Thread by @GalvinAlmanza

OK, let's talk about the warrant thing, since it's coming up in the Daunte conversation. Right now the conversation is grief and outrage and it feels inappropriate to dig in, but people are raising it, so there are some things you should know about "having a warrant out"

I was a public defender for the better part of a decade. I have represented thousands of people. People get warrants *all the time* everywhere for *all kinds of reasons*

Work
Job interview
School
No childcare
Sick
No transportation
And yes, sometimes bc they didn't want to go

The VAST MAJORITY of times I have seen warrants issued it's bc of things outside one's control (work, lack of transit, lack of childcare are the biggies). Forgetting is also a thing, and it's important to note that the #1 best way to stop that kind of warrant is...a text message.

Look ma a citation for that abajournal.com/lawscribbler/a…

But the connection that people are trying to draw here is somehow between warrants and *dangerousness*. That because this person had a warrant for an outstanding (misdemeanor mind you) weapons charge, police SHOULD be terrified.

People do react badly to police. Like I said, I've repped thousands of people, many accused of violent crime, weapons crime, you name it. I have only rarely felt unsafe. It's on par with how often you feel unsafe just normally being a woman walking down the street.

So why do people react badly to police? Well because police are armed and kill a lot of people, primarily BIPOC, so if you're dealing with police and you're not white you *know your life is on the line.*

That does not make for good interactions.

When I raise this challenge--that police are maybe *especially bad* choices for who should interface with civilians--people often try to make it personal. "Well would YOU want to go tell someone out on a warrant for a weapons case that they have to come in?"

I mean yes. I actually have. I have done so *a lot* because I cared bout my clients doing well and if someone missed court I would go check on them as needed. So yeah. I'm not a weirdo, I text first, but I am living proof that you can help *hundreds of people* come in on warrants

I have never owned a gun. I have never pepper sprayed anyone. I am generally pretty calm. I don't scare people because people don't *have a very fact-based fear that I might kill them* and so things go a hell of a lot better than they ever would with police.

All of which is to say, we don't need police to do 90% of the things we think we need them for, and the remaining 10% they are not doing so well at (check out homicide or rape clearance rates in most jurisdictions).

I am living proof of that, as are STAR, CAHOOTS, MACRO, and the Advocates of @PFJ_USA who care for our clients with level heads and open hearts and don't need guns to have a conversation.

theappeal.org/traffic-enforc…