Saint Paul, MN – On January 20, Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) held an evening event to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., Marcus Golden, and “stolen lives” of community members lost to police crimes and terror.

The event took place in Rondo, a historically Black and working class neighborhood and included a potluck dinner, political program, and entertainment. Over 50 people attended, a majority Black and women.

The program included a short video The Radical History of MLK, which highlighted King’s work in the Black liberation movement, for labor struggles like the 1968 AFSCME sanitation workers strike in Memphis, and for all working people. The program also honored the anniversary of the 2015 #ReclaimMLK Black Lives Matter Minneapolis march held in Saint Paul after the Saint Paul Police Department murdered of Marcus Golden. The 2000-people strong march went through the same historically black neighborhood that this year’s event was held in and it marked a heightening of the local struggle for Black liberation and against police crimes in Minnesota. Monique Cullars-Doty (aunt of Marcus Golden) joined the struggle at that time and still actively organizes with TCC4J as a leader who helps organize other families and survivors of police terror.

An excerpt of Frank Chapman’s “report from the battlefield” from the re-launching of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression in November was also shown. Attendees cheered and applauded during the speech. Chapman’s February 7 and 8 Black History Month tour in Minnesota was highlighted, along with the work for community control of the police in Minneapolis.

Daphne Brown and Toshira Garraway both sang and Loretta VanPelt, organizer and emcee of the night, led everyone in “Say their name” chants, as well as the Assata Shakur “We have a duty” chant to close the event.

#SaintPaulMN #Labor #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #DrMartinLutherKingJr #Antiracism #AFSCME #PoliticalRepression #MarcusGolden #TwinCitiesCoalition4JusticeForJamarTCC4J