Great response, but what if?

Submitted by Rowene Weems
Posted 6/3/21

Dear Editor:

The death outside Frannie (per the May 27 front page) is a tragic story on several levels, not least for all its unanswered questions. And something else stood out for me.

After …

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Great response, but what if?

Posted

Dear Editor:

The death outside Frannie (per the May 27 front page) is a tragic story on several levels, not least for all its unanswered questions. And something else stood out for me.

After the white male driver, Joshua Klebenstein, admitted he had been drinking and taking drugs, he became verbally aggressive and threatened the officers with violence: “[T]he deputy said Kelbenstein eventually had to be taken to the ground and handcuffed after he refused to follow orders.”

My first reaction was relief — it was a reasonable response. 

No chokehold.

No bullets.

No knee on the neck for nine minutes.

And then I was curious: What if Joshua had been a person of color? 

Rowene Weems

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