Media Contact–
Nekima Levy Armstrong
nekimalevypounds@gmail.com
612-598-0559
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 29, 2020
Notice of Press Conference
Advocates Call for Amy Klobuchar to Withdraw from Presidential Race, Amid Allegations That She Sent An Innocent Black Teen to Prison for Life
Please be advised that on Wednesday, January 29, 2020, a joint press conference will be held at 9:30 AM in the lobby of the Hennepin County Government Center. Representatives from the Racial Justice Network, Minneapolis NAACP, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar, and Communities United Against Police Brutality will be present to speak.
Senator Amy Klobuchar is currently a candidate to become the next President of the United States. While on the campaign trail, she has repeatedly discussed her record as a former prosecutor and claims to have helped address crime in the Black community. Black residents of Hennepin County, Minnesota, have consistently raised concerns about Amy Klobuchar’s “tough on crime approach” and the myriad harms to the community; while simultaneously failing to hold a single police officer accountable for shooting and killing civilians during her time as Chief Prosecutor.
Recently, it has come to the public’s attention that Amy Klobuchar was responsible for overseeing the prosecution and conviction of a Black teenage boy, Myon Burrell, who was just 16 years old when he was falsely accused of murdering 11 year old Tyesha Edwards. The State convicted Myon on the basis of circumstantial evidence and coerced eye witness testimony, with no DNA, fingerprints, ballistics, or other tangible evidence linking him to the crime. Myon has now spent more than half of his life in prison for a crime he did not commit.
To date, Amy Klobuchar has taken no steps to remedy the wrongful conviction of Myon Burrell.
To the contrary, she has used this case while on the Presidential campaign trail to build more political capital. Advocates are calling for Amy Klobuchar to immediately suspend her campaign for President, given her role in sending an innocent Black teenager to prison for life.
For more information on the wrongful conviction of Myon Burrell–
USA Today : Did Amy Klobuchar help send an innocent teen away for life?
Video : AP Probe Raises Doubts About Murder Conviction
MPR News : In Klobuchar’s past, questions linger about a teen jailed for life
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