Dear Mary,
I recently listened to your government-sponsored podcast entitled, “We don’t have to choose.” I should note that while I truly wanted to choose to not listen to it, when I learned you were disparaging my clients and friends (again), I felt compelled to listen and respond.
This time, your guest was Radley Balko, a self-important “journalist” who began self-publishing his “work” after The Washington Post let him go. (I’m a little upset you’ve never invited me, but I’ll get over it.)
In your podcast, you referred to how the “main person” at Alpha News “is married to the former head of the police union for the Minneapolis Police Department.”
Even though Alpha News has a terrific President (Alex Kharam) and a terrific Editor-in-Chief (Anthony Gockowski), you must be referring to Liz Collin. I mean, she’s the only one I know at Alpha News who is married to the former head of the Minneapolis Police Federation, Bob Kroll.
As I’ve said before, it’s always amazing to me how some people repeatedly define women by their male partner/husband. It’s especially astonishing to me when professional women do that. You don’t do that with men, now do you Mary?
Next, your guest (Balko) said, “But, you know, there’s this, this, this pattern that we see after one of these high profile police shootings, which is that everybody’s outraged and even, you know, people on the right, law and order types like, you know, they won’t try to defend the actual incident. They’ll say, you know, this is not indicative of all police.”
Hey Mary, why didn’t you stop him and say, “Well, wait a minute, Balko. Let’s be fair here. Right after I charged Trooper Ryan Londregan with murder, his lawyer said that I criminally charged a ‘hero.’ His lawyer was sure defending the ‘actual incident.’”
I was the lawyer saying that, remember? In case you need a reminder, here’s the video.
And who reported that the best? Yep, Alpha News. They repeatedly reported the truth about that case, and not the bullshit you tried to spread.
But back to your podcast. Next, you said, “But they put out, I don’t know what you call it. I hesitate to call it a documentary.” Pretty sure you’re talking about The Fall of Minneapolis here.
Two points are germane. First, The Fall of Minneapolis wasn’t produced by “they”—it was just Liz, not Bob Kroll. See, Liz has accomplished a lot in her own right without a man.
It was also written and directed by someone else, Dr. JC Chaix (who isn’t married to Bob Kroll and has nothing to do with the police union).
Second, it’s OK to call it a “documentary.” It documents actual evidence and interviews, with witnesses sharing firsthand facts and opinions.
It has more than 200 documented citations to source material. Liz Collin received the 2023 Dayton Award from the bipartisan Caux Roundtable for the documentary—the same award that was given to Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo the year before.
It’s also been viewed over 10 million times.
And while I’m at it, why didn’t you mention that in the same Hennepin County courthouse where you work, a Democrat-appointed judge not only called The Fall of Minneapolis a “documentary,” but found that it was “substantially true”?
This is one of my fundamental problems with you: you ignore facts.
You ignored your own use-of-force expert with respect to Trooper Londregan, and now, you’re ignoring the judicial findings of one of the most respected judges in the State of Minnesota.
Maybe you could spend more time reading and less time blathering? I mean, you had to run to Washington, D.C., just to find lawyers to take on your baseless case against Trooper Londregan, so maybe you’re having difficulty comprehending big words like “reasonable” and “force”—especially when those words are put together.
Mary, you frequently make me feel like Michael Corleone in The Godfather III: “Just when I thought I was out, [you] pull me back in.”
Please go away. Stop attacking my clients. Nobody—and I mean nobody—wants to listen to your drivel.
Exhibit one for this: when I listened to your podcast after work on YouTube, I was viewer #6.
When I checked this morning, you amassed 77 views. While I might throw a “bravo” your way for that, the reality is that about 20 of them came via clicks (and concomitant eyerolls) from members of my office.
(Not to brag, but my YouTube video of my daughters on monkey bars currently has 236 views.)
Please stop using my tax dollars on your stupid podcast to spread your ill-informed, and frankly, dumb, opinions.
The best decision you have ever made was not to run again. Sincerely: thank you for that.
Now, please, I’m begging you, hopefully for the last time: please go away.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not represent an official position of Alpha News.
Chris Madel
Chris Madel is a prominent Minnesota attorney. He currently represents Trooper Ryan Londregan, Liz Collin, Alpha News, and the MPPOA.
