Twin Cities Black community rallies against police violence, racist attacks

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MINNEAPOLIS-On July 14, over 500 people marched here from the Black community in north Minneapolis to North Memorial Hospital to protest the latest in a series of racist attacks by police and others on African-Americans in the Twin Cities area.

This latest incident occurred June 30 following the shooting of a young Black man, Clarence Smith, age 23, after a party. Smith was taken to North Memorial Hospital where he died that night.

When 40 members of Smith's family and friends arrived at North Memorial to obtain information and medical assistance they were met by belligerent and racist comments from police.

When the peacefully assembled group learned of Smith's death, some people began to grieve and mourn outside the hospital. The hospital administration was so unnerved by the sight of African-Americans grieving that they called the police to have them removed. A multi-jurisdictional force of more than 50 police from Minneapolis, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Robbinsdale and the State Patrol responded to the call in full riot gear and proceeded to brutalize all Black people present.

Despite the complete absence of danger to the police they unleashed trained attack dogs for the sole purpose of dispersing the peacefully assembled crowd. The dogs bit several African-Americans in a scene that was reminiscent of Alabama in the 1950s and South Africa today.

The police ran behind one Black man, declared that he was not moving his "black ass" fast enough, tripped him and then released dogs on him, who bit him in the groin, throat, and face.

In another incident, the dogs bit one young boy in the arm. The police, crazed by racism, chased down one young Black girl who was trying to escape the mayhem in her car, stopped her, forced her car door open by breaking the handle, and attempted to put the dog in the car with her.

The final human rights violation occurred when police and hospital staff refused medical attention to the African-Americans they had moments before brutalized.

Defense committee formed

The July 14 march and rally was organized by the newly formed Committee Against Racism, Police Brutality, and Community Violence. The Black Ministerial Alliance and Black church congregations throughout the Twin Cities played the major role in initiating the committee and organizing the protest.

In a widely distributed leaflet the committee stated, "Incidents like the one at North Memorial Hospital are an all-too common occurrence in communities of color and working-class communities.... People of color and working-class people, who are most often the victims of police violence, must begin to fight back by raising their voices in protest and demanding justice."

Chris Nisan, one of the leading young Black activists in the committee, told an organizing meeting of over 100 at Minneapolis Zion Baptist Church that demonstrations can and do make a difference. Nisan told the crowd that we only have to look at events in Eastern Europe for proof of that.

Last year the same type of multi-jurisdictional police force killed two elderly AfricanAmericans in a so-called drug raid in which no drugs were found. In a before-dawn raid MALCOLN Lynn Henderson/Socialist Action threaten that's speech."

Committee issues demands

A picketline and news conference was held on Saturday, July 21, by the Twin Cities Committee Against Racism to protest yet another racist incident—this time at a Cost Cutters hair salon in St. Paul.

On May 20, Terryann Nash, a young African-American who is the St. Paul representative for the Miss Black U.S.A. pageant, a city bus driver, and a student, had made a hair appointment over the phone at Cost Cutters. When Ms. Nash arrived in person the stylist refused her service, claiming she was not going to do any more hair that day.

When Ms. Nash requested the name of the stylist she was assaulted by the stylist and