Brutality Videos
Nicholas Kastner, 12/12/2008
Roseville man says Minneapolis police beat him during his arrest
A Roseville man who spent three weeks in jail for his role in parking ramp burglaries is suing the city of Minneapolis.
By ROCHELLE OLSON, Star Tribune
Last update: September 4, 2009 - 9:56 AM
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/57115637.html
Derryl Jenkins, 2/19/2009
Tale of the tape in arrest
Police say the force they used was reasonable and that Derryl Jenkins resisted. Jenkins and his lawyer say a squad-car video shows brutality.
By ROCHELLE OLSON and DAVID CHANEN, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: August 17, 2009 - 8:12 AM
http://www.startribune.com/local/53308937.html
Ira Stafford, 8/14/2009
Tasered during traffic stop, Minneapolis man asks why
A police video shows an altercation unfold in the August incident. Internal affairs is investigating.
By MATT McKINNEY, Star Tribune
Last update: March 8, 2010 - 11:16 PM
http://www.startribune.com/local/87033977.html
The Minneapolis City Council votes tomorrow on the reappointment of Chief Dolan. Please contact the council to oppose: kevin.reich@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; cam.gordon@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; diane.hofstede@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; barbara.johnson@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; don.samuels@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; robert.lilligren@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; lisa.goodman@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; elizabeth.glidden@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; gary.schiff@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; meg.tuthill@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; john.quincy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; sandra.colvin.roy@ci.minneapolis.mn.us; betsy.hodges@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
posted by Tom Cleland @ 3/11/2010 09:14:00 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
[From Dave Bicking]
Dear friends,
Now is a critical time to make your voice heard for better policing in Minneapolis. This Friday - tomorrow - the City Council will vote whether to reappoint Police Chief Tim Dolan to another 3-year term. Based on his record, he should NOT serve another term. The City Council needs to hear from you NOW, before they meet at 9:30am on Friday, March 12.
There has been some good news. Many people showed up for the public hearing held by the Public Safety Committee last Wednesday, March 3. Though that Committee voted to pass on the reappointment of Dolan to the full Council, there was dissent. Two members out of the six abstained from voting, and one member, Cam Gordon, Green Party Council member from Ward 2, voted against Dolan. Cam has provided a thorough and excellent explanation of his opposition, which can be found on his blog, at: http://secondward.blogspot.com/2010/03/performance-reveiw-on-safe-city.html
Cam has received a lot of praise both for his vote, and for his willingness to communicate with the public about his reasons. I hope other Council members take note. Also, the Green Party has issued a statement opposing Dolan's reappointment.
One of the reasons to oppose Dolan is his contempt for the Civilian Police Review Authority (CRA) and his persistent failure to discipline officers. The CRA issued a report on his performance relative to CRA responsibilities. Though the CRA does not take a position on the reappointment, their report was highly critical, with documentation of inadequate accountability. That report is available online at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/cra/docs/CRA-Board_Chief-Dolan_review_2009.pdf
Council member Betsy Hodges (Ward 13) questioned Chief Dolan about the findings of the CRA report during the Public Safety Committee meeting. She abstained during the vote, saying that she wanted to evaluate his answers, which I found to be evasive. Her constituents, especially, should thank her for that questioning, and urge her to follow through by voting no tomorrow.
It is easy to contact your Council member, or write to all Council members. A persuasive email with your reasoning is great, but it is most important just to convey your position. It would be very helpful if Council members received lots of emails with just the subject line: Oppose Dolan's Reappointment! You can also call. Chances are you won't reach your Council member in person, but it is most important that they just know you called and you care. Leave a phone message, or tell their staffer that you oppose the reappointment...
Phone number for all is 612-673-22xx where xx is the Ward number, examples: Kevin Reich 612-673-2201, Betsy Hodges 612-673-2213
OR, Minneapolis residents can call 311 and ask who their Council member is, or have 311 connect you directly to their office.
Please do this!! It is a matter of justice for the people who have been abused.
Whatever the vote on Friday, we must continue our work to improve the police department, to bring greater accountability to reduce the level of misconduct, and to support the survivors of police abuse. But it is most urgent now, when the police chief is being evaluated for reappointment, and while public attention is focused on the issue.
Dave Bicking
[From Dave Bicking]
Hi all,
I was asked to forward this to the Green lists. It shows such a contrast between the thoughtful approach of our Green City Council member and the ravings of Council member Don Samuels. Probably best to read his email first - at the bottom
Dave Bicking
Thank you, Lydia, for passing on this commentary (see below) from Ward 5 Mpls City Council member Don Samuels. It offers a window into the mind of one of our most powerful elected representatives. It shows his tortured reasoning and his utter lack of understanding - or proper concern for - the role of a City Council member.
The most telling sentence is this: "I don't give a damn whether the terrorist is a rogue cop or the 11 boys throwing up signs as they yell past my house yelling gang affiliation." One obvious reason for "giving a damn" is that the rogue cop is employed by the city and paid for by our taxes. The cop is the direct responsibility of our city government. It is time that Don Samuels step up and take that responsibility. He is not just a Council member, he is Chair of the Public Safety Committee, and thus second only to the mayor in his responsibility for the conduct of the Police Department.
There are many ways in which Samuels could exercise that responsibility, and many ways in which he has failed to. But most urgent is the decision on the reappointment of Chief Dolan which is coming before the City Council tomorrow. Police culture and police practices start at the top. Dolan has not acted to restrain that rogue cop in Samuels' neighborhood. For Samuels, anything goes, as long as the crime rate is down. And of course, he doesn't recognize in that context that police brutality is also a crime, one that creates considerable violence and fear, particularly in neighborhoods like his own.
Crime, youth violence, and gangs are a serious problem. One of the ways to deal with that problem is better policing, not through out-of-control policing. If the police acted in ways that fostered trust and respect, there would be better cooperation with those in the community who could help work together to fight crime and gangs. As it is now, under the leadership of Dolan and Samuels, the areas with the greatest crime problems are the same areas where people have the greatest fear of the police.
Dolan and the MPD dealt with the gang problem by participating in the Gang Strike Task Force. How well did that work out? That was the very model of dealing with crime by "cracking down" without any consideration for the rights of residents, without consideration for legal and constitutional protections, and without any civilian oversight (or much of any oversight, for that matter). We don't need to deal with gangs by creating another heavily- armed criminal gang.
Like Lydia, I have been what Samuels calls "unbalanced" in my criticism of Chief Dolan's reappointment. That is, I have focused on the responsibilities and conduct of the Chief and the Police Department, not on the actions of young gang-bangers. When a young gang member comes before the City Council, seeking reappointment to a leadership job with a six- figure salary paid by the city, then I will instead focus on the actions of his gang rather than the actions of the police.
Contrast Samuels' comment with the well-thought-out and well-written comments by Council member Cam Gordon against Dolan's reappointment. It is time for Samuels to take his job and responsibilities more seriously. It is time for him to take a stand for policing that answers to those they are paid to serve. It is time for him to vote against Dolan, and then to work for a better police department, not one that allows some officers to act like the gangs in his neighborhood.
Dave Bicking
On 11 Mar 2010 at 8:23, Lydia Howell passed along this:
Don Samuels wrote:
Hi Lydia,
I too am outraged at these abuses by errant police officers. I am also outraged by the young men who kill our other young men, jump them as they walk to the bus stop, to school and the store, torture them if they refuse the gang, undervalue and abuse our young women, caused my 10 year old daughter to tear out the front door, into the sub-zero front yard, barefoot and screaming, thinking the persons who fired off 10 shots in the back of our house were going to break down the back door and kill her, permanently maim innocent Star Jones, slaughter innocent Alisha Neely, Anshalike Hamilton, Sharez Jones and Taesha Edwards. I am outraged by ALL of this. Many of my friends have moved because of these mind numbing assaults. Our kids are suffering post traumatic stress. Be balanced in your criticism. I don't give a damn whether the terrorist is a rogue cop or the 11 boys throwing up signs as they yell past my house yelling gang affiliation. They ALL are violating our civil rights. OUR CHILDREN is the issue, not white people or the police. ANYBODY who harms them is our enemy. Dolan and the council must get better at our jobs but if they were perfect our children will still be killed. And 20 less of them were killed in the city last year, that's 40 less than 2006 and untold numbers less shot or scared out of their minds. Please be balanced. > ------- End of forwarded message -------
Hi all,
I will personaly communicate with my Council Member(3rd Ward) and share with her my strong opposition to reappointment of Chief Dolan. I don't expect her to be receptive to it but i don't mind that. But, what about the comments Samuels made on public hearing day when he said something like civil rights issues are secondary to other good things MPD and its head Dolan did so far. I think its outrageous for elected official to say something like that or may be illegal. When i asked him about his comments, he insisted he was right repeated almost same words. People who he suppose to represents who are mainly minorities should know about where he stands when it comes to civil rights. Finally, Cam Gordon deserves to be congratulated for opposing Dolan's reapppointment
Mustafa Adam
Thanks Mustafa. Yes, it seems Samuels has forgotten that police brutality is also a crime.
Post a Comment
<< Home