Terrance Franklin Homicide: A Critique of the Minneapolis Police Department

On May 10, 2013, at approximately 1535 hours, Terrance Franklin, an unarmed 22-year-old African American male, was shot and fatally wounded by Minneapolis police officers, Michael Meath, and Lucas Peterson. My professional analysis reveals as to the homicide being attributed to a lack of understanding of community policing by the command structure which also lacks expertise in the psychological tools needed to maintain peace within every community that it is charged with protecting. There are numerous indications that Mr. Franklin was dehumanized by procedures used within the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) so as to desensitize police officers to the reality of being a minority, including one of whom was torn from his indigenous homeland of Africa. That day, police officers used a number of racial epitaphs in describing Mr. Franklin prior to his murder, including the "N" word and  black beater  (Williams, 2014). It was clear by their reaction during his surrender that Meath and Peterson did not possess the psychological, emotional, and moral compass needed to protect human life. The pursuit ended after Mr. Franklin was found hiding in the basement of the residence located at 2717 Bryant Ave S, Minneapolis, Minnesota.