December 10, 2021

COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND ACTIVISTS CALL FOR THE IMMEDIATE RESIGNATION OF HENNEPIN COUNTY SHERIFF DAVE HUTCHINSON FOLLOWING DANGEROUS DRUNK DRIVING INCIDENT

Hennepin County, Minnesota

Early Wednesday morning, Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson (Hutchinson) was involved in a single car rollover crash near Alexandria, Minnesota, while under the influence of alcohol. Hutchinson suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the accident and is still recovering. We are grateful that this accident did not result in a fatality for Hutchinson or any other motorist, given the seriousness of the incident.

In a statement released Wednesday, Hutchinson took the important step of acknowledging his decision to drive while under the influence and has agreed to accept responsibility for his actions.

However, this is not enough. Given the magnitude of responsibility that Hutchinson has over the administration of public safety in Hennepin County and the need for sound decision-making, clarity, and good judgment, we believe that it is in the best interests of our community for Hutchinson to immediately resign from his role as Hennepin County Sheriff and take the time he needs to heal and seek treatment.

Hennepin County residents are routinely prosecuted, convicted, and serve jail and/or prison time for driving under the influence. Rather than receiving special treatment as an elected official, Hutchinson as the chief law enforcement officer for Hennepin County, must be held to a higher standard of accountability and expectations.

It is hypocritical for Hutchinson to have the power to incarcerate others, when he has violated the law and put himself and others in unnecessary danger. Residents of Hennepin County deserve strong, consistent, and principled leadership from our highest-ranking law enforcement leadership.

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

December 9, 2021

LOCAL CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FROM U.S. BANK FOR RACIAL DISCRIMINATION AGAINST BLACK CUSTOMER

Minneapolis, Minnesota

A recent report by KSTP news helped to shed light on an egregious, racially-motivated attack against a Black male customer at U.S. Bank, which took place last year— in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. Joe Morrow, a young Black, working-class man, went to U.S. Bank in Columbia Heights intending to cash a $900 check from his employer.

Instead of being treated like a human being, Mr. Morrow was racially profiled by branch manager, John Askwith, and accused of attempting to cash a fraudulent check. The bank manager pretended that he had verified that Mr. Morrow’s check was fake, stereotyped Mr. Morrow and all Black people of always trying to cash fake checks, and called the police on Mr. Morrow, which further escalated the situation. All of this took place in front of bank customers which caused Mr. Morrow to experience embarrassment and humiliation and further reinforced racial stereotypes of Black men as criminals and untrustworthy.

When Columbia Heights police came on the scene, they contributed to the harm and humiliation that Mr. Morrow experienced by showing deference to the bank manager and ultimately placing Mr. Morrow in handcuffs as if he had committed a crime.

“Just last year, the world was forced to watch the public lynching of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, based upon an allegation that he tried to pass a fake $20 bill in a local business establishment. It is unfathomable that U.S. Bank would fail to learn the lesson that calling the police on a Black man for a petty offense could lead to criminalization, or worse, a death sentence,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network.

“U.S. Bank prides itself on valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion, yet it failed to uphold those values in its interactions with a Black customer who was simply trying to gain access to his hard-earned money. U.S. Bank must take swift accountability for its actions and publicly address this matter,” said Sonja Western, teacher and member of the Racial Justice Network.

We are calling upon U.S. Bank to take the following steps:

1.  Publicly accept responsibility for their discrimination against Joe Morrow, apologize and take steps to make him whole;
2. Launch a third-party investigation into the actions of the bank manager who initiated this racially-motivated encounter and discipline and/or fire him for his actions and racist comments;
3. Require white U.S. bank executives, managers, and employees to participate in anti-racism training; and adjust policies to eliminate and reduce the potential for racial discrimination and bias throughout the company;
4. Develop a reparations initiative to increase home ownership of Black customers through more equitable lending practices; and
5. Refrain from calling the police on Black customers in unwarranted situations and develop alternative approaches to addressing petty offenses.

It is our expectation that U.S. Bank will take these matters seriously and will take steps to redress this gross miscarriage of justice.

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

December 3, 2021

Local civil rights group demands disciplinary action against violent MPD officer.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

We are deeply concerned to learn about the violent arrest of Troy Lee Billups, a 64-year-old Black resident of Minneapolis, Wednesday night at the ALDI on East Franklin and 14th Ave S. A bystander’s video shows Minneapolis Police Officer Christoper Lange grabbing Mr. Billups by the back of the neck and slamming his head into a nearby counter. It is clear that Officer Lange’s excessive force escalated a situation that called for de-escalation.

Racial Justice Network is calling on Mayor Frey and Chief Arradondo to take immediate disciplinary action against Officer Lange.

Officer Lange has been investigated for misconduct five previous times since 2019. We demand that he be immediately fired or placed on administrative leave pending the results of a swift investigation into his actions. It is simply unacceptable to allow an officer with such a history of abuse to continue serving the residents of Minneapolis.

His actions were unwarranted, dangerous, and in direct violation of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) Policy and Procedure Manual which states, “We, the members of the Minneapolis Police Department, are committed to doing all we can to protect and serve in a way that minimizes harm and risk to our community.”

This egregious incident further highlights a number of issues within MPD. According to Garrett Parten, a spokesperson for the department, Lange was working as an off-duty security guard at ALDI. When officers working off-duty security shifts abuse and arrest customers unnecessarily, it poses a number of risks to the safety of Minneapolis residents.

Additionally, Mayor Frey is requesting a 27 million dollar increase in funding for the Minneapolis police department, citing an increase in violent crime. Yet, multiple squads responded to a low-level incident that was caused by an officer’s violent and unnecessary response. This seems to be a tremendous waste of precious city resources in unwarranted situations.

“How can we justify increasing the Minneapolis police budget by millions of dollars when we have so many officers working off-duty shifts and on-duty officers responding to calls for non-violent residents? I want to see MPD use their available resources to actually serve the Minneapolis community before increasing their funding so significantly,” said Racial Justice Network member, Sonja Western.

We demand that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Arrandono take immediate disciplinary action against Officer Christopher Lange. We further demand that Lange be barred from working overtime at ALDI or any other location that serves residents of color in Minneapolis.

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

October 29, 2021

Local Civil Rights Group Demands Answers on Employment Status of MPD Officer Brian Cummings and an End to Dangerous Police Chases in Minnesota 

Minneapolis, MN— On Friday, October 22, Brian Cummings was charged with second-degree manslaughter and criminal vehicular homicide for killing Leneal Frazier, an innocent Black man driving through North Minneapolis on July 6, 2021. Two days after Mr. Frazier was killed, the Racial Justice Network demanded that Brian Cummings be fired and charged for killing Mr. Frazier. Then, on July 31, we sent a follow-up letter to Mayor Jacob Frey again demanding that Brian Cummings be fired. To date, Frey has never responded. Yesterday, we inquired with the city of Minneapolis to determine if Brian Cummings was still employed by MPD. The City has refused to answer the question. So we ask yet again: Is Brian Cummings still a Minneapolis Police Officer?

“It has been over 110 days since Brian Cummings recklessly drove through North Minneapolis at a speed of 100 mph killing Mr. Frazier, an innocent Black man, and we still can’t confirm if Mayor Jacob Frey has fired him,” said Racial Justice Network member Sonja Western. “If Brian Cummings has not been fired, he needs to be fired immediately.”

Since October 2020, there have been at least four examples of high-speed police chases resulting in seven deaths. Here is a brief summary:

• September 5, 2021, a high-speed chase initiated by the Eden Prairie Police Department resulted in the death of a 19 year old.

• September 3, 2021, two teenagers, ages 14 and 15, were killed as a result of a high-speed chase initiated by North St. Paul police.

• July 6, 2021, Leneal Frazier was an innocent motorist killed during a high-speed chase by Minneapolis police.

• October 2020, three teenagers were killed during a high speed chase in North Minneapolis.

None of the officers, outside of Brian Cummings, have ever been charged in these deaths. The Racial Justice Network calls on local county prosecutors to hold those officers accountable for their actions.

Given the frequency of these senseless deaths, we are demanding Governor Tim Walz and the State Legislature pass legislation banning high-speed chases in Minnesota. Currently, each jurisdiction has its own policy and in some instances, there is no transparency in the pursuit policy, such as in Ramsey County. State-wide action is necessary to end these dangerous law enforcement practices.

“These are senseless deaths that can and should be prevented. When officers continue to initiate high-speed chases in residential areas, they are showing a blatant disregard for human life,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network. “Minnesotans must demand that Governor Tim Walz and the Legislature end this practice state-wide.”

The Racial Justice Network reiterates its calls for Brian Cummings to be fired if he is still employed by MPD. We also demand prosecution of all officers whose reckless behavior leads to stolen lives. Finally, we also demand that Governor Tim Walz and the Legislature end high-speed pursuits state-wide.

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

August 13, 2021

Silence From Minneapolis City Leaders In Response To Community Stress, Trauma, And Violence

Minneapolis, MN— In just the last four days, the northside community of Minneapolis has experienced a terrifying amount of gunfire at all times of the day and night, in highly populated neighborhoods, near parks and outdoor pools; leaving children and families running for cover outside and inside of their homes. The names of the five people who were fatally shot have not been released; our condolences to the impacted families. To date, city leaders have not made any statements about actions they can and will take to address the immediate needs of the people impacted by this recent rise in community violence.

To fully understand the magnitude of community violence experienced during the last four days, view the City of Minneapolis’ Shots Fired Map. According to the Shots Fired Map, during August 7th – 10th, 2021:

• 17 shooting incidents were reported, including 5 fatal shooting incidents; 5 people died from gunshot wounds and 12 people survived;
• 14 of the shooting incidents occurred in north Minneapolis, 4 fatal incidents;
• 2 shooting incidents occurred in south Minneapolis, 1 fatal incident;
• 1 shooting incident occurred in downtown Minneapolis, 0 fatal incidents;
• 97 incidents of gunfire were detected in north Minneapolis and 6 incidents in south Minneapolis by the City’s shotspotter’s devices.

Note: A shotspotter incident does not equal the number of bullets detected; many bullets could be fired and detected in a single incident.

As some may recall, on June 17th, 2020, the mayor and city council declared racism a public health emergency in Minneapolis and published a Resolution with ten actions to address systemic racism in the city, acknowledging the “severe impact racism has on the well-being of residents and overall the city,” with promises of funding, resources and staff to address the harm caused by racism and white supremacy, including the following action: “Develop a comprehensive rapid response protocol to immediate needs and long-term work to address systemic inequities.This includes activating the Office of Emergency Management and Incident Command System, the Health Department, the Division of Race & Equity, and other public facing departments to respond to community stress and trauma.”.

Right now, city leaders need to hold themselves accountable to the promises they made to the community over a year ago to provide resources, including financial resources “to respond to the community stress and trauma.” Emergency resources are needed for mental health, chemical health, medical health, housing and basic needs. We at Racial Justice Network want city leaders to share their “comprehensive rapid response protocol” to address the urgent, and immediate needs for our children, youth, and families living in north Minneapolis. This is a public health crisis that must be addressed with a greater sense of urgency.

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

July 21, 2021

Contact Mike Freeman, Hennepin County Attorney to Demand Charges Against John Rieple for the Murder of Calvin Horton during the George Floyd Protests

Minneapolis, MN— On the evening of May 27th, 2020 during protests for George Floyd, Calvin Horton was allegedly shot and killed by John Rieple while he was unarmed on the sidewalk outside of the former Cadillac Pawn and Jewelry store. Bystander video posted to Facebook shows Minneapolis police and Hennepin County Sheriff’s Deputies outside of the store shouting and motioning to a crowd of people on the sidewalk and street to move away from the area as the sound of gunfire is heard in the background, “There’s somebody in there with a rifle. Back up!”

As this was happening, bystanders, police and deputies were also attending to Calvin Horton who was shot in the back and had collapsed onto the sidewalk, unresponsive, a few feet away from the store; in front of a restaurant where they ended up moving him inside as John Rieple allegedly continued to fire rounds into the crowd. Tragically, Calvin Horton did not survive and died from gunshot wounds while waiting for EMS to arrive.

John Rieple was arrested on the scene and held for probable cause at the Hennepin County jail for 36 hours, and then released without murder charges. Six months later, Mike Freeman announced he would not bring murder charges against John Rieple, citing “lack of evidence.” The MPD detectives and Hennepin County prosecutors did not retrieve John Rieple’s rifle at the scene or the store surveillance video, and did not subpoena Rieple’s cloud service provider for copies of the surveillance video. In addition, they did not subpoena the cloud service providers of the surveillance cameras in the area of Bloomington Avenue and Lake Street, which had at least five visible cameras.

This Wednesday, July 21st, 2021 would have been Calvin Horton’s 45th birthday and we are asking the community to join us outside of the former Cadillac Pawn and Jewelry store to honor Calvin Horton in remembrance with his family. We are also asking the community to contact Mike Freeman’s office at 612-348-5550 and citizeninfo@hennepin.us to demand that he reopen Calvin Horton’s case, gather the surveillance video and bring murder charges against John Rieple. In the state of Minnesota, under statute 609.06, Authorized Use of Force, citizens have a duty to retreat and deadly force can only be used in cases of bodily harm, for physical attacks and not to protect property.

We believe there is enough evidence to bring charges against John Rieple, and that the City of Minneapolis has a duty to protect the community against vigilantes more concerned with protecting their insured property than the rights of unarmed protestors exercising their First Amendment rights after a brutal police killing.

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

July 15, 2021

Representative John Thompson has been UnfairlyTargeted due to his Outspokenness on Police Violence
Community Groups stand in solidarity with Representative John Thompson

Minneapolis, MN— On July 4, Representative John Thompson was pulled over for a missing front license plate. This is a common experience for Black men in St. Paul and around the state and country. Law enforcement “finds” a reason to target Black men for items that have nothing to do with public safety. These pretextual stops are an example of “Driving While Black” and an example of racial profiling. The data proves this is a rampant problem in St. Paul. Last year, 43% of all traffic stops were of Black drivers while only 16% of St. Paul’s population is Black. Such pretextual stops rarely yield any substantive impact to public safety and more often are a form of harassment that white people do not face at the same rates. These stops also have led to the police killing of Black men including Philando Castille in 2016, a close friend to Representative Thompson; and more recently to Daunte Wright, a young Black father killed by police in April of this year.

Representative Thompson is being unfairly targeted by his fellow legislators, Governor Walz, and the chair of the DFL party, Ken Martin, for this minor issue. These same individuals rarely use this same, aggressive energy towards their fellow white legislators when they were committed of DWIs, sexual harassment and domestic violence. They also rarely, if ever, hold police accountable when they use excessive force or kill a community member. These individuals also held a second legislative session since the murder of George Floyd without passing any meaningful police accountability bills. It is important to note that Representative Thompson used his voice and influence to push for these bills to get passed; to no avail.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (MPPOA) is using its platform to denigrate Representative Thompson, a Black man and politician, because of his outspokenness on police violence and his commitment to passing meaningful police accountability bills in the Minnesota State Legislature.

The media has also played a role in the vilifying of Representative Thompson. Media outlets rushed to judgement and did not take the opportunity to expose the racial disparities and long-standing patterns of racial profiling that Representative Thompson was speaking about. Instead, the media chose to be a mouthpiece for the St. Paul Police Department

“I am dismayed to see the attacks on one of our few Black male legislators”, said Nekima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney and founder of the Racial Justice Network. She continued, “This has gone into the realm of targeting and harassment of a Black elected official simply because he has been one of the most prominent and outspoken voices against police violence and police brutality.”

“The MPPOA needs to end their attacks on Representative Thompson immediately,” said Pete Gamades from the Racial Justice Network.” “If MPPOA would take this same aggressive stance against police officers who commit violence and terrorize Black and brown communities, the community would be in a far better place.”

We are demanding that this aggressive targeting of Representative John Thompson end. We call on Governor Tim Walz and the chair of the Minnesota DFL party, Ken Martin, to retract their negative, gaslighting statements and show support for one of the few Black elected officials within the Minnesota DFL party. Lastly, we call on St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell to acknowledge the glaring racial disparities in police stops by his department and commit to eliminating racial profiling and police abuse.

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