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

St. Paul, MN – Saint Paul police were soundly condemned on January 14 for a decade of crimes against families and communities. Monique Cullars-Doty, a community activist, chaired a press conference that highlighted some of these crimes and called on the city council to freeze the Saint Paul Police Department budget until there is an end to these disgraceful acts, along with a guarantee of transparency in the future and justice for victims and their families. She then invited others to speak about their loved ones murdered by police.

January 14 marks five years since her nephew, 24-year-old Marcus Golden, was killed by Saint Paul Police Officers Jeremy Doverspike and Dan Peck. He was unarmed when they shot him in the back of the head, through the window of his parked vehicle. Marcus’ murder came in the middle of a decade of disgrace – where Saint Paul distinguished itself as the deadliest department in Minnesota, and one of the deadliest in the country. The rallying cry #Justice4MarcusGolden has fueled Minnesota’s growing movement for accountability in policing and justice for all lives stolen by police violence.

Cullars-Doty spoke about Marcus Golden and presented a slide show titled “The Saint Paul Police Department: A Decade of Disgrace in Review.” The review included:

-- Several K-9 attacks, including one where the dog ripped the throat from a dying man who’d been shot 16 times by SPPD officers. -- Several incidents of women being publicly strip-searched by SPPD officers. -- The case of Sergeant Jeff “Run them over” Rothecker – the disgraced officer who publicly urged violence against protesters who were demanding justice for Marcus Golden and Jamar Clark, instructing people to “run them over” and justify it by claiming they feared for their lives from protesters. -- Officer Michael Soucheray, who claimed self-defense when he punched a handcuffed suicidal 14-year-old girl in the face two times -- Sergeant Heather Weyker, who manufactured false evidence, leading to the imprisonment of 30 Somali people, who filed lawsuits seeking a total of $200 million. In addition to false evidence, Wekyer lied in court. -- Several cases of brutality and wrongful arrest where the city has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars. -- 38 people killed at the hands of Saint Paul police, including Marcus Golden.

Matilda Smith remembered sitting down her two sons for a talk when Marcus Golden was murdered, having no idea one of their lives would be taken the following year. Jaffort Smith was killed by SPPD in May 2016. She said of that conversation, “My grandmother used to talk to us. They went through slavery and they used to tell us, ‘Stay in, that’s how we how we live to get to be 100 years old.’ It’s not fair that we have to stay in while everybody else can come out!”

Toshira Garraway Allen spoke about her son’s father, Justin Tiegen, who was beaten to death by the Saint Paul police ten years ago; his body was thrown in a dumpster. Allen described her frustrating interaction with the governor’s “Working Group on Police-Involved Deadly Force Encounters,” convened by state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington. “Keith Ellison has seen the pictures of my son’s father’s body. He’s done nothing. He said to me, ‘What can I help you with?’” said Allen. “’You’re the attorney general of Minnesota, you tell me what you can do! Prosecute. Go in and find out who the officers were, they don’t need to be out here on the street to hurt more of our people.”

Del Shea Perry spoke about her son Hardel Sherrell, who was killed by racist jailers in Beltrami County Jail. She too brought her story to Attorney General Ellison, who has failed to take any action to protect people in this deadly jail.

Trahern Crews, of Black Lives Matter MN and Green Party United States Reparations Working Group, criticized Black politicians who have failed to act in the interests of the Black community. Rather than spending state funds to help real estate developers build luxury apartments, he called for reparations, including money to families and survivors of police terror.

Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar member Jess Sundin spoke: “In TCC4J, we don’t just want to live in our grief and our anger, we actually want to fight for change. The police shouldn’t make their own rules anymore, they shouldn’t be in charge of investigating themselves anymore, and it’s clear enough prosecutors cannot be expected to hold them accountable. We want to have an all-civilian police accountability council. We want to change the rules. No more dogs as weapons. No more killings – every police officer needs to be held accountable for their wrongdoing. When someone has the power to kill community members, someone else needs to have the power to put them away. In the jail, under the jail, wherever they need to go to get off our streets once and for all.”

#StPaulMN #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #SaintPaulPoliceDepartment #MarcusGolden #TwinCitiesCoalitionForJustice4Jamar

Monique Collars Doty, Marcus’ aunt and member of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar and Black Lives Matter Minnesota, said, “I thank you so much for being out here to show Marcus some love, to show the Saint Paul Police Department that we don’t give an F about what you said happened, about what you did. We see through your lies, and we are going to keep standing and keep fighting.”

Trahern Crews of Black Lives Matter Minnesota and the Green Party spoke about the death of his nephew, Hardel Sherrell, and three other inmates in Beltrami County Jail, all cases suspicious due to neglect or foul play. “When the authorities kill your loved one and just act like they cared about your loved one, a lot of times we don’t get to see the footage. We just believe the police on face value, but a lot of times, when we can see the footage, we can see that those who are in authority – those who are supposed to serve and protect us – are liars and murderers and thieves.”

Toshira Allen’s boyfriend – the father of her child – was beaten to death by police and thrown in a dumpster. She said, “One thing I keep in mind is that they did not throw him in the river, they did not throw him in the woods, they threw him in the trash. So, that should signify something to us. That's what they think of us – they think we're garbage; they think that we're trash.”

Michelle Gross from Communities United Against Police Brutality mentioned the many falsehoods in the police narrative behind the killing of Thurman Blevins by Minneapolis Police last summer. She discussed the fruitlessness of going through channels to try to hold police accountable, “We have to be organized. We have to be united. We have to work with everybody we can bring to the table. We need to work with all colors, and get people here, get people present, get people fighting and willing to take those risks. And that is how we get what we want. We will never get it by being nice to these guys.”

Map Kong, who was killed by Burnsville police, was represented by his cousin, “There are multiple ways you can handle that situation, but then they choose the hostile way. They choose to kill. They choose to be disorganized and reckless.”

Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar spoke about the need for community control of the police, “But right now as it stands, in both Minneapolis and St Paul, there is no one who is going to hold the police accountable for their actions. They brutalize someone – nothing happens. They kill someone – they smear the family, and nothing happens. So, we are working to get a civilian elected accountability board that has actual teeth to discipline the police.”

KingDemetrius Pendleton, a photographer and journalist who supports the fight against police violence, spoke about the loss of his daughter to a drunk driver and his Choose 1 campaign against distracted and drunk driving.

Bridget Dawkins from Sounds of Blackness sang a version of Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday with lyrics about Marcus. At the end of the gathering, participants took over Summit Avenue to release balloons in honor of Marcus and other stolen lives.

#SaintPaulMN #PeoplesStruggles #PoliceBrutality #MarcusGolden

On the early morning of January 14, 2015, what likely began as a clumsy cop slipping on ice turned into belligerent gunfire by Saint Paul police officers, ending in the murder of a young Black man. The police department tried hard to keep the story out of the media, or they spewed lies about Marcus Golden and the incident. After Terrance Franklin and before Jamar Clark, the murder of Marcus Golden by the Saint Paul Police Department was one of the pivotal moments in the Minnesota fight against police terror.

Marcus Golden’s aunt, Monique Cullars-Doty, a leader in the Minnesota fight against police terror and for Black Liberation, emceed the vigil. She is a member of many groups, including the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar. She used the vigil to announce the “Golden Awards.” The awards will have categories such as “police federation president most likely to have a white hood in his closet.” The ‘winners’ will be announced February 14. The of #NoLove4Cops nominations can be posted at Bit.ly/goldenawards.

The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar’s Jess Sundin, spoke, “The fact is, the story of what happened to Marcus didn’t make the news. But Monique took that moment and transformed the community for the long-haul and so now we all know Marcus Golden. What we learned from this example is, ‘Don’t ever forget!’ We thank for Monique for teaching us the powerful place that families can have in the movement. We can’t all be Monique, but everyone can find a place in the movement. At TCC4J, we are committed to making sure that all the names and all the stories are told.” She added, “Monique is always talking about, ‘We need legislation! We need new rules!’ This is why TCC4J is fighting for community control of the police. We need an end to police terror in our communities! Justice for Marcus Golden!”

At the vigil, the true story of Marcus Golden was told. There were many speeches and eulogies from community members, including Pastor Brian Herron, vocalist Bridgette from Sounds of Blackness and Loretta VanPelt of TCC4J. They honored the truths of a young Black worker who dedicated his life to serving his community and specifically his grandparents, providing them healthcare services and home upkeep. VanPelt ended the vigil by leading the Assata Shakur chant. Vigil attendees pledged to honor the memory of Marcus Golden, fight for justice, Black liberation, and community control of the police.

#SaintPaulMN #OppressedNationalities #PeoplesStruggles #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #SaintPaulPoliceDepartment #Antiracism #MarcusGolden #TwinCitiesCoalitionForJusticeForJamar

St. Paul, MN – Several thousand protesters took the streets here, Jan. 19 to reclaim the Martin Luther King Day holiday and proclaim that “Black lives matter.” The family of Marcus Golden, killed by Saint Paul police on Jan. 14, carried the lead banner for the march. Protesters attempts to take over I-94 were thwarted by 30 State Patrol squad cars.

#SaintPaulMN #InJusticeSystem #PoliceBrutality #AfricanAmerican #MarcusGolden