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