Contents:

• Brutality and Criminal Conduct Complaints Against Ofc. Greg Burstad

BRUTALITY, CRIMINAL CONDUCT BY POLICE
LEADS TO LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS AND DEMANDS FOR JUSTICE

Over the last few weeks, Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) has assisted several members of the Latino and African American communities in filing complaints concerning brutality, corruption and other criminal conduct by Ofc. Gregory Burstad of the Brooklyn Park Police Department and other officers.  The Latino civil rights organization Asamblea de Derechos Civiles (Assembly for Civil Rights) is assisting with this effort.
 
Twenty-seven individuals filed complaints representing numerous incidents involving Burstad with the Brooklyn Park Police Department, including one for apparent retaliation as a result of a prior MGSF claim.  These same complaints against Burstad were filed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board.
 
Twelve of the complaints were also filed with the City of Crystal, relative to an incident in which Crystal police failed to investigate the dispossession, without legal authority, of the Ramirez family from their home by Burstad and the subsequent theft of their household property while the home was under Burstad’s control.  The Ramirez family reported these crimes with the Crystal police department, yet the Crystal police failed to perform any investigation beyond what was in the offense report.
 
With the complaints, we presented a list of demands including that Ofc. Burstad be suspended during the period of investigation and that the community be protected from retaliation so that he could not continue to victimize people under color of law.  Because the City of Brooklyn Park has failed to act appropriately on this demand, the community held a demonstration outside of the Brooklyn Park police department on September 4, 2011.  Approximately 70 members of the community, including a number of complainants, picketed and demanded Burstad’s immediate suspension.
 
“The community will not tolerate any further abuses by Ofc. Burstad.  Some of these complainants provided us with clear evidence that they were beaten while handcuffed or restrained, states Michelle Gross, President of CUAPB.  “We will continue our efforts until we see that Ofc. Burstad receives appropriate consequences for his abuses.  We won’t stop until we secure justice for these victims and protection for the community.”