Contents:
- October 22 National Day Of Protest Against Police Brutality
- Hennepin County Judges Stonewall Justice in Philander Jenkins Case
- Saint Jeffrey??? Oh, Puleeeze! Rotten Records of Cops in Stephen Porter Case
OCTOBER 22 NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY--WILL YOU BE THERE?
Rampant and outrageous acts of police brutality are spiraling upward in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding areas. Seems as though every day brings new revelations of abuse. NOW IS THE TIME for you to step forward and be part of the growing movement to end police brutality and to demand community control of police.
Communities United Against Police Brutality will be holding a rally and march in North Minneapolis on October 22nd to mark the eighth annual National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality. Demonstrations are expected in dozens of communities across the country on that day. In light of the many recent incidents of police brutality in the Twin Cities area, this action takes on an even greater significance.
NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY
RALLY AND MARCH
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Cottage Park
James Avenue North (just north of Broadway)
Minneapolis
Rally starts at 5:00 p.m.
March starts at 6:00 p.m.
If you need a map to Cottage Park, reply to this email and we'll send you one as a Word attachment.
HENNEPIN COUNTY JUDGES STONEWALL JUSTICE IN PHILANDER JENKINS CASE
RALLY: JUSTICE FOR PHILANDER, STOP JAIL BRUTALITY
Saturday, October 25
5:00 p.m.
New Hennepin County Jail
401 S 4th Ave
Minneapolis
Hennepin County judges blocked efforts for an independent medical examination of Philander Jenkins. In so doing, they "aided and abetted" jailhouse brutality by the Sheriff's department.
As you'll recall, Philander Jenkins reported being brutalized and sexually assaulted on October 4th by three guards at the Hennepin County jail. During a medical exam at Hennepin County Medical Examiner, doctors confirmed that Philander was a sexual assault victim.
On Wednesday, October 8, Judge Katherian Roe signed an order for Philander to have an independent medical examination. Sheriff's deputies had another idea. Philander was supposed to be taken to Fairview Riverside Hospital to meet his doctor for a 3:30 p.m. appointment. Jail staff took him to the hospital early for his appointment and took him away again before the doctor could even arrive. There are hospital personnel who are willing to attest to this.
The next day, Judge Roe denied another court order for the medical exam and attempted to blame the missed appointment on Philander's lawyer and/or mother. We believe the real reason for the denial, though, is that Judge Roe succumbed to lobbying by the Sheriff's department. We base this, in part, on the fact that the court order she signed had a provision demanding that no one send any emails about Philander's case until after he had been seen by a doctor. Now where would she get such an idea? Also, in denying the second court order for a medical exam, Judge Roe rattled off the Sheriff's department version of events the day before. Again, where would she get that information? Pushing the envelope of injustice even further, Judge Roe took the unusual step of issuing a statement to the media to try to justify her actions. Luckily, we were given a chance to respond to the statement and a rather balanced article appeared in the Star Tribune.
We were finally able to get in front of another judge, Richard Scherer, on October 14th. In a blatant act of judicial cowardice and me-too-ism, he denied the court order because Judge Roe denied it.
At that point, we asked people to contact Chief Judge Kevin Burke to ask that he assign a judge to this case who would actually hear it rather than passing the buck. Many of you took the time to email Judge Burke--thank you!--and all of you got the exact same response:
"I think you have some misunderstanding of what the judges have and have not done with respect to the case involving Philander Jenkins. The case does raise important due process and equal protection issues and has certainly become a concern for many members of the community judging from the number of emails I have received. The Code of Judicial Conduct prohibits me from commenting any further. I can assure you however, that there is a process for his attorney to make a motion for a medical examination. Kevin Burke"
Well, first of all, there isn't anything Philander's attorney could have done differently short of appealing to the state appeals court. Since that is a lengthy process, it would be pointless. Secondly, there IS something Judge Burke could have done--appointed a judge to take the case.
Philander's attorney went to see Judge Kevin Burke this past Friday, October 17th at about 3:30 p.m. Judge Burke refused to see him. He was forced to talk to Judge Burke over an intercom. Judge Burke told him that he had no law clerks available and to "come back on Monday." We're talking about a man's rights and personal safety and the transaction is conducted over the intercom and we are told to come back another day--outrageous!
At this point, an independent medical examination is no longer useful--Hennepin County judges have squandered the ability of Philander Jenkins to preserve evidence of criminal activity by Sheriff's deputies. In other words, they have helped the Sheriff's department cover up the crimes of its employees. Let's be sure and "reward" their efforts during the next election.
Philander Jenkins is still in serious danger in the jail. He is being held in isolation and denied all contact with his family. He has had pens, paper and even complaint forms taken away to prevent him from communicating with anyone outside of the jail. He reported to his attorney that jail staff continue to threaten him--one told him he could be killed and it could be made to look like suicide. Our efforts now are focused on having Philander either moved to another jail or taken out of isolation.
To protect Philander and to demand a measure of justice for him, we will hold a Justice for Philander, Stop Jail Brutality rally:
RALLY: JUSTICE FOR PHILANDER, STOP JAIL BRUTALITY
Saturday, October 25
5:00 p.m.
New Hennepin County Jail
401 S 4th Ave
Minneapolis
We'll be there when people are arriving for visiting hours so many more people will become aware of brutality in the Hennepin County jail. Be there!
SAINT JEFFREY??? OH, PULEEEZE!
Certain Twin Cities media outlets have taken to beatifying Minneapolis police officers who are accused of sexually assaulting Stephen Porter with a toilet plunger handle. To hear them tell it, these cops are Mr. Clean and the Pope is on his way to Minneapolis to convey sainthood on them. Well, we've checked the records and they tell a very different story.
We cite three sources of information: Records from Internal Affairs (where cop leadership complains about their underlings), Civilian Review Authority (where community members go to have their complaints put down a black hole) and results of a quick media search. Bear in mind that it is exceedingly rare for the CRA or IAD to uphold complaints.
JEFFREY JINDRA, Badge #3289
IAD: No complaints with Internal Affairs
CRA: Complaint #00-1554 No probable cause
MEDIA SEARCH: Jindra involved in beating of 14-year-old son of Titilayo Bediako 5/30/03, Couple accused Jindra of negligence during an arrest over a parking dispute--jury cleared him, 6/7/86.
TODD BABEKUHL, Badge #0246
IAD: No complaints with Internal Affairs
CRA:
Complaint #96-0928 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #94-0652 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #91-0196 No probable cause
Complaint #93-0543 Dismissed
MEDIA SEARCH: No records other than current articles regarding the Stephen Porter case.
We checked duty rosters at the 4th precinct and our investigation uncovered the names of four other cops who had some involvement in the raid--everything from staking out the house in advance to executing the search warrant to being there during the raid. Here's the scoop on these cops:
BRUCE JOHNSON, Badge #3298
IAD: No complaints with Internal Affairs
CRA:
Complaint #91-0117 Dismissed
Complaint #93-0466 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #91-0004 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #92-0216 Dismissed
Complaint #91-0110 Withdrawn
MEDIA SEARCH: Involved in Terrell Oliver shooting, 6/24/02. Spokesperson for Minneapolis Police Federation, several references. Johnson was named in 1992 lawsuit alleging unlawful arrest of two men working in a bar but was not implicated by the jury.
SCOTT BUCK, Badge #0854
No complaints with Internal Affairs
CRA:
Complaint #91-0073 No probable cause
MEDIA SEARCH: He was involved in a lawsuit in which he violated a woman's civil rights--case was settled with city, 1/22/03.
MARK BEAUPRE, Badge #0362
No complaints with Internal Affairs
CRA:
Complaint #98-1259 Dismissed
Complaint #93-0378 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #93-0391 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #02-1777 Dismissed
Complaint #94-0614 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #91-0110 Withdrawn
Complaint #97-1167 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #98-1223 No probable cause, exonerated
Complaint #00-1615 In investigation
Complaint #93-0459 Dismissed
Complaint #93-0552 One charge--no probable cause
Complaint #93-0552 One charge--no probable cause, exonerated
MEDIA SEARCH: Beaupre involved in shooting of Dermont Broussard, 5/21/02.
ROLAND HILLSTROM, Badge #2986
IAD: No complaints with Internal Affairs
CRA: Complaint #01-1652 No probable cause
MEDIA SEARCH: Hillstrom was named in 1992 lawsuit alleging unlawful arrest of two men working in a bar but was not implicated by the jury.
"Americans are no longer secure in law - the justice system no longer seeks truth and prosecutors are untroubled by wrongful convictions."
--Paul Craig Roberts (former Asst. Secretary of the Treasury)
Communities United Against Police Brutality
2104 Stevens Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)