Thread:Mishter Miner/@comment-131.212.16.230-20200706181502

Hello Mishter,

I was just reading your article about Deputy James Pollack and his death by the hands of union copper miners. My great grandpa, Luka Plese, was one of those miners. The account is also told in the book Rebels on the Range by Arthur Thurner. As I read the passage, it would seem that events transpired differently than they did as written in the article, being much more charitable to Deputy Pollack’s demise.

Here is an excerpt from the US Department of Labor: ...”However, nine men suspected of having been with Minerich at the time of the shooting were arrested on the charge of murder. One of these men, named Luka Pease, a brother-in-law of Minerich, is alleged to have made a statement that he, Minerich, and another man were walking on the sidewalk toward Houghton, that Minerich said some thing to Pollack which Pease did not hear, that thereupon Pollack shot Minerich in the stomach, and that while Pease was holding Pollack the latter was shot by Minerich.“

And I know it’s told similarly I the Thurner version as well, with no mentions of beatings. As it’s told, it seems that Pollack was infuriated by a simple passing comment and then assaulted/shot Minerich. The retaliation that resulted in his death was born out of self defense, wherein Luka sought to restrain him to prevent anymore police brutality by Pollack’s hands before Minerich acted on his own accord. In one of the few cases of the nation where justice was truly held against a police officer, my great grandfather was acquitted. This acquittal was also reflected in the several other acquittals of lesser charges of other union strikers at the same time. Clearly, the court saw innocence in Luka’s case, where the copper bosses, police, and media, wanted to create guilt. If not for his brave actions, I may not be alive today due to the sociopathic nature of the deputy, so Deputy Pollack can rot in hell... Just like we see today, the media always defends the violent actions of the police, and they even help to justify them. This concept is preserved and further supported by this passage from the Miner’s gazette:

“...The authorities are devoting all their energies to discovering the assailants of Pollock; the life of a striker has not counted at any time. Their action in this case is in striking contrast with the indifference shown after the brutal murders at Seeberville. But a few mornings ago the Gazette was boasting of Pollock's prowess in whipping a half dozen strikers at Hurontown. The Calumet News repeated the ghastly boast in the issue that told of his death. Such a boast at such a time seems rather hollow as though it was not such a great achievement after all. But the sense of decency is not possessed by the News.“

While the media of today would have hidden Pollack’s well known brutality, the media of the time used it as leverage to gain favor with the public and intimidate those in favor of the unions.

I’m not sending this to grandstand on my great grandfather. I never even met him and allegedly had enough moral issues of his own before succumbing to black lung in his 40s. I’m also not trying to make a moral judgement on you for writing this article with incorrect and uncharitable interpretations of history, you may have gotten your information from biased sources like police records. What I will say is that this type of worship of police brutality, violence, and white washing history of police violence perpetuates the evil nature of police institutions as we see very well in 2020.

-ACAB 