Feds slam New Orleans police over excessive force, racial profiling - CSMonitor.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
now maybe the feds will have time to investigate the Chicago and Minneapolis corrupt departments.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
BBC News - Japan earthquake: Huge relief mission launched
BBC News - Japan earthquake: Huge relief mission launched: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Monday, March 07, 2011
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Army of Fake Social Media Friends to Promote Propaganda : Information Clearing House: ICH
Army of Fake Social Media Friends to Promote Propaganda : Information Clearing House: ICH: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
from InfoClearinghouse...doubtful if many on facebook know this site.
from InfoClearinghouse...doubtful if many on facebook know this site.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
LA teen shot in the back in 09 was holding cell phone, not gun
Popular - Google Fast Flip: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Koch Brothers’ Money Fuels Wisconsin Fight - NYTimes.com
Koch Brothers’ Money Fuels Wisconsin Fight - NYTimes.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
YouTube - Alex Jones: NWO orchestrated protests
YouTube - Alex Jones: NWO orchestrated protests: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Feingold returns: ‘Progressives United’ PAC to fight corporate influence | The Raw Story
Feingold returns: ‘Progressives United’ PAC to fight corporate influence | The Raw Story: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Finally some good news!
Finally some good news!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
: Information Clearing House: ICH
: Information Clearing House: ICH: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Lew Rockwell, writing for Infoclearinghouse, about his testimony against the FED.
Lew Rockwell, writing for Infoclearinghouse, about his testimony against the FED.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
ACTION ALERT
Communities United Against Police Brutality
ACTION ALERT
February 5, 2011
**********************************************
TAKE ACTION ON THIS BAD BILL
The notice below is from the Juvenile Justice Coalition of Minnesota (JJC). Please take action on this. We cannot let the legislature turn 10 year olds into adults in the criminal justice system. It would be especially great if folks could attend this hearing on Thursday.
If you think there are issues with racial and economic bias in the adult justice system, these are greatly magnified in the juvenile justice system, where kids don't even have the right to have the assistance of their parents or the lawyer of their choice. Not only that, but if they get certified for EJJ (extended juvenile jurisdiction) there isn't even a defined sentence for the offense. If the child "acts out" while in custody, the child can be held until age 18. We know of a case in which a young man was sentenced to juvenile detention on a first offense for a minor shoplifting incident at age 12 and because of EJJ he ended up incarcerated until age 18. If he had been an adult, he would have served no more than three months.
The proposed reactionary legislation puts a "law and order" spin to dealing with troubled youth. This is the wrong approach, doesn't work and in this modern age, we know better.
***********************************************************
HF 306 known as "Emily's Law" is scheduled for a hearing with the House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee for this Thursday, February 10th from 10:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Room 10 at the State Office Building. It is the only bill on the agenda at this time. Here is the agenda. COMMITTEE MEETING NOTICE - Feb.10.doc
Several individuals have indicated a willingness to testify against this legislation.
Please contact your legislators and/or committee members. This bill creates a new "violent offender" category that would allow youth as young as age 10 who commit those offenses to be certified as an adult or given EJJ status. The existing age is 14.
Here is a link to the bill.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H0306.0.html&session=ls87
Here is a link to the committee members
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/committeemembers.asp?comm=87015
___________________________________________________________
Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)
Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue South
ACTION ALERT
February 5, 2011
**********************************************
TAKE ACTION ON THIS BAD BILL
The notice below is from the Juvenile Justice Coalition of Minnesota (JJC). Please take action on this. We cannot let the legislature turn 10 year olds into adults in the criminal justice system. It would be especially great if folks could attend this hearing on Thursday.
If you think there are issues with racial and economic bias in the adult justice system, these are greatly magnified in the juvenile justice system, where kids don't even have the right to have the assistance of their parents or the lawyer of their choice. Not only that, but if they get certified for EJJ (extended juvenile jurisdiction) there isn't even a defined sentence for the offense. If the child "acts out" while in custody, the child can be held until age 18. We know of a case in which a young man was sentenced to juvenile detention on a first offense for a minor shoplifting incident at age 12 and because of EJJ he ended up incarcerated until age 18. If he had been an adult, he would have served no more than three months.
The proposed reactionary legislation puts a "law and order" spin to dealing with troubled youth. This is the wrong approach, doesn't work and in this modern age, we know better.
***********************************************************
HF 306 known as "Emily's Law" is scheduled for a hearing with the House Public Safety and Crime Prevention Policy and Finance Committee for this Thursday, February 10th from 10:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Room 10 at the State Office Building. It is the only bill on the agenda at this time. Here is the agenda. COMMITTEE MEETING NOTICE - Feb.10.doc
Several individuals have indicated a willingness to testify against this legislation.
Please contact your legislators and/or committee members. This bill creates a new "violent offender" category that would allow youth as young as age 10 who commit those offenses to be certified as an adult or given EJJ status. The existing age is 14.
Here is a link to the bill.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bin/bldbill.php?bill=H0306.0.html&session=ls87
Here is a link to the committee members
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/committeemembers.asp?comm=87015
___________________________________________________________
Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)
Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue South
Ron Paul holds first hearing to scrutinize Fed | Raw Story
Ron Paul holds first hearing to scrutinize Fed | Raw Story: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Live: Al Jazeera coverage of Egypt’s growing revolution | Raw Story
Live: Al Jazeera coverage of Egypt’s growing revolution | Raw Story: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
BLACKLOGIC
BLACKLOGIC
Amsterdam is done. Where will potheads turn now? | Raw Story
Amsterdam is done. Where will potheads turn now? | Raw Story: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
"THe CIA taught us EVeryThing"
Read about one of the cia's own trained terrorists, and how our government protects him.
Chicago's most torturous cop may face prison!
This would go a lil ways in restoring a lil faith in the "Just-Us" system
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Workers get another chance to unionize at Jimmy Johns
Fair enough, since the owners engaged in union busting intimidation.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Hedges: US empire could collapse
I'd say it began Nov 22, 1963.....we've been in a state of collapse...
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Monday, December 06, 2010
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Travesty of Justice handed down in Mehserle's trial
Reading the comments after the article reveals how truly vulgar most people in this country really are. Oscar Grant was a father, son and brother and father, and a friend. The attitudes in the comments make me sick. Cops are criminals. Period.
Friday, November 05, 2010
Appeasmening the GOP is doing Obama in
This quote is from a reader on RAWSTORY, responding to defeated Fla. dem congressman Alan Grayson's assertion that Obama's appeasement of the GOP led to the "shellacking" of Dems on Tuesday.
Very true words here:
"Obama: joined Bush to bail the banks that they may continue their depredations upon the rest of us; expanded Afghanistan--immolating American thugs and Afghan patriots to be re-elected and show himself all manned-up for the Repubs; continues Iraq; continues Gitmo; fails to prosecute the war criminals of the previous administration, making his own even more complicit in their crimes; dithers about foreclosures; expands Bagram, where Afghans and others may be tortured to death by the CIA without any oversight; expands drone attacks whereby American “heroes” annihilate the wedding parties of innocent ("terrorist") Afghans by flipping a switch at Nelson AFB; makes sure meaningful health care reform will NOT occur; bails the companies who then coolly outsource more jobs; takes direction from BP; and makes certain real banking reform will not get Citibank’s panties in a twist. In short, Obama joins the powerful in making sure this crisis reduces plain American to the peonage the powerful want. No more unions, no more living wages--just the workers in their place, happy to be wage slaves.
If you voted for Obama, you really weren't listening. He is and always has been a right-wing tool."
Very true words here:
"Obama: joined Bush to bail the banks that they may continue their depredations upon the rest of us; expanded Afghanistan--immolating American thugs and Afghan patriots to be re-elected and show himself all manned-up for the Repubs; continues Iraq; continues Gitmo; fails to prosecute the war criminals of the previous administration, making his own even more complicit in their crimes; dithers about foreclosures; expands Bagram, where Afghans and others may be tortured to death by the CIA without any oversight; expands drone attacks whereby American “heroes” annihilate the wedding parties of innocent ("terrorist") Afghans by flipping a switch at Nelson AFB; makes sure meaningful health care reform will NOT occur; bails the companies who then coolly outsource more jobs; takes direction from BP; and makes certain real banking reform will not get Citibank’s panties in a twist. In short, Obama joins the powerful in making sure this crisis reduces plain American to the peonage the powerful want. No more unions, no more living wages--just the workers in their place, happy to be wage slaves.
If you voted for Obama, you really weren't listening. He is and always has been a right-wing tool."
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Herbert: Fast Track to Inequality
A better reference would be the book, "Confessions Of An Economic Hitman".
Monday, November 01, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Remembering Reggae's 'Cool Ruler' Gregory Isaacs - Spinner
Remembering Reggae's 'Cool Ruler' Gregory Isaacs - Spinner: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Thursday, October 21, 2010
RIP Eyedea
WTF...I just heard a new track by him and Abilities on the Current not two weeks ago.
Big loss, Big Talent, Big Heart.
Big loss, Big Talent, Big Heart.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Europeans and Canadiens exempted from Florida immigration bill
Waving their bigotry high, are they not?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Zambian miners shot by Chinese managers - Telegraph
Zambian miners shot by Chinese managers - Telegraph: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
Whoa, looks like the Chinese have learned to act like every other imperialist ensconced in
AFrica.
Whoa, looks like the Chinese have learned to act like every other imperialist ensconced in
AFrica.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
CUAPB EMAIL NEWSLETTER - rashard.zanders@gmail.com
Gmail - CUAPB EMAIL NEWSLETTER - rashard.zanders@gmail.com
Communities United Against Police Brutality
EMAIL NEWSLETTER
October 6, 2010
**********************************************
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 22 is the national day of protest and there are lots of important upcoming events to report on, all having to do with resisting excesses of the police state. Mark your calendars now.
TOMORROW: Stop FBI Repression Community Meeting
Next community meeting to organize Stop FBI
Thursday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
Please attend and help organize to Stop FBI repression against antiwar activists. (See story below to learn more about this case.)
Talk by Radical Attorney Tony Serra
Saturday, 10/9, 5 p.m.
Hamline Law School, 1536 Hewitt Ave, Room 105, St. Paul
Suggested donation $5-20 for Scott Demuth Defense Fund
Tony Serra is a well known civil rights attorney and tax resister from California. In 2003, he won Trial Lawyer Of The Year award for his work representing Earth First! and labor activist Judi Bari in her lawsuit against the FBI, in relation to the bombing of her car. Other clients of note include Rod Coronado, Huey P. Newton, and Sara Jane Olson. He has also represented members of the White Panthers, Hells Angels, Earth First, and the New World Liberation Front.
Grand Juries – What are they? How can we resist them?
Sunday, October 10, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
In the last week of September, 14 anti-war and international solidarity activists were hit with Grand Jury subpoenas. These are the most recent but certainly not the only grand jury subpoenas served on activists from different movements around the country. In this context it is critical that radicals, activists, and supporters of those targeted understand the use of this shadowy institution--including the "rights" they grant us and the rights we claim for ourselves. Carrie Feldman, a local activist and former member of the Coldsnap Legal Collective, will be speaking about what a grand jury is, how they have been used to target radical movements, and her experience resisting a federal grand jury investigation into the animal liberation movement. In addition, one of the local antiwar activists targeted by the latest round of subpoenas will speak on the current situation in that case. Stop the FBI harassment! Say no to government repression of activists! For more information on the recent raids and subpoenas into the anti-war movement, visit: http://stopfbi.net/ For more information about Carrie's case, visit: http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com
Legal Education Session and Know Your Rights Training in response to the FBI offensive against the Anti-War Movement:
The Legal Information Activists Need to Know
Sunday, October 10, 4:30 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
Meant to continue the training presented by Carrie Feldman, topics to be covered include:
- An explanation of the Federal Laws prohibiting "Material Support to Terrorists" and how they are being used, and how they threaten the rights of peace activists everywhere
- Discussion of the federal grand jury process, and its oppressive use against political movements
- Training on what to do "if an agent knocks." What are rights if a federal agent want to talk to you, comes to search your house or other property, or serves you with a subpoena?
Information will be presented by local civil rights Attorney Jordan Kushner, with contributions by other lawyers and activists with pertinent experience. Co-Sponsored by NLG-MN, CAIR-MN, WAMM, Anti-War Committee, RNC 8 Defense Committee, Al-Aqsa Institute, Communities United Against Police Brutality
Panel Discussion on the Role of Police in Society
Thursday, October 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
In light of the Metro Gang Task Force debacle, the recent death after tasing of David Smith, several high profile incidents and lawsuits, and the second firing of MPD cop Jason Andersen, CUAPB will hold a panel discussion that takes us back to the root question: what role, if any, does policing have in our society. In the lead up to October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, panelists representing a wide range of political views will present on this highly relevant topic. There will be plenty of time for questions and comments from the public. Please join us for what will be a fascinating discussion.
Friday, October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality
THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE IN THE START OF THE MARCH!
October 22, 7:00 p.m.
March to mark the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality
Leaving from Lake Street at Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis
Protest the blatant and unpunished murders of Fong Lee, Quincy Smith, David Smith and so many others, and the lack of prosecution of cop corruption with the Metro Gang Task Force. Demand an end to police brutality NOW!
October 22, 8:30 p.m.
Joint CUAPB/RNC 8 Fundraiser
Favor Cafe
913 W Lake St, Minneapolis
Suggested donation $10
The wonderful owners of Favor Cafe (the only Black-owned business in uptown) are turning over their beautiful club to us for this festive evening fundraiser. A great lineup of spoken word and hip hop artists will provide the entertainment. Regular and adult beverages, appetizers and delicious soul food entrees will be available for purchase, including vegan options. Our goal is to raise funds for legal fees for the RNC 8 and for people who face false charges after being brutalized, including Philander Jenkins, who needs funds to appeal his false conviction.
___________________________________________________________
ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS: "WE HAVE NOTHING TO SAY TO A GRAND JURY"
Chicago, October 5th, 2010, five anti-war and international solidarity activists from Chicago and Minneapolis announced they are invoking their 5th amendment right to not testify in front of a Grand Jury investigation. Stephanie Weiner, one of those raided and subpoenaed spoke to 150 supporters at a press conference outside the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago, "This is an attack on the anti-war movement, but the strong response of our movement, where more than 61 protests in cities across the country, makes it absolutely clear that this is about more than just 14 activists in the Midwest. It is an attempt to limit the voice of anti-war, peace, and international solidarity activists."
The five signed letters to Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Fox. They informed him of their decision to invoke their 5th amendment rights to not testify. One of those subpoenaed to appear today, Meredith Aby of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, said, "Our opposition to U.S. war and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, our scathing criticism of U.S. government support for repressive regimes and death squads in Colombia and Israel is well known and public. This attempt to criminalize the fourteen of us in the anti-war movement must be stopped. The Grand Jury should be ended. There should be no charges."
Joe Iosbaker stated, "We have nothing to say to a Grand Jury. Most people do not understand how secretive and undemocratic the Grand Jury is. I am not allowed to have my lawyer with me. There isn't even a judge. How strange is that? It is the U.S. prosecutor with 23 people they hand picked to pretty much rubber stamp whatever the prosecutor says. A person is defenseless in that situation."
Jim Fennerty an attorney working to defend the activists said, "Assistant U.S. Attorney Fox is cancelling the subpoenas for the five due to appear today. This does not put an end to the Grand Jury investigation however. Fox can reissue subpoenas for new dates or decide to arrest the activists and charge them with crimes."
Activists organized a successful National Call In Day yesterday, with thousands phoning to demand that President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Holder publicly call off the Grand Jury investigation.
For more information www.stopfbi.net
ALSO: If you haven't called Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama yet PLEASE DO!
President Obama (202-456-1111) and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (202-353-1555)
Demand :
**End repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists!
**Return all materials seized in the raid!
**Stop the Grand Jury Subpoenas of activists!
___________________________________________________________
MPD POLICY CHANGES
With little fanfare, the Minneapolis Police Department updated a number of policies, including its use of force policy and Taser policy, as of October 1. The changes are reflected in online Policy and Procedure Manual. You can see the new policies at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mpdpolicy/5-300/5-300.asp
Under these new policies, Tasers are now considered "less lethal" rather than nonlethal. Impact weapons get similar treatment. Recall that in 2006, the city council required the MPD to adopt a fairly stringent Taser policy in order to purchase more Tasers but barely 18 months later, the MPD secretly gutted the policy. Their actions can be directly attributed to the deaths of Quincy Smith and David Cornelius Smith. The new policy makes it clear that Tasers neither can be used on passive resistors or simply noncompliant suspects. Given the large number of complaints we get of people being Tased while handcuffed simply for speaking, if the policy is actually followed this could bring the community some relief.
To quote Dave Bicking, who first broke this story, "It appears that Quincy Smith and David Cornelius Smith have succeeded where the CRA [Civilian Review Authority] failed. It's sick that it takes that kind of price to be paid."
___________________________________________________________
"FALSE REPORTING" LAW GOES DOWN IN FLAMES!
We are ecstatic to report that the so-called False Reporting law passed by the Minnesota Legislature four years ago has been overturned by the state appeals court. You'll recall that CUAPB took the state of Minnesota to federal court to overturn this awful law, which criminalizes reporting of police brutality if the person can't prove it happened (and sometimes even if they can). We lost at the very conservative 8th circuit federal court and have been in the process of mounting an appeal when this ruling came down from the state appeals court in another lawsuit. To see the decision, go to http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/archive/ctappub/1009/opa091795-0928.pdf The decision incorporates many of the First Amendment arguments we advanced, so we are quite happy to see the law go down for those reasons. All-in-all, a wonderful decision for the community.
In a nutshell, the decision says "Minn. Stat. § 609.505, subd. 2 (2006), which criminalizes knowingly making false statements that allege police misconduct, but not knowingly making false statements to absolve police, violates the First Amendment's prohibition against viewpoint discrimination."
One excerpt we particularly enjoy: "Our guide in this undertaking is the majority opinion of Justice Antonin Scalia in R.A.V., a landmark case declaring a St. Paul ordinance banning certain cross burnings to be unconstitutional. . . . 'St. Paul has no . . . authority to license one side of a debate to fight freestyle, while requiring the other to follow Marquis de Queensberry rules.' . . . '[T]he government may proscribe libel; but it may not make the further content discrimination of proscribing only libel critical of the government.'"
___________________________________________________________
Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)
Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue South
Communities United Against Police Brutality
EMAIL NEWSLETTER
October 6, 2010
**********************************************
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 22 is the national day of protest and there are lots of important upcoming events to report on, all having to do with resisting excesses of the police state. Mark your calendars now.
TOMORROW: Stop FBI Repression Community Meeting
Next community meeting to organize Stop FBI
Thursday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
Please attend and help organize to Stop FBI repression against antiwar activists. (See story below to learn more about this case.)
Talk by Radical Attorney Tony Serra
Saturday, 10/9, 5 p.m.
Hamline Law School, 1536 Hewitt Ave, Room 105, St. Paul
Suggested donation $5-20 for Scott Demuth Defense Fund
Tony Serra is a well known civil rights attorney and tax resister from California. In 2003, he won Trial Lawyer Of The Year award for his work representing Earth First! and labor activist Judi Bari in her lawsuit against the FBI, in relation to the bombing of her car. Other clients of note include Rod Coronado, Huey P. Newton, and Sara Jane Olson. He has also represented members of the White Panthers, Hells Angels, Earth First, and the New World Liberation Front.
Grand Juries – What are they? How can we resist them?
Sunday, October 10, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
In the last week of September, 14 anti-war and international solidarity activists were hit with Grand Jury subpoenas. These are the most recent but certainly not the only grand jury subpoenas served on activists from different movements around the country. In this context it is critical that radicals, activists, and supporters of those targeted understand the use of this shadowy institution--including the "rights" they grant us and the rights we claim for ourselves. Carrie Feldman, a local activist and former member of the Coldsnap Legal Collective, will be speaking about what a grand jury is, how they have been used to target radical movements, and her experience resisting a federal grand jury investigation into the animal liberation movement. In addition, one of the local antiwar activists targeted by the latest round of subpoenas will speak on the current situation in that case. Stop the FBI harassment! Say no to government repression of activists! For more information on the recent raids and subpoenas into the anti-war movement, visit: http://stopfbi.net/ For more information about Carrie's case, visit: http://davenportgrandjury.wordpress.com
Legal Education Session and Know Your Rights Training in response to the FBI offensive against the Anti-War Movement:
The Legal Information Activists Need to Know
Sunday, October 10, 4:30 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
Meant to continue the training presented by Carrie Feldman, topics to be covered include:
- An explanation of the Federal Laws prohibiting "Material Support to Terrorists" and how they are being used, and how they threaten the rights of peace activists everywhere
- Discussion of the federal grand jury process, and its oppressive use against political movements
- Training on what to do "if an agent knocks." What are rights if a federal agent want to talk to you, comes to search your house or other property, or serves you with a subpoena?
Information will be presented by local civil rights Attorney Jordan Kushner, with contributions by other lawyers and activists with pertinent experience. Co-Sponsored by NLG-MN, CAIR-MN, WAMM, Anti-War Committee, RNC 8 Defense Committee, Al-Aqsa Institute, Communities United Against Police Brutality
Panel Discussion on the Role of Police in Society
Thursday, October 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Walker Church
3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
In light of the Metro Gang Task Force debacle, the recent death after tasing of David Smith, several high profile incidents and lawsuits, and the second firing of MPD cop Jason Andersen, CUAPB will hold a panel discussion that takes us back to the root question: what role, if any, does policing have in our society. In the lead up to October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, panelists representing a wide range of political views will present on this highly relevant topic. There will be plenty of time for questions and comments from the public. Please join us for what will be a fascinating discussion.
Friday, October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality
THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE IN THE START OF THE MARCH!
October 22, 7:00 p.m.
March to mark the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality
Leaving from Lake Street at Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis
Protest the blatant and unpunished murders of Fong Lee, Quincy Smith, David Smith and so many others, and the lack of prosecution of cop corruption with the Metro Gang Task Force. Demand an end to police brutality NOW!
October 22, 8:30 p.m.
Joint CUAPB/RNC 8 Fundraiser
Favor Cafe
913 W Lake St, Minneapolis
Suggested donation $10
The wonderful owners of Favor Cafe (the only Black-owned business in uptown) are turning over their beautiful club to us for this festive evening fundraiser. A great lineup of spoken word and hip hop artists will provide the entertainment. Regular and adult beverages, appetizers and delicious soul food entrees will be available for purchase, including vegan options. Our goal is to raise funds for legal fees for the RNC 8 and for people who face false charges after being brutalized, including Philander Jenkins, who needs funds to appeal his false conviction.
___________________________________________________________
ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS: "WE HAVE NOTHING TO SAY TO A GRAND JURY"
Chicago, October 5th, 2010, five anti-war and international solidarity activists from Chicago and Minneapolis announced they are invoking their 5th amendment right to not testify in front of a Grand Jury investigation. Stephanie Weiner, one of those raided and subpoenaed spoke to 150 supporters at a press conference outside the Dirksen Federal Building in downtown Chicago, "This is an attack on the anti-war movement, but the strong response of our movement, where more than 61 protests in cities across the country, makes it absolutely clear that this is about more than just 14 activists in the Midwest. It is an attempt to limit the voice of anti-war, peace, and international solidarity activists."
The five signed letters to Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Fox. They informed him of their decision to invoke their 5th amendment rights to not testify. One of those subpoenaed to appear today, Meredith Aby of the Twin Cities Anti-War Committee, said, "Our opposition to U.S. war and occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, our scathing criticism of U.S. government support for repressive regimes and death squads in Colombia and Israel is well known and public. This attempt to criminalize the fourteen of us in the anti-war movement must be stopped. The Grand Jury should be ended. There should be no charges."
Joe Iosbaker stated, "We have nothing to say to a Grand Jury. Most people do not understand how secretive and undemocratic the Grand Jury is. I am not allowed to have my lawyer with me. There isn't even a judge. How strange is that? It is the U.S. prosecutor with 23 people they hand picked to pretty much rubber stamp whatever the prosecutor says. A person is defenseless in that situation."
Jim Fennerty an attorney working to defend the activists said, "Assistant U.S. Attorney Fox is cancelling the subpoenas for the five due to appear today. This does not put an end to the Grand Jury investigation however. Fox can reissue subpoenas for new dates or decide to arrest the activists and charge them with crimes."
Activists organized a successful National Call In Day yesterday, with thousands phoning to demand that President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Holder publicly call off the Grand Jury investigation.
For more information www.stopfbi.net
ALSO: If you haven't called Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama yet PLEASE DO!
President Obama (202-456-1111) and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder (202-353-1555)
Demand :
**End repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists!
**Return all materials seized in the raid!
**Stop the Grand Jury Subpoenas of activists!
___________________________________________________________
MPD POLICY CHANGES
With little fanfare, the Minneapolis Police Department updated a number of policies, including its use of force policy and Taser policy, as of October 1. The changes are reflected in online Policy and Procedure Manual. You can see the new policies at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mpdpolicy/5-300/5-300.asp
Under these new policies, Tasers are now considered "less lethal" rather than nonlethal. Impact weapons get similar treatment. Recall that in 2006, the city council required the MPD to adopt a fairly stringent Taser policy in order to purchase more Tasers but barely 18 months later, the MPD secretly gutted the policy. Their actions can be directly attributed to the deaths of Quincy Smith and David Cornelius Smith. The new policy makes it clear that Tasers neither can be used on passive resistors or simply noncompliant suspects. Given the large number of complaints we get of people being Tased while handcuffed simply for speaking, if the policy is actually followed this could bring the community some relief.
To quote Dave Bicking, who first broke this story, "It appears that Quincy Smith and David Cornelius Smith have succeeded where the CRA [Civilian Review Authority] failed. It's sick that it takes that kind of price to be paid."
___________________________________________________________
"FALSE REPORTING" LAW GOES DOWN IN FLAMES!
We are ecstatic to report that the so-called False Reporting law passed by the Minnesota Legislature four years ago has been overturned by the state appeals court. You'll recall that CUAPB took the state of Minnesota to federal court to overturn this awful law, which criminalizes reporting of police brutality if the person can't prove it happened (and sometimes even if they can). We lost at the very conservative 8th circuit federal court and have been in the process of mounting an appeal when this ruling came down from the state appeals court in another lawsuit. To see the decision, go to http://www.lawlibrary.state.mn.us/archive/ctappub/1009/opa091795-0928.pdf The decision incorporates many of the First Amendment arguments we advanced, so we are quite happy to see the law go down for those reasons. All-in-all, a wonderful decision for the community.
In a nutshell, the decision says "Minn. Stat. § 609.505, subd. 2 (2006), which criminalizes knowingly making false statements that allege police misconduct, but not knowingly making false statements to absolve police, violates the First Amendment's prohibition against viewpoint discrimination."
One excerpt we particularly enjoy: "Our guide in this undertaking is the majority opinion of Justice Antonin Scalia in R.A.V., a landmark case declaring a St. Paul ordinance banning certain cross burnings to be unconstitutional. . . . 'St. Paul has no . . . authority to license one side of a debate to fight freestyle, while requiring the other to follow Marquis de Queensberry rules.' . . . '[T]he government may proscribe libel; but it may not make the further content discrimination of proscribing only libel critical of the government.'"
___________________________________________________________
Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)
Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue South
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
JACKbootED THUGS w/badges hit the streets
Communities United Against Police Brutality
EMAIL NEWSLETTER
September 26, 2010
**********************************************
COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO FBI ATTACKS ON ANTIWAR ACTIVISTS
You have undoubtedly heard by now about FBI raids on homes of prominent Twin Cities antiwar activists on September 24. The targeted activists have worked with the Anti-War Committee, played major roles in planning protests against the RNC and have been vocal supporters of people oppressed by US foreign policy, including Palestinians. In addition to the raids, activists were served subpoenas to appear before a grand jury in Chicago on various dates in October. Activists in Chicago, Michigan and South Carolina experienced similar repression.
The community's response to these outrageous attacks was swift. Dozens of people, including CUAPB cop watchers and National Lawyers Guild attorneys, turned up at the raided houses to observe law enforcement conduct and provide comfort to the affected activists. Over 70 people participated in a 4 p.m. press conference. And over 200 people came to an emergency meeting at 5:30 that evening, on only a few hours' notice. Nearly everyone present signed a support statement, agreeing to stand in solidarity with those affected. Significant donations were also made toward a defense fund. For more information on the raids and to view a short video of the meeting, go to http://twincities.indymedia.org/2010/sep/roundup-dont-fck-our-activists-community-responds-raids The video includes a salient analysis of the FBI's actions by former FBI agent and whistleblower Coleen Rowley.
Follow up actions announced at the meeting include:
MONDAY, September 27th @ 4:30 PM @ THE FBI OFFICE (111 Washington Ave S. Minneapolis, MN - Downtown) to protest the FBI raids on activists in our community. Since calling this action in Minneapolis, at least 19 cities across the country have announced similar actions on Monday through Wednesday this week, in a coordinated campaign being called Days of Action Against FBI Repression.
THURSDAY, September 30th @ 7 PM @ WALKER CHURCH (3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis) follow up meeting to form a defense committee for affected individuals.
Please drop everything to make it to these two important events and show your solidarity with antiwar activists under attack. We created important movement support around the RNC 8, Scott and Carrie, and others and that support has forced the powers-that-be to back down. Now we will show them the power of the movement when they come after our antiwar activist friends and allies.
HANDS OFF THE RNC 8! HANDS OFF SCOTT AND CARRIE! HANDS OFF AWC! STAND WILL ALL TARGETS OF POLITICAL REPRESSION!
___________________________________________________________
UPCOMING WORKSHOP ESPECIALLY RELEVANT IN LIGHT OF FBI RAIDS
Panel Discussion on the Role of Police in Society
Thursday, October 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Walker Church, 3100 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
In light of the recent Metro Gang Task Force debacle, the recent death after tasing of David Smith, several high profile incidents and lawsuits, and the second firing of MPD cop Jason Andersen, CUAPB will hold a panel discussion that takes us back to the root question: what role, if any, does policing have in our society. In the lead up to October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, panelists representing a wide range of political views will present on this highly relevant topic. There will be plenty of time for questions and comments from the public. Please join us for what will be a fascinating discussion.
Mark Your Calendar Now!
Friday, October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality
7:00 p.m. March to mark the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, leaving from Hiawatha transit center. Protest the blatant and unpunished murders of Fong Lee, David Smith and so many others, and the lack of prosecution of cop corruption with the Metro Gang Task Force. Demand an end to police brutality NOW!
8:30 p.m. Joint CUAPB/RNC 8 Fundraiser at Favor Cafe, 913 W Lake St, Minneapolis. A great lineup of spoken word and hip hop artists will provide the entertainment. Our goal is to raise funds for legal fees for the RNC 8 and for people who face false charges after being brutalized, including Philander Jenkins, who needs funds to appeal his false conviction. Suggested donation $10.
___________________________________________________________
NO PROSECUTION FOR CORRUPT METRO GANG TASK FORCE COPS--FOR REAL?
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman recently announced that there would be no prosecutions of cops involved in the Metro Gang Task Force. This unit engaged in grotesque corruption and brutality, as only partially documented in these reports: < http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/fad/2009/fad09-18.htm> and < http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/docs/FINALRepMetroGangStrikeForceReview.PDF > as well as this wonderful site < http://www.gangstrikefarce.com/>. Further, a class action lawsuit resulted in a $3 million dollar fund to reimburse some of the victims of the MGTF's misconduct. $3 million sounds like grand larceny, doesn't it? Yet, somehow, no one is going to be prosecuted.
Freeman's whine that no one would talk to him is disingenuous at best. When prosecutors think a group of people were involved in the crime, they have a whole trick bag of tactics they use to try to get people to roll on each other. There certainly was at least some direct evidence of corruption, especially since it can be proven that some cops stole confiscated goods and took them home or gave them away as gifts. Freeman simply chose not to act on the information he did have or to use his arsenal of tools to gather additional information.
Freeman's announcement shouldn't really come as a surprise. As a guy who relies on cops in his prosecutions, he can't really afford to get on their bad side. He has way too much skin in this game. Which begs the question--why was he ever the guy making this decision in the first place?
A second factor in this whole mess is the need to keep actions by higher-ups under the radar. Think about this: after a state probe began to unravel the trail of stolen money, cars and goods, Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion announced that the MGTF would be shut down but then left the building wide open so crooked cops could shred files and destroy the proof of their corruption. No effort was made to secure the building until Commander Chris Omodt showed up to end the party. MGTF advisory council chair Manila "Bud" Shaver used his influence to prevent his car from being seized and searched after his meth-addicted daughter was arrested while driving it.
There's no question that murdering thug MPD cop and former MGTF member Jason Andersen certainly deserves to be fired, as he was for the second time recently. Still, one can't help but get the impression that the powers-that-be hope that by throwing him under the bus, they will satisfy the desires of the general public for some kind of accountability for the crimes of the MGTF. They couldn't be more wrong.
In the present police state, in which Black men are constantly stopped for idiotic reasons like jaywalking, spitting on the sidewalk, waiting at the bus stop, or making a fashion statement, it's just straight up intolerable that cops are going to get a free pass for grand larceny and vicious brutality, mostly targeted against people who never had anything to do with gangs. At minimum, the feds need to recognize that Freeman wasn't the guy for the job and they need to bring federal charges against these cops, including litigation for a widespread pattern of civil rights violations. Beyond that, though, the community needs to keep up the pressure. A good start was the recent press conference by a number of civil rights groups calling for a grand jury probe. Finally, convictions of cases involving MGTF cops should be reviewed for possible reversal. A few cases have been reviewed, resulting in convictions being overturned. This needs to happen in every single case involving those cops, whose credibility is flat zero.
Civil rights groups call for grand jury probe of Metro Gang Strike Force
by Paul Demko
September 15th, 2010
http://politicsinminnesota.com/blog/2010/09/civil-rights-groups-call-for-grand-jury-probe-of-metro-gang-strike-force/
A half dozen local civil rights groups are calling for a grand jury investigation of the disbanded Metro Gang Strike Force. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced last week that no criminal charges would be filed against officers assigned to the disgraced law enforcement agency.
In part, Freeman blamed the gang task force’s shoddy record keeping as part of the reason that a credible criminal case couldn’t be built. “The record keeping is so bad, it’s stunning,” he told reporters.
But the civil rights organizations including the Minneapolis and St. Paul chapters of the NAACP say that such an excuse wouldn’t be tolerated in most criminal investigations, particularly those focused on minorities. Here’s part of their statement:
In the African-American community and other communities of color, irrespective of whether a
criminal defendant cooperates with the prosecution in disclosing participation in criminal
activity, he or she is still often prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Excuses are not
accepted in those instances and the excuse that has been offered here, such as a lack of evidence, should not be accepted in this instance. From where we stand shredding of documents sounds like obstruction of justice, to say the least. Not to mention numerous other ethical, civil liberties, and civil rights violations that allegedly occurred at the hands of the Metro Gang Strike Force.
A pair of scathing reports released last year describe officers assigned to the gang strike force routinely seizing property from individuals without justification and failing to maintain any reasonable records of their investigations. Last month, a class action lawsuit accusing the agency of civil rights violations was settled for $3 million.
___________________________________________________________
KEEP ON WATCHING THE COPS!
You may have seen a recent flurry of articles on arrest and prosecution of people for videotaping the cops. Most of these cases rely on "two party" laws that state that both parties have to be aware of the taping of private conversations. The article below gives a good analysis of the flimsiness of that argument. However, you should know that Minnesota is a "one party" state--only one party to a private conversation need know that it is being taped, and that party can be you. Nonetheless, we are watching these cases closely. A few people have already been convicted and given significant sentences, so this issue will probably wind its way up to the US Supreme Court soon.
The flip side of this story is that cops have installed hundreds of cameras at intersections and along sidewalks of large swaths of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul (as well as other cities around the country). Apparently it is okay for the cops to tape us, even without evidence of criminal conduct, but they are claiming it's not okay to tape them conducting stops and arrests in public. Hogwash. Keep taping the cops, as cop watch is an important way to give the community a measure of safety and hold cops accountable for their conduct.
Should Videotaping the Police Really Be a Crime?
By Adam Cohen
Time Magazine
August 4, 2010
Anthony Graber, a Maryland Air National Guard staff sergeant, faces up to 16 years in prison. His crime? He videotaped his March encounter with a state trooper who pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle. Then Graber put the video which could put the officer in a bad light up on YouTube.
It doesn't sound like much. But Graber is not the only person being slapped down by the long arm of the law for the simple act of videotaping the police in a public place. Prosecutors across the U.S. claim the videotaping violates wiretap laws a stretch, to put it mildly.
These days, it's not hard to see why police are wary of being filmed. In 1991, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) beating of Rodney King was captured on video by a private citizen. It was shown repeatedly on television and caused a national uproar. As a result, four LAPD officers were put on trial, and when they were not convicted, riots broke out, leaving more than 50 people dead and thousands injured (two officers were later convicted on federal civil rights charges).
More recently, a New York Police Department officer was thrown off the force and convicted of filing a false report because of a video of his actions at a bicycle rally in Times Square. The officer can plainl be seen going up to a man on a bike and shoving him to the ground. The officer claimed the cyclist was trying to collide with him, and in the past, it might have been hard to disprove the police account. But this time there was an amateur video of the encounter which quickly became an Internet sensation, viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube alone.
In the Graber case, the trooper also apparently had reason to want to keep his actions off the Internet. He cut Graber off in an unmarked vehicle, approached Graber in plain clothes and yelled while brandishing a gun before identifying himself as a trooper.
Back when King was beaten, it was unusual for bystanders to have video cameras. But today, everyone is a moviemaker. Lots of people carry video cameras in their pockets, on iPhones, BlackBerrys and even their MP3 players. They also have an easy distribution system: the Internet. A video can get millions of viewers worldwide if it goes viral, bouncing from blog to blog, e-mail to e-mail, and Facebook friend to Facebook friend.
No wonder, then, that civil rights groups have embraced amateur videos. Last year, the NAACP announced an initiative in which it encouraged ordinary citizens to tape police misconduct with their cell phones and send the videos to the group's website. [Note: CUAPB is building a new website and you'll be able to publish your videos on our site.]
Law enforcement is fighting back. In the case of Graber a young husband and father who had never been arrested the police searched his residence and seized computers. Graber spent 26 hours in jail even before facing the wiretapping charges that could conceivably put him away for 16 years. (It is hard to believe he will actually get anything like that, however. One point on his side: the Maryland attorney general's office recently gave its opinion that a court would likely find that the wiretap law does not apply to traffic stops.)
Last year, Sharon Tasha Ford was arrested in Florida for videotaping an encounter between the police and her son on a public sidewalk. She was never prosecuted, but in June, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida sued the city of Boynton Beach on her behalf, claiming false arrest and violation of her First Amendment rights.
The legal argument prosecutors rely on in police video cases is thin. They say the audio aspect of the videos violates wiretap laws because, in some states, both parties to a conversation must consent to having a private conversation recorded. The hole in their argument is the word "private." A police officer arresting or questioning someone on a highway or street is not having a private conversation. He is engaging in a public act.
Even if these cases do not hold up in court, the police can do a lot of damage just by threatening to arrest and prosecute people. "We see a fair amount of intimidation police saying, 'You can't do that. It's illlegal,'" says Christopher Calabrese, a lawyer with the ACLU's Washington office. It discourages people from filming, he says, even when they have the right to film.
Ford was not deterred. According to her account, even when the police threatened her with arrest, she refused to turn off her video camera, telling her son not to worry because "it's all on video" and "let them be who they continue to be."
The police then grabbed her, she said, took her camera and drove her off to the police station for booking.
Most people are not so game for a fight with the police. They just stop filming. These are the cases no one finds out about, in which there is no arrest or prosecution, but the public's freedoms have nevertheless been eroded.
Ford was right to insist on her right to videotape police actions that occur in public, and others should too. If the police are doing their jobs properly, they should have nothing to worry about.
Cohen, a lawyer, is a former TIME writer and a former member of the New York Times editorial board
___________________________________________________________
Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)
Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue South
EMAIL NEWSLETTER
September 26, 2010
**********************************************
COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO FBI ATTACKS ON ANTIWAR ACTIVISTS
You have undoubtedly heard by now about FBI raids on homes of prominent Twin Cities antiwar activists on September 24. The targeted activists have worked with the Anti-War Committee, played major roles in planning protests against the RNC and have been vocal supporters of people oppressed by US foreign policy, including Palestinians. In addition to the raids, activists were served subpoenas to appear before a grand jury in Chicago on various dates in October. Activists in Chicago, Michigan and South Carolina experienced similar repression.
The community's response to these outrageous attacks was swift. Dozens of people, including CUAPB cop watchers and National Lawyers Guild attorneys, turned up at the raided houses to observe law enforcement conduct and provide comfort to the affected activists. Over 70 people participated in a 4 p.m. press conference. And over 200 people came to an emergency meeting at 5:30 that evening, on only a few hours' notice. Nearly everyone present signed a support statement, agreeing to stand in solidarity with those affected. Significant donations were also made toward a defense fund. For more information on the raids and to view a short video of the meeting, go to http://twincities.indymedia.org/2010/sep/roundup-dont-fck-our-activists-community-responds-raids The video includes a salient analysis of the FBI's actions by former FBI agent and whistleblower Coleen Rowley.
Follow up actions announced at the meeting include:
MONDAY, September 27th @ 4:30 PM @ THE FBI OFFICE (111 Washington Ave S. Minneapolis, MN - Downtown) to protest the FBI raids on activists in our community. Since calling this action in Minneapolis, at least 19 cities across the country have announced similar actions on Monday through Wednesday this week, in a coordinated campaign being called Days of Action Against FBI Repression.
THURSDAY, September 30th @ 7 PM @ WALKER CHURCH (3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis) follow up meeting to form a defense committee for affected individuals.
Please drop everything to make it to these two important events and show your solidarity with antiwar activists under attack. We created important movement support around the RNC 8, Scott and Carrie, and others and that support has forced the powers-that-be to back down. Now we will show them the power of the movement when they come after our antiwar activist friends and allies.
HANDS OFF THE RNC 8! HANDS OFF SCOTT AND CARRIE! HANDS OFF AWC! STAND WILL ALL TARGETS OF POLITICAL REPRESSION!
___________________________________________________________
UPCOMING WORKSHOP ESPECIALLY RELEVANT IN LIGHT OF FBI RAIDS
Panel Discussion on the Role of Police in Society
Thursday, October 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Walker Church, 3100 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
In light of the recent Metro Gang Task Force debacle, the recent death after tasing of David Smith, several high profile incidents and lawsuits, and the second firing of MPD cop Jason Andersen, CUAPB will hold a panel discussion that takes us back to the root question: what role, if any, does policing have in our society. In the lead up to October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, panelists representing a wide range of political views will present on this highly relevant topic. There will be plenty of time for questions and comments from the public. Please join us for what will be a fascinating discussion.
Mark Your Calendar Now!
Friday, October 22 National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality
7:00 p.m. March to mark the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, leaving from Hiawatha transit center. Protest the blatant and unpunished murders of Fong Lee, David Smith and so many others, and the lack of prosecution of cop corruption with the Metro Gang Task Force. Demand an end to police brutality NOW!
8:30 p.m. Joint CUAPB/RNC 8 Fundraiser at Favor Cafe, 913 W Lake St, Minneapolis. A great lineup of spoken word and hip hop artists will provide the entertainment. Our goal is to raise funds for legal fees for the RNC 8 and for people who face false charges after being brutalized, including Philander Jenkins, who needs funds to appeal his false conviction. Suggested donation $10.
___________________________________________________________
NO PROSECUTION FOR CORRUPT METRO GANG TASK FORCE COPS--FOR REAL?
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman recently announced that there would be no prosecutions of cops involved in the Metro Gang Task Force. This unit engaged in grotesque corruption and brutality, as only partially documented in these reports: < http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/fad/2009/fad09-18.htm> and < http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/docs/FINALRepMetroGangStrikeForceReview.PDF > as well as this wonderful site < http://www.gangstrikefarce.com/>. Further, a class action lawsuit resulted in a $3 million dollar fund to reimburse some of the victims of the MGTF's misconduct. $3 million sounds like grand larceny, doesn't it? Yet, somehow, no one is going to be prosecuted.
Freeman's whine that no one would talk to him is disingenuous at best. When prosecutors think a group of people were involved in the crime, they have a whole trick bag of tactics they use to try to get people to roll on each other. There certainly was at least some direct evidence of corruption, especially since it can be proven that some cops stole confiscated goods and took them home or gave them away as gifts. Freeman simply chose not to act on the information he did have or to use his arsenal of tools to gather additional information.
Freeman's announcement shouldn't really come as a surprise. As a guy who relies on cops in his prosecutions, he can't really afford to get on their bad side. He has way too much skin in this game. Which begs the question--why was he ever the guy making this decision in the first place?
A second factor in this whole mess is the need to keep actions by higher-ups under the radar. Think about this: after a state probe began to unravel the trail of stolen money, cars and goods, Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion announced that the MGTF would be shut down but then left the building wide open so crooked cops could shred files and destroy the proof of their corruption. No effort was made to secure the building until Commander Chris Omodt showed up to end the party. MGTF advisory council chair Manila "Bud" Shaver used his influence to prevent his car from being seized and searched after his meth-addicted daughter was arrested while driving it.
There's no question that murdering thug MPD cop and former MGTF member Jason Andersen certainly deserves to be fired, as he was for the second time recently. Still, one can't help but get the impression that the powers-that-be hope that by throwing him under the bus, they will satisfy the desires of the general public for some kind of accountability for the crimes of the MGTF. They couldn't be more wrong.
In the present police state, in which Black men are constantly stopped for idiotic reasons like jaywalking, spitting on the sidewalk, waiting at the bus stop, or making a fashion statement, it's just straight up intolerable that cops are going to get a free pass for grand larceny and vicious brutality, mostly targeted against people who never had anything to do with gangs. At minimum, the feds need to recognize that Freeman wasn't the guy for the job and they need to bring federal charges against these cops, including litigation for a widespread pattern of civil rights violations. Beyond that, though, the community needs to keep up the pressure. A good start was the recent press conference by a number of civil rights groups calling for a grand jury probe. Finally, convictions of cases involving MGTF cops should be reviewed for possible reversal. A few cases have been reviewed, resulting in convictions being overturned. This needs to happen in every single case involving those cops, whose credibility is flat zero.
Civil rights groups call for grand jury probe of Metro Gang Strike Force
by Paul Demko
September 15th, 2010
http://politicsinminnesota.com/blog/2010/09/civil-rights-groups-call-for-grand-jury-probe-of-metro-gang-strike-force/
A half dozen local civil rights groups are calling for a grand jury investigation of the disbanded Metro Gang Strike Force. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced last week that no criminal charges would be filed against officers assigned to the disgraced law enforcement agency.
In part, Freeman blamed the gang task force’s shoddy record keeping as part of the reason that a credible criminal case couldn’t be built. “The record keeping is so bad, it’s stunning,” he told reporters.
But the civil rights organizations including the Minneapolis and St. Paul chapters of the NAACP say that such an excuse wouldn’t be tolerated in most criminal investigations, particularly those focused on minorities. Here’s part of their statement:
In the African-American community and other communities of color, irrespective of whether a
criminal defendant cooperates with the prosecution in disclosing participation in criminal
activity, he or she is still often prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Excuses are not
accepted in those instances and the excuse that has been offered here, such as a lack of evidence, should not be accepted in this instance. From where we stand shredding of documents sounds like obstruction of justice, to say the least. Not to mention numerous other ethical, civil liberties, and civil rights violations that allegedly occurred at the hands of the Metro Gang Strike Force.
A pair of scathing reports released last year describe officers assigned to the gang strike force routinely seizing property from individuals without justification and failing to maintain any reasonable records of their investigations. Last month, a class action lawsuit accusing the agency of civil rights violations was settled for $3 million.
___________________________________________________________
KEEP ON WATCHING THE COPS!
You may have seen a recent flurry of articles on arrest and prosecution of people for videotaping the cops. Most of these cases rely on "two party" laws that state that both parties have to be aware of the taping of private conversations. The article below gives a good analysis of the flimsiness of that argument. However, you should know that Minnesota is a "one party" state--only one party to a private conversation need know that it is being taped, and that party can be you. Nonetheless, we are watching these cases closely. A few people have already been convicted and given significant sentences, so this issue will probably wind its way up to the US Supreme Court soon.
The flip side of this story is that cops have installed hundreds of cameras at intersections and along sidewalks of large swaths of downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul (as well as other cities around the country). Apparently it is okay for the cops to tape us, even without evidence of criminal conduct, but they are claiming it's not okay to tape them conducting stops and arrests in public. Hogwash. Keep taping the cops, as cop watch is an important way to give the community a measure of safety and hold cops accountable for their conduct.
Should Videotaping the Police Really Be a Crime?
By Adam Cohen
Time Magazine
August 4, 2010
Anthony Graber, a Maryland Air National Guard staff sergeant, faces up to 16 years in prison. His crime? He videotaped his March encounter with a state trooper who pulled him over for speeding on a motorcycle. Then Graber put the video which could put the officer in a bad light up on YouTube.
It doesn't sound like much. But Graber is not the only person being slapped down by the long arm of the law for the simple act of videotaping the police in a public place. Prosecutors across the U.S. claim the videotaping violates wiretap laws a stretch, to put it mildly.
These days, it's not hard to see why police are wary of being filmed. In 1991, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) beating of Rodney King was captured on video by a private citizen. It was shown repeatedly on television and caused a national uproar. As a result, four LAPD officers were put on trial, and when they were not convicted, riots broke out, leaving more than 50 people dead and thousands injured (two officers were later convicted on federal civil rights charges).
More recently, a New York Police Department officer was thrown off the force and convicted of filing a false report because of a video of his actions at a bicycle rally in Times Square. The officer can plainl be seen going up to a man on a bike and shoving him to the ground. The officer claimed the cyclist was trying to collide with him, and in the past, it might have been hard to disprove the police account. But this time there was an amateur video of the encounter which quickly became an Internet sensation, viewed more than 3 million times on YouTube alone.
In the Graber case, the trooper also apparently had reason to want to keep his actions off the Internet. He cut Graber off in an unmarked vehicle, approached Graber in plain clothes and yelled while brandishing a gun before identifying himself as a trooper.
Back when King was beaten, it was unusual for bystanders to have video cameras. But today, everyone is a moviemaker. Lots of people carry video cameras in their pockets, on iPhones, BlackBerrys and even their MP3 players. They also have an easy distribution system: the Internet. A video can get millions of viewers worldwide if it goes viral, bouncing from blog to blog, e-mail to e-mail, and Facebook friend to Facebook friend.
No wonder, then, that civil rights groups have embraced amateur videos. Last year, the NAACP announced an initiative in which it encouraged ordinary citizens to tape police misconduct with their cell phones and send the videos to the group's website. [Note: CUAPB is building a new website and you'll be able to publish your videos on our site.]
Law enforcement is fighting back. In the case of Graber a young husband and father who had never been arrested the police searched his residence and seized computers. Graber spent 26 hours in jail even before facing the wiretapping charges that could conceivably put him away for 16 years. (It is hard to believe he will actually get anything like that, however. One point on his side: the Maryland attorney general's office recently gave its opinion that a court would likely find that the wiretap law does not apply to traffic stops.)
Last year, Sharon Tasha Ford was arrested in Florida for videotaping an encounter between the police and her son on a public sidewalk. She was never prosecuted, but in June, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida sued the city of Boynton Beach on her behalf, claiming false arrest and violation of her First Amendment rights.
The legal argument prosecutors rely on in police video cases is thin. They say the audio aspect of the videos violates wiretap laws because, in some states, both parties to a conversation must consent to having a private conversation recorded. The hole in their argument is the word "private." A police officer arresting or questioning someone on a highway or street is not having a private conversation. He is engaging in a public act.
Even if these cases do not hold up in court, the police can do a lot of damage just by threatening to arrest and prosecute people. "We see a fair amount of intimidation police saying, 'You can't do that. It's illlegal,'" says Christopher Calabrese, a lawyer with the ACLU's Washington office. It discourages people from filming, he says, even when they have the right to film.
Ford was not deterred. According to her account, even when the police threatened her with arrest, she refused to turn off her video camera, telling her son not to worry because "it's all on video" and "let them be who they continue to be."
The police then grabbed her, she said, took her camera and drove her off to the police station for booking.
Most people are not so game for a fight with the police. They just stop filming. These are the cases no one finds out about, in which there is no arrest or prosecution, but the public's freedoms have nevertheless been eroded.
Ford was right to insist on her right to videotape police actions that occur in public, and others should too. If the police are doing their jobs properly, they should have nothing to worry about.
Cohen, a lawyer, is a former TIME writer and a former member of the New York Times editorial board
___________________________________________________________
Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)
Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue South
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Morris W. O'Kelly: Floyd Mayweather Jr... Full of Excuses
Morris W. O'Kelly: Floyd Mayweather Jr... Full of Excuses: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"
And excellent article about hubris and the fans who uplift it.
And excellent article about hubris and the fans who uplift it.
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