Mohamed Noor

Damond’s stepmother, Maryan Heffernan, made some telling observations: “We’re very disappointed. But we’re not surprised. We’ve been watching events in Minneapolis from miles away and we’re still bewildered about the charge being dropped and we’re still bewildered about the culture of the Minneapolis Police Department.”

Heffernan’s bewilderment is understandable, but the culture of the Minneapolis Police Department is readily explicable. Mohamed Noor was the first Somali Muslim on the Minneapolis police force, and the force couldn’t have been prouder of this visible manifestation of its commitment to “diversity.” In 2016, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges expressed her excitement about that fact: “I want to take a moment to recognize Officer Mohamed Noor, the newest Somali officer in the Minneapolis Police Department. Officer Noor has been assigned to the 5th Precinct, where his arrival has been highly celebrated, particularly by the Somali community in and around Karmel Mall.”

It’s important to note that Hodges wasn’t excited because Mohamed Noor was a first-class police recruit who had demonstrated that he had the skills necessary to become a fine police officer. It’s didn’t matter at all how he performed during officer training; the Minneapolis Police Department and city officials were determined that Mohamed Noor would succeed no matter what.

There is more. Read the rest here.