Last week, the St. Paul, Minnesota Police Department honored a man named Alex Mingus, holding an award ceremony to thank him for helping the victim of a shooting and performing what they called “an act of gallantry and valor.” Mingus made the absolute most of the opportunity, using his platform as the guest of honor at a police ceremony to call out the inaction of those very police.
Here’s what Mingus was celebrated for, according to Mother Jones:
On October 8, 2021, Mingus was on his way to work when he heard gunshots at a gas station, St. Paul Interim Police Chief Jeremy Ellison said during the ceremony, originally recorded by On Site Public Media. A van sped away from the scene, and Mingus followed it. The van then pulled over, and a man got out, asking for help, Ellison said. “He was bleeding profusely.” Mingus, who said he is a certified firearms instructor, wrapped the man’s wound in a shirt to try and stop the bleeding. “Doctors stated that the aid provided by Alex prevented this man from dying,” Ellison noted.
At the ceremony, Ellison gave Mingus his medal and moved aside to let Mingus speak. As Mingus stepped up to the podium, he removed his sweatshirt to reveal a shirt reading in bold letters “SMASH WHITE SUPREMACY.” (And yes, Mingus has made the shirt available for purchase.)
Mingus said that on the day of the shooting, as he was helping the victim, nine squad cars raced past him, ignoring him as he tried to flag them down. He says he understood that they were heading to the scene of the shooting and pursuing the threat but still, “that was a potential of 18 people—eighteen people—that could have stopped to help preserve life.”
Mingus went on to tell those in attendance—presumably a crowd made up mostly of police officers—that he was “very uncomfortable being here with you guys. I do not rock with the police, but I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to say these things and I just want folks to know that they don’t keep us safe, we keep us safe.”
“Riots work,” he said in conclusion. “Thank you.”
Mingus has a long history of calling out white supremacy and police malfeasance online and he truly made the most of his opportunity to bring that message to this audience directly. Honestly, he deserves another medal just for this speech.
(image: screencap)
