Media Contact–

Nekima Levy Armstrong
nekimalevypounds@gmail.com
612-598-0559

MEDIA ADVISORY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 7, 2019

COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS DEMAND ACTION FROM GOVERNOR WALZ ON JAMAR CLARK CASE AND BCA INVESTIGATIONS OF POLICE SHOOTINGS.

 

Please be advised that on Thursday, August 8th at 3:30pm, The Racial Justice Network (RJN) together with fourteen community activist groups will hold a rally and press conference on the steps of the State Capitol, calling for Governor Tim Walz to reopen the investigation into Jamar Clarks’ case and prioritize his commitment to critically examining how the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) handles investigations into police shootings.

 

Following a recent meeting with members of the Governor’s staff about the 2015 killing of Jamar Clark by a Minneapolis police officer, members of RJN were told that Governor Walz would not reopen the investigation into Jamar Clark’s case without new materials to review.

 

Following the killing of Thurman Blevins in 2018, Candidate Walz said, “As someone who hopes to lead this state, I wish I could tell you I have all the answers. I don’t. But I am committed to working tirelessly in partnership with communities to find them. We need to come together to tackle this systemic issue – and have an ongoing conversation about how we keep both our communities of color and police officers safe.”

 

Following Justine Ruszczyk Damond’s case, Walz openly acknowledged the need for critical questioning of the BCA’s role and effectiveness in investigating police shootings. With another police killing of a black man by Minneapolis Police less than a week ago, we demand that Walz make this an urgent priority of his administration.

 

Groups who stand in solidarity with this demand include:

Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar

Native Lives Matter

Communities United Against Police Brutality

Women’s March Minnesota

Justice 4 Marcus Golden

Million Artists Movement

Justice for Justine Damond Ruszczyk

Committee for Professional Policing

Take A Knee Nation – Minneapolis

Minnesota Neighbors for Justice

Justice 4 Cordale Handy

Black Truce Peace Organization

Anti-War Committee

Blue LIES Matter