Notice of Press Conference on Thursday, 07/03 at 11 am at Hennepin County Gov't Center
July 2, 2025
MEDIA ADVISORY
Media Contact: Nekima Levy Armstrong
Email: nekimalevyarmstrong@gmail.com
Phone: 612-598-0559
Black Parents and Community Leaders to Hold Press Conference in Response to Recent Gun Violence
Minneapolis, MN — On Thursday, July 3rd at 11:00 a.m., a coalition of Black parents, youth-serving organizations, and community members will hold a press conference at the Hennepin County Government Center to raise urgent concerns about the recent surge in gun violence impacting local families.
In the past several weeks, multiple young Black women—some of them mothers—have been murdered at public gatherings, including parks. Most recently, a Black child was shot and killed near a park, deepening the grief and trauma experienced by the community.
“Parks should be safe spaces for children and families to gather, play, and enjoy life,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network. “Instead, we are seeing these spaces become sites of violence and tragedy. Enough is enough.”
Raeisha Williams, Executive Director of Guns Down Love Up, added:
“We are burying Black women and men while those in power bury their responsibility. This isn’t just a public safety failure—it’s a moral one. Our lives are being sacrificed while gun traffickers roam free. We don’t need more thoughts and prayers—we need action and accountability.”
Satara Strong-Allen, Executive Director of Love First, emphasized the importance of healing over harm:
“It’s time to break the cycle. We must teach and practice conflict resolution and restorative approaches to heal our communities—rather than internalize white supremacist ideologies that condition us to meet harm with more harm.”
Gun violence continues to be a crisis in Black communities, leaving behind devastation, fear, and countless unsolved cases. In response, organizers will issue a heartfelt plea:
- To young people: Put the guns down. The harm and loss are too great to ignore.
- To parents and caregivers: Stay vigilant about your children’s whereabouts and peer groups—especially with the Fourth of July weekend approaching.
- To public officials: Crack down on gun traffickers who are flooding our streets with illegal weapons and fueling the violence claiming our loved ones.
WHAT: Press Conference on Gun Violence in the Black Community
WHEN: Thursday, July 3, 2025, at 11:00 a.m.
WHERE: Main lobby, Hennepin County Government Center
ADDRESS: 300 S. 6th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55415
WHO:
- Racial Justice Network
- Guns Down Love Up
- Love First
- Black Lives Matter Minnesota
- Parents, youth advocates, and community members
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Target’s Role in Prosecutorial Harm and Mass Incarceration in Minneapolis and Hennepin County
A Receipts Brief to Accompany the Open Letter to the National Baptist Convention
Prepared by frontline organizers in Minneapolis | June 26, 2025
1. Target Funded the Prosecutors Who Over-Policed Black Youth
For years, Target Corporation directly funded the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) under County Attorneys Amy Klobuchar and Mike Freeman. These funds were earmarked for “community prosecution” and “retail crime,” but disproportionately resulted in the criminalization of poor Black neighborhoods in Minneapolis.
At the same time, Target developed close relationships with Minneapolis Police (MPD) through surveillance partnerships like SafeZone, sharing private security footage, and helping fund downtown policing strategies that targeted Black youth and homeless people.
Bottom Line: Target used its wealth and power to demand criminal convictions, fund surveillance-heavy partnerships, and disproportionately criminalize Black communities. Target was not a passive donor. It helped design and promote these prosecutorial initiatives in partnership with local law enforcement.
2. Black Children Were Caught in the Crosshairs:
Target’s financial and strategic influence helped fuel a system that over-criminalized and incarcerated Black teens.
Three Known Cases of Harm
Myon Burrell
- Arrested at age 16 in a high-profile case during Klobuchar’s term as County Attorney.
- Convicted despite lack of physical evidence, with the case later deemed deeply flawed.• Sentence commuted in 2020 after public outcry, organizing, and investigative reporting by the Associated Press.
- Myon served 18 years in prison and is now seeking full exoneration.
Mahdi Ali
- Arrested at 15 years old, and tried as an adult—sentenced to life in prison.
- Target’s influence extended to the trial, where a so-called forensic expert with ties to the company provided key testimony.
- Mahdi’s trial was marred by unreliable evidence and public outcry over wrongful conviction.
- A national campaign is underway to Free Mahdi Ali, now over a decade into a sentence for a crime he did not commit.
Marvin Haynes
- Convicted at age 17 after a deeply flawed case; eyewitness recanted; no physical evidence.
- Served 20 years in prison before his conviction was overturned in 2023.
- Awarded financial compensation after full exoneration.
These three young Black men are not isolated examples—they are emblematic of a system that Target helped fund and shape.
Between the 1990s and early 2000s:
- Prosecutorial practices in Hennepin County ramped up youth sentencing.
- Black boys were tried as adults and subjected to life-altering punishments.
- Surveillance and criminalization in downtown and North Minneapolis intensified.
From 1983 to 2018, Minnesota’s prison population grew by 306%, with Black residents incarcerated at 10× the rate of white residents.
3. The Political Payoff: From County Prosecutor to U.S. Senate
Amy Klobuchar’s aggressive prosecutorial record, bolstered by Target’s support, became a springboard for her political rise to the U.S. Senate. She built her reputation on being “tough on crime,” using cases like Myon Burrell’s to prove her credentials. It was not until public outcry that the flaws of her legacy were fully exposed.
Meanwhile, Black families and communities were left behind to deal with the consequences.
4. Target’s Alliance with MPD and Harsh Prosecutors
This is not a story of passive corporate philanthropy. This is a story of intentional influence over the justice system. Target helped fund and shape policing strategies in Minneapolis, including its controversial SafeZone program in downtown Minneapolis and surveillance partnerships with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD)—that same department that murdered George Floyd.
MPD has a well-documented history of:
- Racial profiling
- Excessive force
- Illegal stops and searches
- Abuses targeting Black youths and residents
Target’s partnership and financial investments legitimized and empowered this institution, even
as communities called for change.
Why This Matters Now
Target has never:
- Apologized to the families impacted
- Acknowledged its role in unjust prosecutions
- Taken accountability for the harm it funded and enabled
Instead, it has pivoted to DEI rollbacks and political payoffs—attempting to buy back Black trust with a $300,000 donation to the National Baptist Convention. As frontline leaders, we are demanding accountability—not just for what Target promised in 2020, but for what it enabled long before. The National Baptist Convention, and all Black institutions, must reckon with the full weight of this truth before aligning with any corporation that has caused this level of racial harm.
This Is About More Than Retail
This is about corporate complicity in mass incarceration and the systemic targeting of Black youth. Target’s complicity in mass incarceration is not just bad PR---it is a civil and human rights crisis.
- Black children were caged.
- Black families were torn apart.
- Black communities were devastated.
This was done with corporate backing, behind the scenes, in the very city where George Floyd was murdered.
We demand truth. We demand accountability. We demand justice that cannot be bought.
Citations
1. Target’s Funding of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office
Unicorn Riot – Target’s Relationship with Law Enforcement and Prosecutors
2. Myon Burrell Case
Associated Press – AP investigation casts doubt on teenager’s murder conviction
https://apnews.com/article/af6545f2945e43c2bd3c61e886907d4a
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder – Burrell family, activists push for full exoneration
https://spokesman-recorder.com/2021/10/13/myon-burrell-family-supporters-push-for-exoneration/
The Marshall Project – Klobuchar’s tough-on-crime legacy under scrutiny
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/02/28/the-burrell-affair
3. Marvin Haynes Case
CBS News – Marvin Haynes exonerated after nearly 20 years in prison
MPR News – Marvin Haynes awarded $1.2M after exoneration
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2023/12/19/marvin-haynes-awarded-compensation
4. Mahdi Ali Case
Unicorn Riot – Target-backed forensic testimony
FOX 9 – Family pushes for exoneration
https://www.fox9.com/news/mahdi-alis-family-ups-pressure-exoneration-2010-seward-market-killings
FOX 9 – "I’m Not the One" Interview
https://www.fox9.com/news/mahdi-ali-im-not-the-one.amp
5. Target’s Partnership with MPD + Prosecutors
DOJ Report (2023) – MPD’s history of racism and abuse
https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1544536/download
Minnesota Reformer – Target’s SafeZone and surveillance partnerships
6. Incarceration Trends in Minnesota
Prison Policy Initiative – Minnesota Overview
https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/MN.html
ACLU of Minnesota – Racial Disparities in Sentencing
https://www.aclu-mn.org/en/publications/unequal-justice
Open Letter to the National Baptist Convention
Open Letter to the National Baptist Convention
June 26, 2025
To the Leadership of the National Baptist Convention:
We write to you out of sacred responsibility and in the spirit of truth.
As Black, faith-rooted organizers and civil rights leaders based in Minneapolis—the very city where police stole George Floyd’s life—we have led the fight for racial justice, police accountability, and corporate responsibility before, during, and after the global uprisings of 2020.
On January 28, 2025, we—Nekima Levy Armstrong, Monique Cullars-Doty, and Jaylani Hussein—issued a national press release announcing a nationwide and indefinite boycott of Target, to begin on February 1, the first day of Black History Month. We launched the boycott with a press conference outside Target’s global headquarters in downtown Minneapolis—the very city where its betrayal began. Our action drew national press and a powerful, multiracial coalition.
Since then, the boycott has been successful, resulting in months of declining revenue and foot traffic, among other indicators. It has also inspired a wave of economic resistance actions across communities (i.e. The Latino Freeze, 40-Day Target Fast, Tesla Takedown, and actions by The People’s Union USA) and successfully pressured other corporations to recommit to DEI to avoid similar fallout.
We launched this boycott because Target quietly abandoned its $2.1 billion commitment to racial equity—a pledge made in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder to support Black-owned businesses, creators, and communities. Instead, the company eliminated diversity roles, severed ties with Black vendors, and dismantled its internal DEI infrastructure.
These rollbacks came amid mounting political pressure from the Trump administration, whose second term has accelerated attacks on Black history, racial equity, immigrant rights, voting rights, public education, dismantling DEI and civil rights offices across federal agencies, and reinstating aggressive federal policing support and militarization. Target’s alignment with authoritarian power was made even clearer when it made its first-ever donation to a presidential inaugural committee—contributing $1 million to the Trump-Vance inauguration.
But Target’s betrayal goes deeper.
Target has also played a disturbing role in reinforcing mass incarceration, particularly in Minneapolis and Hennepin County. For years, Target funded the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, working closely with former prosecutors Amy Klobuchar and Mike Freeman, and promoting a “tough-on-crime” agenda that disproportionately criminalized Black youth. That same office collaborated with the Minneapolis Police Department—a department known for its brutality and systemic racism, the very one that killed George Floyd.
This agenda helped produce several high-profile wrongful convictions of Black teenagers, including:
- Myon Burrell, convicted at 16 and imprisoned for over 18 years before his sentence was commuted in 2020 after investigative reporting by the Associated Press and an intense public campaign by Minneapolis activists demanding his release. He is now seeking full exoneration.
- Marvin Haynes, convicted in 2005 at age 16 for a murder he did not commit, based on a flawed process and coerced testimony. After spending nearly 20 years behind bars, he was fully exonerated in 2023 and later awarded a financial settlement for his unjust imprisonment.
- Mahdi Ali, arrested at 15 and sentenced to life in prison under deeply contested circumstances. His case involved junk science, questionable expert testimony, and heavy prosecutorial pressure. He has maintained his innocence for over a decade.
These are not isolated cases. They are part of a broader pattern of over-prosecution, harsh sentencing, and racial targeting—all backed by a corporate sponsor that profited while young Black lives were stolen. And yet, Target has never acknowledged its role. It has not apologized. It has not made amends.
Instead of meeting with the organizers of this boycott, Target has turned to familiar PR tactics: platforming figures like Pastor Jamal Bryant and Rev. Al Sharpton—neither of whom had any involvement in launching the boycott—as the public face of a movement they did not build.
Let us be clear, Pastor Jamal Bryant was fully aware of our boycott from the beginning. He received our press release and expressed interest in joining a coalition effort. But when it became clear that he intended to co-opt, rather than support, he was confronted—and responded with gaslighting and misdirection.
Over a month after our launch, Bryant repackaged our work as his own, created a separate campaign called the “40 Day Target Fast,” and misled the public and the press. He did not amplify our work. He erased it.
This is not a misunderstanding—it is misrepresentation.
And it reflects a long, painful history of Black women organizers being pushed aside, their labor claimed by male leaders seeking visibility or political favor. This is a painful and familiar pattern. Just as Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Septima Clark, and Diane Nash were sidelined during the Civil Rights Movement, Black women organizers today continue to face erasure, co-optation, and disrespect—even within our own institutions.
A Call to Conscience
We urge the National Baptist Convention to reconsider its alignment with a corporation that has caused such profound harm.
Target has:
- Rolled back its public commitments to Black communities,
- Funded and enabled the mass incarceration of Black youth,
- Aligned itself with authoritarian politics and the Trump administration,
This $300,000 payment does not heal—it deepens the wound. It appears to be a payout for silence and an attempt to regain Black consumer trust without accountability. Can the moral authority of the Black Church be bought for $300,000?
Who does the National Baptist Convention answer to—God, or corporations that bow to authoritarian leaders?
We are not here to be placated.
We are not here to be silenced.
We are here because justice requires truth. And the truth must be told—by those who carry its weight, not those sent to soften its edge.
The future of our people cannot be brokered behind closed doors. We will not allow it.
We call on the National Baptist Convention to:
- Return the $300,000 payment from Target as a public act of moral leadership.
- Refuse to act as intermediaries for corporations seeking image repair without accountability.
- Reject the corporate erasure of grassroots Black leadership—past and present.
- Demand a full reinstatement of Target’s racial equity commitments.
- Call for an official apology from Target to Black communities harmed by their actions.
- Support the release and full exoneration of those unjustly imprisoned—including Mahdi Ali—whose case reflects the brutal toll of corporate-funded prosecution.
In truth and solidarity,
Nekima Levy Armstrong
Civil Rights Attorney | Founder, Racial Justice Network | Former Minneapolis NAACP President
Monique Cullars-DotyCo-founder, Black Lives Matter Minnesota | National Racial Justice Organizer
Jaylani Hussein
Executive Director, CAIR-Minnesota | Human Rights Advocate
MPD Officers – second shooting in two weeks
Media Contact–
Nekima Levy Armstrong
nekimalevypounds@gmail.com
612-598-0559
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 14, 2021
MPD Officers involved in second shooting within the last two weeks
Local civil rights group demands all body-worn and squad car footage be released immediately
Minneapolis, MN – We are deeply concerned to learn about the shooting of yet another person by Minneapolis police officers earlier today. This time it happened on the corner of Logan and Lowry in North Minneapolis. An eye-witness account describes counting 68 shell casings after shots were fired at the victim’s car. With the volume of shots fired, it is surprising that the victim only suffered non-life threatening injuries. Racial Justice Network is calling on Mayor Frey and Chief Arradondo to immediately release all unedited officer body-worn camera and squad car footage related to this incident.
Recent events have highlighted that law enforcement can use restraint even while facing armed white individuals threatening them. In many such instances, white people are viewed by law enforcement as human beings who may be making bad choices; as opposed to threats needing to be controlled.
According to a spokesperson from the Minneapolis Police Department, the person who was apprehended did not immediately shoot upon being stopped; the individual allegedly fired a shot once police were smashing their car window to extract them. After a significant number of shots were fired, additional officers arrived and then used “non-lethal” force. It is unclear what, if any, de-escalation techniques were used prior to a barrage of gunfire by police, which could have endangered more residents. Body-worn camera footage should be released to show the public further details of this encounter.
The most recent police shooting occurred just two weeks ago, resulting in a loss of life. In that case, Chief Arradondo authorized the release of body camera footage within 24 hours to the public.
“We demand that all unedited body-worn and squad car footage from the police shooting today, be released immediately to the public. We have seen too many instances in which MPD has used early statements to the media to prejudice the public about the victim of a police shooting,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network.
“Unfortunately, the Minneapolis police have fostered an atmosphere of terror against Black bodies. If you are a person of color who is being apprehended by Minneapolis police, given their history of violence, it is easy to feel that your life is in danger and a person may react with that in mind. Based on early reports, the individual in this case was no longer within the vicinity of the 911 caller; implying any perception of an immediate threat to that caller was diminished. This should have provided time to deescalate the situation for the safety of all,” said Kimberly Milliard, member of the Racial Justice Network.
Our community is still grieving the murders of many lives stolen by MPD and surrounding police departments. Too often, residents of Minneapolis have watched members of the MPD incite violence against their neighbors, family members, and friends. The trauma associated with these experiences runs deep within our city, and events like today’s police shooting require immediate transparency and accurate communication from MPD, as well as public oversight to ensure proper protocols were followed, including de-escalation.
The Racial Justice Network (RJN) is a multi-racial, grassroots organization, committed to fighting for racial justice and building bridges across racial, social, and economic lines. racialjusticenetwork.com
Myon Burrell is free
Tuesday, December 15th 2020 was an HISTORIC day for racial justice in Minnesota.
From the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder...
"Myon Burrell 34, who has spent the last 18 years of his life for a crime he insists he did not commit, may be home as soon as Tuesday night. The Minnesota Board of Pardons Tuesday voted unanimously to commute his life sentence to 20 years. Since he has already served 18 years, he will serve the remainder of his sentence on supervised release."
“It was powerful and refreshing to hear that the panel of prominent legal experts who
undertook extensive review of Myon Burrell’s case echoed calls from Myon’s family and the
community for his immediate release,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, who along with her
Racial Justice Network organization has worked to bring attention to this case."
Many activists from Minnesota, and around the nation, have been working together to fight for Myon's freedom for years. Efforts lead by Myon's sister Ianna, have gained national attention and support through social media campaigns, rallies, and community gatherings to raise awareness about Myon's innocence.
More information on Myon's story, along with ways to support and continue the fight, can be found here: website myonburrell.com
Myon will need our support as a community. Here is the link to his GoFundMe: gf.me/u/zcy6r9
https://spokesman-recorder.com/2020/12/15/free-at-last-myon-burrell-is-coming-home/
Annual Holiday Gift Giveaway!
We Win Institute and the Racial Justice Network present this year's Holiday Gift Giveaway!
Minneapolis Foundation not credible on Police Accountability
Media Contact–
Michelle Gross 612-703-1612
Jaylani Hussein 612-406-0070
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 22, 2020
MINNEAPOLIS FOUNDATION NOT CREDIBLE ON POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY.
A coalition of police accountability and civil rights organizations will be holding a press conference to denounce plans by Mayor Jacob Frey to turn over police accountability efforts to the Minneapolis Foundation and an unnamed group of advisors.
The Minneapolis Foundation is headed by former Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak. During his tenure as mayor, 38 people lost their lives at the hands of Minneapolis police officers including Chris Burns, Fong Lee, Terrance Franklin and Raymond Ziegler. He failed to take action to address these killings or the many complaints of police brutality, despite demands from the community. His administration shut down the Civilian Review Authority, first by defunding it then by replacing it with the utterly ineffective Office of Police Conduct Review. He oversaw the MPD’s involvement in the corrupt Metro Gang Strike Force. He condoned rank brutality against peaceful protesters and concertgoers in downtown Minneapolis during the Republican National Convention.
“As mayor, R.T. Rybak brought great harm to our community by failing to rein in police, why would anyone think he and his organization have any expertise or credibility on police accountability issues?” – Nekima Levy Armstrong with Racial Justice Network.
WHAT: Press Conference
WHEN: Monday, June 22 at 11:00 am
WHERE: Hallway outside of Mayor Frey’s office
Minneapolis City Hall, 350 S 5th Street, Room 331
“This is yet another hollow act by city leaders who have failed to adopt even the most basic police accountability measures. We can no longer play politics with people’s lives and safety. We must adopt robust real accountability measures now, including community control of the police.” – Jess Sundin with Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar.
This press conference is planned by a broad coalition of organizations including Council on American Islamic Relations Minnesota, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Minnesota Disability Justice Network, Black Lives Matter Minnesota, Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro, Racial Justice Network, Cop Watch Minneapolis, and others.
Burrell Case – County Attorney requests Justice Department review
Media Contact–
Lacey Severins, Media Coordinator
612-543-4733
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2020
County Attorney Requests Justice Department Burrell Review
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has asked Sen. Amy Klobuchar to request the U.S. Department of Justice undertake the review of the Myon Burrell conviction in the murder of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Monday.
In response to a letter Sen. Klobuchar sent to the office Mar. 5, Freeman noted that only the Department of Justice would have the resources to independently review a case that includes 30,000 pages of documents plus videotaped evidence.
Freeman also stressed in his letter that not only would his office cooperate with any review by the DOJ but his office would continue the most recent internal review of the case which began about seven months ago. That has included several meetings with Mr. Burrell’s new attorney and an agreement to review additional information which he provided.
In the letter, Freeman also mentioned that there are Minnesota Supreme Court opinions and a district court order which both detail the evidence and testimony in the two trials in which Mr. Burrell was found guilty. Those filings provide a full picture of why he was found guilty and why, ultimately, his conviction was upheld.
Look for more news on the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office website.
Advocates Call for Amy Klobuchar to withdraw from Presidential Race
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
Drop the charges and release Samantha Crawley
Media Contact–
Nekima Levy Armstrong
nekimalevypounds@gmail.com
612-598-0559
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2020
Racial Justice Network & Communities United Against Police Brutality
Immediately drop the charges and release Samantha Crawley
Minneapolis, MN – We want the unjust charges against Samantha Crawley immediately dropped by Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County Attorney. Ms. Crawley is a mother of two, a Drake Hotel survivor, and a young Black woman living with autism and bipolar disorder. She is currently being held in Hennepin County jail on trumped-up assault charges filed against her by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO). We want her immediately released, and police assault charges dropped.
On Sunday, January 12th, 2020, at 10:59 PM, Ms. Crawley was arrested and brought to HCSO for an unpaid $111.00 traffic ticket. According to Hennepin County court records, last May a citation for an alleged “abandoned motor vehicle,” was sent to an unknown address for her, but the citation was returned to their office. A warrant for her arrest was issued when the traffic fine wasn’t paid, and when she missed the hearing, even though the citation and the late notice were “returned mail,” due to incorrect address. Employees at Hennepin County made the decision to issue an arrest warrant for a traffic ticket they documented in their own court records was never received by Ms. Crawley.
On top of trying to manage the stress of surviving the Christmas day Drake Hotel fire with her two children, having to move three times within two weeks, while managing her disability and mental health symptoms, she was arrested for a traffic ticket she was unaware of, and placed in a Hennepin County holding cell, where she has been grossly mistreated, and her symptoms exacerbated. She is already under intense stress, suffers from panic attacks, and has been denied her medications.
Ms. Crawley reports being punished by HCSO jail staff for exercising her right to remain silent. She reports being placed in a holding cell for 8 hours, where she was not allowed to make any calls, strapped in a chair for 3-4 hours, jail staff turned off the intercom system, turned off the water, she was left to sleep on a metal bed – took away the blankets and mattress, and at one point multiple guards rushed her in the holding cell, four officers on her ankles, four officers on her wrists, pushing on her and shouting out multiple commands, causing her to hyperventilate, and feel as if she was choking on her own spit. According to Samantha, when she spat because she felt she was going to vomit and choke, the officers accused her of purposely spitting on them and filed assault charges.
Ms. Crawley has been held in the Hennepin County jail for 5 days. Her first court appearance for the police assault charges is Thursday, 1/16/2020, at 1:30 PM and the community will be there to support her. No one should ever be arrested for lack of money to pay a traffic fine, and in her case, she didn’t even receive the notice for the traffic fine – this is our Hennepin County court system and jail system; a dehumanizing system. The City of Minneapolis and Hennepin County needs to do better, be better, and overhaul their oppressive and discriminatory criminal justice systems. We value Samantha Crawley and are calling for Hennepin County to drop the unjust charges and immediately release her.