Nonchalant Justice

Sentencing equality and blind justice is still achievable but something that has yet to be achieved. On, April 11, 2021, Officer Kim Potter shot and killed Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. The 26-year police veteran allegedly mistook her handgun for a taser. On February 18, 2022, Kim Potter was sentenced to 2 years in prison for killing the 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Before sentencing, Judge Regina M. Chu stated, “that I granted a significant downward departure does not in any way diminish Daunte Wright’s life, his life mattered.” According to WSB-TV 2 Atlanta, Judge Chu also stated that Potter would serve the standard two-thirds of her sentence, or 16 months in prison, with the rest on parole. Yet, we’ve seen similar cases in history in which judges have not been swayed by a plea for leniency due to an officer’s mistake. Most of the time, in those cases, it can be interpreted that race may have played a factor when judges use discretion to sentence Defendants. Some consider the sentencing of the Minneapolis Officer Mohamed Noor, who killed Juistine Damond, as a case in which race played a role with sentencing. Mohamed Noor was sentenced to 12 and a half years.

Regardless, there are members of the community that view Judge Chu’s sentencing sent the wrong message. The message that Daunte Wright’s life, a life never lived, was worth 24 months of timeout in a room with free rent.