Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday evening, October 16, 300 people marched through Uptown Minneapolis to the home of the city attorney, to demand that he drop the charges against the 646-plus protesters arrested on November 4, 2020, and to demand community control over police in Minneapolis. The November arrests targeted some of the more than 1000 students, teachers, union members and activists who took to the streets in Minneapolis to demand police accountability and speak out against Trump’s attempts to steal the election. Last year’s march was part of a national day of protest initiated by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

When the 2020 march entered Interstate 94, they were surrounded by hundreds of State Patrol who carried out the largest mass arrest in Minnesota history, detaining protesters for nearly six hours. Minneapolis police brutalized bystanders who attempted to document this violation of rights, while University of Minnesota police and transit police also assisted in the operation.

The first to speak on Saturday, Jerome Hilson, tied together the fight for community control of the police and the fight to defend the 646. Hilson is a member of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J), which organized the march last November and this weekends’ protest against the charges. “CPAC – Civilian Police Accountability Commission – what that does is that's going to give us control over the police, so that they can no longer abuse their power like they did that night or any other night. It is actually going to give us democratic power over the police – 646, let's do that! They cannot scare us, they cannot intimidate us; we will fight for what we need. All power to the people.”

The October 16 protest took place as the University of Minnesota chapter hosted the Students for a Democratic Society national conference. Many SDS members were arrested in the November march in Minneapolis, and student organizers have experienced police repression across the country. Speakers included members of the Tally 19, organizers who were arrested during a Black Lives Matter demonstration last September in Tallahassee, Florida. Their charges include felonies, and the state government has since passed anti-protester bill HB 1 into law.

The protest stopped outside the home of City Attorney Jim Rowader, for speeches, dance music, noise-making and chants including, “646! Drop the charges!” The lights were on, but the city attorney never made an appearance. After nearly an hour, protesters left the otherwise quiet block, and marched the mile back to the park where the protest began.

Arraignments for the 646-plus began October 8 and will continue for six weeks. During the first kangaroo court session, the city attempted to coerce arrestees into entering plea deals, namely participating in a “restorative justice” option or community service in exchange for dismissing the charges. While individual protesters may need to take a plea deal for a number of valid reasons, the majority want to fight these charges because the mass arrests violated protesters' First Amendment rights.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #646Arrestees

Minneapolis, MN – On February 8, over 100 people attended the court support for Amina McCaskill. McCaskill and over 646 others are targets of political repression from the November 4, 2020 national day of action to demand a “People’s Agenda” post-Trump. They were arrested as they were trying to march off of Interstate 94.

The hearing was held on Zoom. Most of McCaskill’s 100-plus supporters renamed themselves as “Observer for Amina.” The hearing’s original intent was for McCaskill to respond to a plea bargain which would still result in serious charges. She declined the plea bargain and instead opted to go to trial. The prosecutor indicated that they had submitted minor evidence and alluded to raising additional charges.

This enraged attendees and they responded by allegedly confronting the prosecutor, after which the prosecutor requested the judge to intercede; he also threatened to hold attendees in contempt.

Earlier in the morning, Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar members dropped a banner at the Hennepin County Government Center as workers arrived downtown. The banner read “Drop the charges! Amina McCaskill, I94 646+, all targets of political repression!”

As attendees left the virtual hearing, they turned their microphones on and shouted, “Drop the charges!”

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #646Arrestees #AminaMcCaskill

Minneapolis, MN – More than 50 protesters rallied out in the blistering cold in downtown Minneapolis on Friday, February 5 to demand that the trumped-up charges against Amina McCaskill be dropped immediately. The Friday action served as a prelude to McCaskill’s Monday, February 8 court date. Activists are encouraging everyone to attend the February 8 Zoom court hearing: https://fb.me/e/264yfAUkY

TCC4J members said of Friday’s sub-zero windchill, “Even if they’re snow boots, they’ll still be on the ground!”

This past November 4, 2020, community organizations, unions and student groups marched as part of a national day of action called by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Police trapped people on the highway for hours and ultimately arrested over 646 people in what is believed to be the largest mass arrest in state history.

While most arrestees were charged with a misdemeanor and petty misdemeanor, Amina McCaskill was targeted with felony charges for allegedly having a laser pointer.

Jae Yates, of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J), pointed out that way more resources went to arresting the 646-plus demonstrators and closing off the highway for several hours by forcing them to stay on road, rather than letting them continue to exit off of the freeway. In short, it couldn’t have been about safety – they blocked off the highway to arrest the marchers longer than it would’ve taken for them to just walk off and continue the march.

Sirius Marie of TCC4J compared the DC melee of January 6 with the protest where McCaskill and more than 646 others were arrested, saying the powers that be, “reinforced the message that the crooked cops don’t care about us or justice. It’s about protecting the image of white supremacy and capitalism. Officers commit crimes every day, that they are not held accountable for. There are two justice systems in America. Hence why Amina, a young Black woman is being made an example out of. We have to do better and fight for better.”

Groups in the coalition to defend Amina McCaskill that attended and spoke included the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar, Anti-War Committee, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, Students for a Democratic Society, Council on American Islamic Relations-MN, On Site Public Media, Racial Justice Coalition, and Good Trouble for Justice.

Make sure that you keep posted on TCC4J’s CPAC efforts to get community control of the police to hold these pigs accountable! TCC4J calls for people to support McCaskill by trying to attend her Zoom court hearing on February 8, and to call County Attorney Mike Freeman at 612-348-5550 -demand he drop the charges against Amina McCaskill.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #646Arrestees #AminaMcCaskill

They literally wore custom made t-shirts broadcasting a coup they planned and orchestrated, at the urging of President Donald J. Trump.

Trying to make sense of this situation as I scrolled endlessly on my phone. The more I scrolled, the angrier I became.

I am angry because not only did police arrest 14 people in Tallahassee on September 5, 2020 but because they continued to ambush and arrest protesters, bringing the number of those with warrants for our participation at the September 5 protest up to 19.

I am angry because my wife is facing a felony charge with ten years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

I clearly remember the afternoon of September 5 – across the street from the Old Capitol Building – I was arrested, along with 13 others, by hundreds of law enforcement officers clad in riot gear and equipped with military weapons and canines.

I remember holding on to my wife, surrounded by waves of dark uniforms; it was like being engulfed in a shadow. Batons flailed in the air as the police attempted to break up a peaceful protest against a grand jury decision absolving Tallahassee police officers for the murders of three Tallahassee men earlier in 2020. Police weren’t just trying to break up a single protest on September 5, they were out to hobble the growing movement for Black lives and distract from demands for community control of the police.

I remember holding my wife’s hands, the tears full in their eyes, the tiredness worn on their face and the absolute terror of it all. As our hands slipped, and dozens of others watched in horror as the police broke us up, I screamed as hard as I could, just wishing I could just...hold my wife.

I remember being scared of what would happen next.

What happened next was more police beatings, draggings, mass-arrests, forced and costly hospitalization, misgendering of arrestees, disgusting jail conditions, delayed bail processing, repressive release conditions, additional late-night follow-up arrests, and humiliating diversion offers made to some – but not all – of the #Tally19. There are two Tally19ers still facing felony charges.

Fast forward to January 6, 2021. In what seems like increasingly stranger yet less shocking days, we witnessed a moment sure to be etched in history books. As I write this, hours into an undisrupted racist, reactionary siege of the U.S. Capitol, the hypocrisy is blatant.

I am angry because multiple trucks ran into Black Lives Matter protests in Tallahassee. Yet Democrat State Attorney Jack Campbell let the drivers all go and holds firm on prosecuting BLM organizers.

I am angry because Trump’s ally, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is crafting legislation to make it legal for drivers to hit and kill protesters.

We have a ‘democracy’ wherein the first Black senator in the South since Reconstruction is finally elected and then the next day, elected far-right Republicans support a literal white supremacist siege of the U.S. Capitol building.

We must demand the end of political repression faced by Black activists across the country.

From the Tallahassee 19, to the Minnesota 646: Drop all charges against those fighting for a better tomorrow in the face of police violence.

If you wish to support the Tally 19, head to our GoFundMe

Additionally, you can send a letter to Tallahassee officials to drop the charges against the Tally 19.

#TallahasseeFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #Elections #DonaldTrump #Tally19 #646Arrestees #TrumpPutsch

Minneapolis, MN – About 50 people gathered for a noon press conference on the frontage road above Interstate 94 to demand that charges be dropped against the 646-plus protesters who were arrested there one month ago.

On November 4, 1000 people marched against the triple pandemic of racism, economic crisis and COVID and demanded Trump not steal the presidential election, as part of a national day of protest called by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. The marchers were surrounded by hundreds of state patrol and other police on the interstate, and 647 people were arrested. Most were charged with misdemeanors, while at least one, Amina McCaskill, was hit with multiple bogus felony charges. Some believe it was the largest mass arrest in Minnesota history. On the frontage road above the freeway trench, more were arrested and brutalized as the Minneapolis Police Department tried to stop neighbors from observing and filming police or from supporting protesters in any way.

Press conference speakers included arrestees and organizers from November 4: Jae Yates of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J), David Gilbert-Pederson of MN Workers United, Nekima Levy Armstrong of Racial Justice Network, Gabriel Black Elk of Native Lives Matter, Kent Mori of the Anti-War Committee and Toshira Garraway Allen of Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence. All of them demanded the November 4 charges be dropped and pledged to continue the fight for police accountability and against racism.

Jae Yates of TCC4J said, “Since November 4, we have organized ourselves for our legal defense, and we and our supporters have signed petitions, made phone calls and joined car caravan protests to demand that charges be dropped. The Minneapolis City attorney has not dropped the hundreds of adult misdemeanor cases, and Mike Freeman’s office has not dropped the charges against minors and nor the bogus felony charges against Amina McCaskill. We are here today to once again demand that all these charges be dropped. And we demand that the political leaders in this city, county and state take a stand against the criminalization of protest, especially in a state where hundreds of murderous police officers have never been prosecuted for their crimes against our neighbors.”

Yates then read from TCC4J’s response to a statement by Governor Tim Walz about the mass arrests. “Since the formation of Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar, our demands have been clear. We want officers who commit violence against our communities to face justice for the harm that they do. We want compensation for families who have lost people to police violence. And we demand community control of the police, so we have the ability to self-determine how policing is done in our communities. Those demands have gone unanswered for years, and this summer, outrage boiled over when the torture and murder of George Floyd was captured on camera. Your response to that outrage was overwhelming force, with the National Guard. As yet, you have enacted no meaningful legislation or executive orders to address violent and racist policing. Yet once again, on November 4, you mobilized overwhelming police force to attack a thousand people marching in Minneapolis.”

The TCC4J statement continued, “While we were armed with picket signs and music, we faced off with hundreds of police in full riot gear, pointing their weapons at us. Police on the scene repeatedly took actions aimed at escalating the situation and provoking conflict. While organizers worked hard to keep protesters united, police tightened their cordon, pulled one young protester out of the crowd, brought in their sonic weapon and called on the press to leave. Some police threatened protesters, saying they were Proud Boys, others displaying Three Percenter badges on their uniforms. Some officers were seen wearing thin blue line masks, while others wore no mask at all. Pressing the crowd ever closer together, putting some on tightly packed buses, and removing protesters’ masks under pretense of taking pictures… all contributed towards creating a potential COVID super-spreader event.”

Walz claimed the mass arrest was necessary for the safety of protesters, but TCC4J answered back, “You have not passed any laws to hold drivers accountable for deliberately targeting protesters on roads or highways. You have not ensured accountability for police officers who openly encourage drivers to attack protesters. You have largely failed to arrest or prosecute drivers who have attacked protesters. And even in your statement, you offer a defense of the oil tanker driver who was criminally charged for driving into protesters on I-35W earlier this summer. It’s hypocritical to cite any safety concerns with our protests, while you allow armed, unmasked racists Trump supporters to party on your front lawn immediately after you announced new restrictions on gatherings. Why were they not arrested for their safety?”

TCC4J and other organizers will continue organizing in defense of the arrested protesters, and continue building the movement against police violence, racism and injustice.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #DropTheCharges #TCC4J #646Arrestees

St. Paul, MN – On November 27, the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar Clark organized a rally and car caravan to protest the mass arrests of November 4. The Black Friday protest started in the parking lot of JJ Hill elementary school, where Philando Castile worked before he was killed by police. During a brief rally, participants decorated their cars, then a caravan of 100 vehicles left for the governor’s mansion, by way of the Grand Avenue.

Governor Tim Walz had mobilized hundreds of police from across the state to “teach a lesson” to protesters on November 4 who were part of a national day of protest called by the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. Minneapolis police brutalized supporters, observers and bystanders while state patrol and others spent the six hours arresting at least 646 protesters on Interstate 94.

The car caravan was organized after a week of call-in actions to city and county prosecutors, as well as various politicians, including the governor. The demands for the week included the dropping of charges against all protesters, including Amina McCaskill who was singled out for multiple felony charges for allegedly shining a laser pointer in the direction of police. Organizers also reiterated the demand for community control of police.

The caravan targeted the Grand Avenue shopping district on Black Friday, as well as Summit Avenue, one the highest concentrations of wealthy homes in the city, before arriving at the mansion, getting out of cars for chants, including, “Rain, sleet, snow or shine, protests are not a crime!” and general calls to drop the charges.

Arrestees from multiple organizations spoke, including Chaz Neal, from Red Wing, Minnesota; Kaia Hirt of Minnetonka; Shannon Nordby of Native Lives Matter, Mohamed Ibrahim of CAIR-MN, and Loretta VanPelt, Jae Yates and DJ Hooker of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar (TCC4J). The rally ended with a dance party that included some of the same songs that had been playing when people were arrested on November 4.

The fight to drop the charges is ongoing. To support the arrestees, sign this petition at https://bit.ly/3lTlKfV

#SaintPaulMN #Elections #TwinCitiesCoalitionForJustice4Jamar #646Arrestees