Minneapolis police

250 Hmong community members and anti-police brutality activists rallied in St. Paul on Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours after a rural, all-white jury found that "excessive force" was not used in the 2006 shooting of unarmed Hmong-American Fong Lee.  Lee was shot eight times in the back by Minneapolis police officer Jason Anderson. Allegations that a gun was planted by Lee's body were ruled irrelevant to the case.  Judge Paul Magnuson instructed the jury to “use their everyday life experiences” in their decision, noted several court witnesses.  The judge also read the verdict while Lee's family were at lunch, so that the family heard the verdict from a reporter.

“On June 26, 2006 Lee was a victim, on June 28, 2008 he was still a victim, and he will remain a victim,” said rally organizer Tou Ger Xiong. Speaking about conflicting police testimony during the trial, he produced a Q-tip several feet long: “I brought this today to clean out all the crap I have been hearing in the last week.” Speaking to the crowd, Michelle Gross of CUAPB said that Fong’s murder was “the most blatant, disgusting case of police brutality” she has ever seen in her 25 years of advocacy against police brutality. Pablo Tapa, spoke of the common experiences of racial profiling practices by police who detain and often brutalize Latino people in order to “check their documents.”

UPDATE: A facilitated discussion about police brutality will take place at Tent State on the Coffman Union Front Plaza at 3pm on Tuesday.

So the Minnesota Daily as well as Esme Murphy on WCCO are reporting a "Spring Jam Party Riot" last night at the University of Minnesota in Dinkytown. Apparently hundreds of drunken college students were involved. According to news reports, the police responded in riot gear and in force to a bonfire party in the middle of the street. Police fired chemical weapons and rubber bullets into the crowd and into houses, in all probability part of the arsenal left over from the RNC last September. The students threw rocks and glass bottles back at the police. At least seven students were arrested.
More:MN Daily slideshow • MnStories video • Video • Satire: Bro Univ. Radicalization Project (BURP)

Last week the Minneapolis Police Department announced a new, easier way for community members to submit feedback about their officers online. Users can now submit both complaints and compliments via the internet. However, many are questioning the positive aspects of this change.

 The MPD fails to clearly inform users of what can be done with the information they choose to submit. For example, the so-called False-Reporting Law is not mentioned on the online form.

MINNEAPOLIS HIDES POLICE COMPLAINT STATUS; CUAPB SUES CRA AND CITY

CUAPB initiated a lawsuit on Tuesday against the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Civilian Police Review Authority (CRA) challenging their position that the status of complaints against police officers is no longer public data.

MEDIA RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Contact: Michelle Gross 612-793-1612
Geneva Finn 612-387-0965

PRESS CONFERENCE:
CUAPB, NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD AND OTHERS FILE EMERGENCY MOTION FOR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER

DATE: Sunday, August 31, 2008

TIME: 3:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Hennepin County Government Center Outdoor Plaza
5th Street between 3rd and 4th Ave S, Minneapolis

EMERGENCY COPWATCH NEEDED TONIGHT AT CRITICAL MASS!
See the notice below. It would be especially helpful if we can have people with cars who can drive nearby carrying videographers/copwatchers.

Copwatchers meet:
Friday, August 29 (Tonight)
Meet 4:30 p.m.
Loring Park, Harmon Place side near the dandelion fountain
********************************************************************************

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT AND MEDIA RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMMUNITIES UNITED AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY
ARISE! BOOKSTORE

Contact: Michelle Gross 612.703.1612

Last Friday a buddy of mine had an exhibition of his photography from travels around the world. He had some great work and it instilled in me a desire to improve my skills with the camera. Since I don’t have the budget, currently, to travel to Peru and Chechnya, in order to expand my portfolio, I decided to snap some photos locally. I grabbed my camera (a Canon S3is) and hopped on my single-speed bicycle, with the intent of taking photos along the river and Victory Memorial Parkway.