K_Z
Verified Anesthetist
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2010
- Messages
- 6,657
- Reaction score
- 2,499
Freeman says no grand jury in Jamar Clark shooting
MINNEAPOLIS - Reversing a policy that has been in place for the last four decades, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday that he -- and not a grand jury -- will decide whether two Minneapolis police officers will face criminal charges in the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark.
"This is my job, and I will do it as fairly as I can," Freeman told reporters gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center. "To repeat, there will not be a grand jury proceeding in the Jamar Clark case."
Before announcing his decision, Freeman detailed how he has been studying the role of grand juries in Hennepin County for the past 16 months, motivated by the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO and the fallout that followed. He looked at the inner workings of how the grand jury operates in the Hennepin County justice system, and when they should and should not be used.
Freeman says he was ready to announce a new hybrid model for calling grand juries in Hennepin County the week that Clark was shot by two Minneapolis police officers. He decided that announcing changes to the grand jury process while community anger flashed in the wake of Clark's death would be inappropriate.
"The ensuing months have given me more time to think about the grand jury," Freeman reflected. "As an elected official, I also took that time to meet with more people and listen to their concerns. I concluded that the accountability and transparency limitations of a grand jury are too high a hurdle to overcome. So, at this point in time, and in a democracy where we continually strive to make our systems fairer, more just and more accountable, we in Hennepin County will not use the grand jury in the Jamar Clark case."
Minnesota law demands that a grand jury be called in any time charges of first-degree murder are sought. What that means is that second-degree murder charges are the highest Freeman could pursue against the officers, if he decides charges are appropriate, without calling in a grand jury.
http://www.kare11.com/news/crime/freeman-to-decide-possible-clark-charges/85235849
Hennepin County Attorney: Grand juries no longer used in police shooting cases
That includes the Jamar Clark shooting, though no decision has been made yet.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Wednesday that grand juries will no longer be used to look into police-involved shootings, including the death of Jamar Clark.
The 23-member grand jury has been used to determine in secret whether criminal charges are warranted in police shootings for more than 40 years in Hennepin County. Freeman said he began a review of the process 16 months ago, and was set to announce changes to the system last November, but postponed the announcement after Clark was killed.
“Secrecy, lack of transparency and no direct accountability strikes us as problematic in a democratic society, and to use or not use a grand jury in a shooting case is a hard decision for me,” Freeman said. “ … The law that applies to the facts is exactly the same whether the prosecutor makes a decision or the grand jury does. On the other hand in our society I believe accountability and transparency are critical concepts for a just and healthy democracy.”
Civil rights advocates, who long pushed Freeman to do away with a grand jury in the case, hailed the decision. “I am so incredibly proud of the black and queer young folks and the community who demanded justice,” said Kandace Montgomery, an organizer with Black Lives Matter Minneapolis.
She credited the community pressure to scrap the grand jury in the Clark case that began within 24 hours of him being shot. “This is a big step,” she said, but there are many more steps we have to take — getting the cops charged and actually seeing economic and racial justice in Minnesota.
http://www.startribune.com/hennepin...de-update-into-jamar-clark-inquiry/372229891/
It's my opinion that DA Freeman will not charge the officers in the Jamar Clark shooting with any kind of manslaughter or murder.
And that will probably be very controversial among activists who wanted the GJ scrapped for this case. Hopefully, they won't riot or start vandalizing again-- we've certainly had quite enough of that. So, DA Freeman alone will bear the brunt of criticism when the case decision is released, and at least "secrecy" can't be blamed.