For an only moderate sized metro area, the Twin Cities are really managing to stay in the forefront of the issue of excessive force by police.

When Philando Castile was shot in a suburb of the Twin Cities, I had some hope that we would finally see some change or justice for unnecessary police shootings and violence. Castile was a good man, loved in his community, who worked with school children. He wasn't violent or a criminal or any of the things used to justify most unnecessary police shootings. Of course, no justice has come of it. His shooter was recently acquitted and not even fired; so, he will be moving his history of problem behavior - and now killing - to a different police department.

Just last week, the Minneapolis police were caught on video shooting two dogs while checking on a house alarm. The police claimed that the dogs were a threat, but the video shows that immediately before the officer attempted to execute both bogs, the dog nearest the officer ran about halfway to the officer wagging it's tail and being friendly, and stopped. There was no threat.

Saturday July 15, Justine Diamond, a forty-year-old Australian mother of two who was staying with her fiancée and son in south Minneapolis, called the police to report a disturbance in the alley behind there house. The police shot and killed her. Their body cameras were turned off, and no information is being released about what happened or why (a facebook video by her step-son demanding answers about her death is in the links below).

My reaction is sorrow, and anger. Yes, we don't know what happened. Maybe it is less sinister than these shootings often sound. I don't care. I am sick to death of innocent people being killed and murdered by the police.

Mostly, I am full of sorrow and anger at another innocent life lost. But beyond that, I am grappling with a question. Like with Castile, I am hoping that maybe this time, there will finally be justice. Justine was a white, middle-class woman; maybe she can get justice. I don't know how to feel if she does. Should I be glad someone got justice, or would it just highlight the the lack of justice for Phlando Castile and all of the people of color killed by police with no consequence? Either way, what would be better than justice would be that she was still alive and with her future step-son. My heart goes out to all her family. Things have to change.