No charges on ‘officers’

Activists protest

MINNEAPOLIS, March 31, (RTRS): Two Minneapolis police officers involved in the shooting death of a 24-year-old black man will not be charged, prosecutors said on Wednesday, because evidence showed Jamar Clark was not handcuffed and that he reached for an officer’s gun.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman told a news conference that Clark struggled with Officers Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze, who are white, and that he was not handcuffed and at one point had his hand on a gun.

Freeman told reporters that the officers said without the use of deadly force Clark would have taken possession of the gun. “Each stated their independent fear of being shot,” he said. “Accordingly, the head of the county attorney’s office has concluded criminal charges are not warranted.”

Freeman made the decision not to charge the officers, bypassing use of a grand jury.

Clark’s shooting came at a time of fierce national debate over the use of excessive force by police, especially against black men. Minneapolis is one of a number of US cities that has seen protests over killings by police.

Activists criticized the decision not to charge the officers and said questions remained unanswered, such as why Clark was shot 61 seconds after police arrived at the scene.

The decision “sends a clear message that the Minneapolis police may act as judge, jury and executioner in interactions with unarmed black men,” said Becky Dernbach, a spokeswoman for the local group Neighborhoods Organizing for Change.

Clark

Protests

On Wednesday evening, hundreds of peaceful protesters led by activists from Black Lives Matter Minneapolis converged on a central government plaza, chanting “No justice, no peace, prosecute the police,” and waving signs as they marched.

The demonstrators, who filled the plaza, listened to speeches and sang songs. At one point, an organizer recalled a similar rally held in the city four years ago in memory of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black Florida teenager who was shot dead by a volunteer watchman. Later, the crowd repeatedly shouted in unison, “I am a revolutionary!”

Freeman’s remarks, interviews that had been conducted, police and autopsy reports and video related to the case were posted on his office’s website on Wednesday.

Fred Bruno, the attorney for Schwarze, who shot Clark, lauded the decision not to charge his client.

“The scientific evidence and objective witness statements now conclusively show that Mr. Clark was neither unarmed nor handcuffed. He had control of an officer’s gun. Officer Schwarze responded in accordance with his training, and as the law required him to act,” Bruno said in a statement.

Bob Sicoli, Ringgenberg’s attorney, said Freeman’s decision was supported by evidence.

“What is a police officer supposed to do?” he said in a telephone interview. “Just imagine you’re on the ground, you can’t get up, somebody has your gun belt and has their hand around your gun and says something to the effect of ‘I’m ready to die.’ That’s every police officer’s worst nightmare. They had to do what they did.”

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said she understood the anger of many residents and noted that the US Justice Department and the US Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting. There will then be an internal police investigation to decide if the officers should be disciplined.

Also: NEWARK, NJ:

Police in Newark, New Jersey, will revamp their practices in stopping and frisking suspects and submit to a federal monitor under a deal reached with the US Justice Department on Wednesday settling allegations of civil-rights violations.

The deal, which is subject to court approval, follows a 2014 finding by the Justice Department that police engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional practices including unwarranted stops that disproportionately targeted black people, excessive use of force and stealing from suspects in New Jersey’s largest city, just 8 miles (12 km) from New York City.

“Far, far too many police reports have failed to describe a constitutionally adequate reason for stops of people on the street,” said Paul Fishman, the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey, at a press conference outlining the terms of the settlement.