St. Paul, MN – More than 50 people gathered in below freezing temperatures for more than an hour Jan. 14, in front of a Saint Paul Police Station, for a memorial balloon release for Marcus Golden. On Jan. 14, 2015, Golden was executed, shot in the back of his head, by Saint Paul Police Officers Jeremy Doverspike and Dan Peck. Golden was unarmed, but SPPD's Detective Shelia Lambie used a search warrant to retrieve a gun legally owned by Golden from his residence. This is why it took SPPD approximately 11 hours after Golden was wrongfully killed, to ‘confirm’ Golden was armed.

At the Jan. 14 event, in solidarity with all stolen lives, balloons were released as victims of police murder were named, including Jamar Clark, Philando Castile, Map Kong, Philip Quinn, Jaffort Smith, Paul Castaway, Sarah Lee Circle Bear, Korryn Gaines, Aiyana Jones, and many others. Marcus Golden’s aunt, Monique Cullars Doty and his mother, Ericka Cullars Golden, both spoke, along with leaders from Black Lives Matter Saint Paul and Communities United Against Police Brutality. A statement by his family said, “We must never forget those painfully ripped from their friends, families and communities, and work to hold killer cops and their conspirators accountable.”

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