Mail Call: A response to the commander
This editorial is in response to commentary by Commander Linda Dvorak in The Minnesota Legionnaire.
I agree with what the commander says about embracing principles of law and order, keeping both protestors and immigration agents safe, and judging the use of lethal force using the totality of civilian circumstances.
She mentions that “federal agents are tasked with carrying out the law.”
The maintenance of law and order carries a tremendous load of responsibility and requires disciplined adherence to the highest standards of conduct and the constitution. We have seen examples where some ICE and Border Patrol agents have violated these sacred standards of conduct.
The tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) employed by these federal agents on the streets of Minnesota have, at times, been reckless and ruthless, not always adhering to the standards we’ve come to expect from our local police, sheriff’s offices and Minnesota State Patrol. The commander states that federal agents “are not present to provoke conflict,” but their disregard for adhering to standards of conduct stoked the fire of protest.
As we stand in the wake of the invasive and destructive ICE operation, the citizens of Minnesota are even more wary of who to trust. We seek accountability from a federal agency and presidential administration that is unwilling to cooperate with Minnesota’s officials regarding the apparent violation of civil rights and the unnecessary death of two of our own citizens.
The absence of a joint, transparent, objective and comprehensive investigation to uncover what happened, how it happened and why it happened (the death of two people) is one of the most disturbing challenges we are facing.
The investigation is supposed to yield the facts that allow authorities to make decisions regarding accountability. If we do not uncover all facts, or the truth, how do we understand what happened or make any decisions about accountability?
Without accountability, this issue of trust will only persist.
Kevin Gerdes
Montevideo Post 59
ret. Army brigadier general