Minneapolis, MN – The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) was denied a platform to defend their cover-ups of police killings, including their current ‘investigation’ of the police murder of Thurman Blevins, on July 12.

The North Minneapolis meeting was organized by the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage, Liberty Church, MPLS Mad Dads, Justice Leadership Solutions, ReCAST Minneapolis (AKA the City of Minneapolis). A flyer with stolen pictures of Thurman promoted the gathering as a “community meeting” with the BCA. The meeting began with hollow religious epitaphs, voter registration, and even dared to use the slogan “Justice for Thurman Blevins!”

Thurman's outraged family led the charge to shut the meeting down. His sister, Corretta Blevins said, “First and foremost, we need to discuss justice [for my brother] and we need to discuss what type of man he was. I am not okay with the BCA and their presence”

Thurman Blevins family has criticized the role of BCA in the investigation of his murder thus far. Seeing his name on a flyer for an event with the BCA speaking was too much. The family was not spoken to or invited to the meeting, so they brought themselves there, along with a packed room of community members. The BCA was escorted off the premises by a security detail and then the media was also chased out of the room. Organizers of the ‘community meeting’ left in huff and the Blevins family and community was victorious in the battle.

Sam Martinez and organizer with the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamar said, “We at TCC4J and the anti-police crimes movement see the reign of terror the MPD is unleashing upon our working-class communities and in particular upon our Black communities. The meeting held tonight was an attempt by the political system that protects killer cops to pacify our community's resistance. The Blevins family and the community took on the system that wishes to protect killer cops and demanded what is rightfully theirs, justice! All working people deserve justice, and we will find it together by taking power and fighting for community control of the police.”

Time and again, BCA investigators help clear cops of wrongdoing when they kill community members. In the case of Jamar Clark, they upheld a police-manufactured lie about domestic violence, which was denied by the fake ‘girlfriend’ as soon as the story went public (after County Attorney Mike Freeman declined to indict Clark's killers). In the case of Justine Damond, Freeman was caught on tape criticizing investigators for their faulty work.

The funeral for Thurman Junior Blevins will take place on Saturday, July 14. Family and community members vow to continue the fight for justice.

#Minneapolis #MN #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #BlackLivesMatter #PoliceCrimes #ThurmanBlevins #BureauOfCriminalApprehensionBCA

Minneapolis, MN – 50 gathered at City Hall to demand justice for Thurman Blevins, an African American man killed two weeks ago by Minneapolis police, with multiple shots to the back. Family members led a 2.5-mile march that passed through the plaza at Target Field. Hundreds of baseball fans witnessed the march, some joining in the chants. Protesters want an independent investigation of the killing, the firing and prosecution of killer cops Justin Schmidt and Ryan Kelly, and community control of the police.

#Minneapolis #MinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #Antiracism #PoliceCrimes #ThurmanBlevins #TargetField

Thurman Blevins, age 31, was shot nine times in the back as he was running away from taser-wielding police around 6 p.m. on June 23. He leaves behind three daughters. Several relatives spoke at the protest, even though they had attended the funeral of Thurman’s sister earlier in the day.

Protest emcee Nekima Levy-Pounds introduced the family members and speakers from groups that included, NAACP Minneapolis, Native Lives Matter, Communities United Against Police Brutality, and Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar.

Shortly after police murdered Thurman Blevins on June 23, activists, including Jess Sundin, of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar (TCC4J) rushed to the scene. She wrote that night, “Tonight, I witnessed police disregard for a traumatized community. They detained witnesses, in handcuffs and squad cars. Police tape covered the area for several blocks in every direction, and at one point, a line of at least a dozen police stood, to keep people blocks away from where the killing happened. I'm told Thurman's body is still there, in the alley. It's been seven hours now. This is only some small part of the story. The short version is: Don't believe anything you hear from the media, the politicians or the police. Thurman Blevins was doing nothing wrong when the cowardly cops shot him in the back. My heart is heavy, knowing that tomorrow, his family will bury his sister. And now, they have to begin planning his funeral, and figure out how they will care for his three young children.”

During the day on June 24, dozens of people delayed the Twin Cities Pride parade in downtown Minneapolis and included “Justice for Thurman Blevins!” in the demands.

In the evening of June 24, a vigil will be held in the neighborhood where Blevins’ murder took place.

#MinneapolisMN #AfricanAmerican #PoliceBrutality #Pride #PoliceCrimes #ThurmanBlevins #TwinCitiesCoalitionForJustice4Jamar