberrance from consumers, they are naturally less likely to succeed and/or feel confident in their future economic prospects. Furthermore, when we consider that Black Americans face heightened resistance from our criminal justice system (according to a 2017 U.S. Sentencing Commission Study) it is easy to imagine that faith in these institutions begins to falter.

When faith in a society’s abilities to enforce and protect property rights begins to falter for a minority group, economic development suffers a hit as well. In more clear-cut terms, if you think you will become a target for racism by opening a business, or you do not trust the government to settle matters if your store is robbed, why would you ever open a business in the first place?

More importantly, the implications of this concept have devastating consequences. Lisa Cook, a researcher who studied the effects of racism on Black patent holders between 1870 and 1940, found that the wealth that America lost due to Black inventors being discouraged to innovate due to racism is equivalent to about a medium-sized European nation at the time. In other words, the American government’s general apathy to addressing societal racism, and reforming and increasing trust in our criminal justice system, heavily limits our GDP growth rates.

Now the conclusion I reached throughout this article might seem initially bland. I essentially concluded that racism is bad, a take that really isn’t that controversial. So why even take the time (and the length) to spell this argument out, and how exactly is it relevant to the Derek Chauvin trial?

To answer those questions I want to once again point to the concepts I laid out earlier. While it may appear cynical, we live in a world where money speaks louder than ideals. So rather it is not the “what” that I concluded but the “how” that I concluded that matters.

I truly believe that an argument that outlines why systemic racism has real tangible detrimental effects, not only for Black Americans but also for the rich and powerful, is thousands of times more effective than a simplistic moral “ought” claim. It quite literally sets a tangible basis for reparations and restoring what was stolen.

So, for the upcoming Derek Chauvin trial America is faced with a choice: will it continue to shoot itself in its own foot and turn its back on its citizens? Or will it finally take the first steps in restoring faith in a broken criminal justice system and repair the economic ruin that it has left far too long in its own wake?

With cases such as Laquan McDonald’s and Breonna Taylor’s in mind, I cannot say that I am hopeful, but I know for certain that this April I will be watching and demanding a long-overdue step in the right direction.

Related

The Privilege of Moving on: Racism Still Alive in Sports

A Letter from the Editor By SAMANTHA GILBERT & MICHAEL GORMAN As the MLB season comes to a close and the NBA season starts up, the public conversations surrounding the NFL’s protests during the national anthem have come to a halt. Players are still kneeling, sitting, and putting their fists…

November 9, 2017

In "20171109"

Black Lives Matter in an Almost All White Town

By Emma McDermott | Illustration by Xixi Qin My hometown, Wilmette, Ill., has a population of just over 27,000 and sits comfortably on Chicago’s north shore. It's where the Emanuel brothers grew up, where Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight Schrute on “The Office,” lived during his high school years, and…

April 9, 2020

#The economics of how structural racism damages us all #systemic racism #economic failures #american hatred costs

[conandaily2022]

Minneapolis, Minnesota's J. Alexander Kueng pleads guilty to aiding and abetting in manslaughter

Minneapolis, Minnesota’s J. Alexander Kueng pleads guilty to aiding and abetting in manslaughter

J. Alexander Kueng, 29, of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting in manslaughter on October 24, 2022. Prosecutors and his defense attorney Thomas C. Plunkett, 57, of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota agreed to recommend a sentence of 42 months in prison. As part of Kueng’s plea agreement, a second charge of aiding and…

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#George Floyd #Hennepin County #J. Alexander Kueng #Minneapolis #Minnesota

[the-sayuri-rin]

Former Minneapolis officer pleads guilty in George Floyd killing

The plea deal for J. Alexander Kueng calls for 3 1/2 years in prison, with prosecutors agreeing to drop a count of aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

[sleepysera]

12.10.22 Headlines

WORLD NEWS

Russia: Grind continues on in eastern Ukraine; Bakhmut ‘destroyed’ (AP)

“The latest battles of Russia’s 9 1/2 month war in Ukraine have centered on four provinces that Russian President Vladimir Putin triumphantly — and illegally — claimed to have annexed in late September. The fighting indicates Russia’s struggle to establish control of those regions and Ukraine’s persistence to reclaim them.”

Syria: What’s at stake in Turkey’s new Syria escalation (AP)

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly warned of a new land incursion to drive Kurdish groups away from the Turkish-Syrian border, following a deadly Nov. 13 bombing in Istanbul. Turkish authorities blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and on the Syria-based People’s Protection Units, or YPG. Both have denied involvement.”

Morocco: First African country to reach World Cup semifinals (AP)

“It is a seminal moment in World Cup history, with an African nation finally advancing to the levels typically only reached by European or South American teams. Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010) all reached the quarterfinals but got no further.”

US NEWS

Texas: House advances giant storm surge project in water bill (AP)

“Fourteen years after Hurricane Ike ripped through thousands of homes and businesses near Galveston, Texas — but mostly spared the region’s oil refineries and chemical plants — the U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to authorize the most expensive project ever recommended by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to protect against the next raging storm.”

George Floyd: Ex-cop who kneeled on George Floyd’s back gets 3.5-year term (AP)

“The former Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on George Floyd’s back while another officer kneeled on the Black man’s neck was sentenced Friday to 3 1/2 years in prison. J. Alexander Kueng pleaded guilty in October to a state count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In exchange, a charge of aiding and abetting murder was dropped. Kueng is already serving a federal sentence for violating Floyd’s civil rights, and the state and federal sentences will be served at the same time.”

Tornados: Kentucky remembers victims as rebuilding continues (AP)

“One year ago Saturday, a massive tornado obliterated wide swaths of her Kentucky hometown of Dawson Springs, leaving her homeless after a terrifying night of death and destruction. The holiday season tragedy killed 81 people across Kentucky and turned buildings into mounds of rubble as damage reached into hundreds of millions of dollars.”

#current events #news #russia #ukraine #war #syria #turkey #morocco #world cup #sports #united states #texas #weather #global warming #climate change #george floyd #blm

[beardedmrbean]

A former Minneapolis police officer charged in connection with the murder of George Floyd pleaded guilty on Monday as his trial was about to begin, a court spokesperson confirmed.

J. Alexander Kueng, who pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting manslaughter in state court, was one of three officers who did not intervene while Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes in May 2020, killing him.

Kueng and Thomas Lane helped Chauvin restrain Floyd, an unarmed Black man, while another officer, Tou Thao, kept bystanders from approaching the scene.

All three were previously convicted in federal court of depriving Floyd of his civil rights and sentenced in July to between 2-1/2 and 3-1/2 years in prison. Chauvin was convicted of murder in a state trial and sentenced to 22-1/2 years; he also pleaded guilty to related federal charges and is serving a federal sentence of 21 years concurrently.

Floyd's death sparked months of nationwide protests over police brutality.

Kueng's plea agreement includes a sentence of 3-1/2 years that will be served concurrently with his federal sentence, according to Matt Lehman, a spokesperson for Hennepin County District Court. Lane accepted a similar plea deal in May.

Kueng's defense attorney and the Minnesota attorney general's office, which is prosecuting the case, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Thao, who rejected a comparable agreement in August, decided on Monday to waive his right to a jury trial, according to the Star Tribune newspaper. Instead, Thao agreed to have a state judge determine his guilt based on evidence submitted jointly by prosecutors and the defense, the newspaper reported.

#nunyas news

[androgynousbirdtale]

Hell yes. Man up! It's about time!

A former Minneapolis police officer pleaded guilty Monday to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd just as jury selection was about to begin. Another former officer waived his right to a jury trial, setting up an unusual proceeding in which the judge will issue a verdict after lawyers submit written arguments.

The plea deal for J. Alexander Kueng calls for 3 1/2 years in prison, with prosecutors agreeing to drop a count of aiding and abetting second-degree murder. Kueng is the second officer to plead guilty to the state charge, following Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Their former colleague, Tou Thao, rejected a plea deal earlier this year, telling a judge it “would be lying” to accept any such deal. On Monday, he agreed to go forward with a modified proceeding called a trial by stipulated evidence, in which he accepts certain evidence against him and waives his rights to a trial by jury and to testify.

The two sides will work out agreed-upon evidence against Thao and will prepare written closing arguments. They will submit those to Judge Peter Cahill by Nov. 17, with Cahill to rule on guilt or innocence within 90 days. The process includes an agreement to drop the aiding murder charge if Thao is convicted on the lesser charge. With such a conviction, Thao would likely get about four years in prison.

Keep reading at the link above.

#2022 #george floyd #say his name #murdered by those meant to protect and serve #man up #prison time #is it justice? #police brutality #end police brutality #being black is not a crime #black is beautiful