The justice system isn’t up to par and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that. The sentencing of Kim Potter is the new epitome of the injustice on Blacks.
Potter was sentenced to just 16 months behind bars and eight months of supervised release for her role in the killing of Daunte Wright.
Wright’s parents were outraged over the sentencing of the former Brooklyn Center police officer, who was found guilty of manslaughter for fatally shooting their 20-year-old son.
“To sit there and watch, pouring my heart out in my victim impact statement that took so long to write — and I reread it over and over again — to not get a response out of the judge at all. But then when it came down … to sentencing Kim Potter, she broke out in tears,” said Wright’s mother, Katie Wright. “So once again, we are standing here to say that we’re very disappointed in the outcome. Yes, we got a conviction, and we thank everybody for that. But again, this isn’t OK. This is the problem with our justice system today, and white women tears trumps — trumps — justice. And I thought my white woman tears would be good enough because they’re true and genuine.”
Potter was one of the officers who pulled Wright over for a traffic stop in April for an expired license plate and the air fresheners hanging from his vehicle. Police at the scene found out he had a warrant and tried to take him into custody but he tried to flee.
That’s when Potter shot him in the chest. But she claims she intended to pull out her Taser instead of her firearm.
During Potter’s sentencing on Friday, Judge Regina Chu agreed that she was a “cop who made a tragic mistake” and then went through the terms of the two-year sentence, explaining that Potter would serve 16 months behind bars and the remaining time out on supervised release.
“I walked out of this courthouse feeling like people are laughing at us because this lady got a slap on the wrist, and we still every night sitting around crying, waiting on my son to come home,” said Wright’s father, Aubrey Wright. “I’m upset.” He also said he felt “cheated” and “hurt.
