Contents:
- No 12/28 Meeting
- Christopher Burns Rally Follow Up
- Survivor/Family Gathering
NO CUAPB MEETING DECEMBER 28
Because of the holidays, there will be no CUAPB meeting on December 28th. We will resume meetings the following Saturday, January 4th at 1:30 p.m. at the IATP building, 2104 Stevens Avenue in Minneapolis.
CHRISTOPHER BURNS: Rally Follow-Up
Thank you to all who attended the rally to demand justice for Christopher Burns, who was viciously killed on by Minneapolis police on November 1st in his home in front of his significant other and four children. The rally was a powerful start to a campaign to demand justice and hold police accountable for their actions. We will continue to take action to force the powers-that-be to:
*Instigate an independent investigation (NOT conducted by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department)
*Appoint a special prosecutor
*Prosecute the police officers involved for MURDER
We must let our public officials know that we are watching this case closely and will not let them get away with yet another whitewash of a murder by police. We will hold rallies and other events in the near future but in the meantime you can help secure justice by making a simple phone call.
Please call Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar at 612-348-5550. Tell her that you are very concerned about this case. Tell her that she SHOULD NOT convene a grand jury in this case. [She is not required to by law and typically this is used as a way to avoid prosecuting the police.] She should, instead, prosecute ALL of the police officers involved. If she is unwilling to do so, she should appoint a special prosecutor. Be polite but remind her that many people are watching to see if she will really fight for justice in this case. You can feel free to leave a message with one of her staff members or on her voicemail but be sure to say why you are calling and make the demands. Thanks for working for justice!
SURVIVOR/FAMILY MEMBER GATHERING
We held a very successful dinner and gathering for survivors of police brutality and family members of people who had been killed by police. Thanks to some wonderful cooking by Bryce, one of our board members who is a survivor himself, folks enjoyed a delicious dinner of rib tips with all the fixings.
But even more importantly, people got to meet and share their stories with others who have been through similar experiences. This is especially important because a fairly large number of people in our society don't even acknowledge that police brutality exists, let alone that someone could be traumatized by it. Others think it only happens to people who "deserve" it. One man who attended the dinner said afterward that he had expected to see a "whole bunch of thugs" at the dinner, not "regular folks" like himself. He was surprised to see how many everyday people have experienced police brutality firsthand. Many at the dinner renewed their commitment to working together to help each other seek justice.
We were so pleased with the results of the dinner that we are already planning another one during the summer. Thanks to all who helped us put the dinner together or who helped to sponsor it financially.
Communities United Against Police Brutality
2104 Stevens Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)