(MINNEAPOLIS, MN, 4/23/21) – Today, the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) will join a coalition of community organizations in demanding Washington County Attorney Pete Orput to step down and Gov. Waltz to appoint a special prosecutor.
SEE: County Attorney Confronts Peaceful Protestors
SEE: Push for higher charges in Daunte Wright’s killing continues as he’s laid to rest
WHEN: Friday, April 23, at 1 PM
WHERE: Hyatt Place, 4th-floor conference room, 425 S 7th St, Minneapolis, MN 55415
CONTACT: CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein,612-406-0070, jhussein@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR-MN Deputy Director Mohamed Ibrahim 507-990-3473
Coalition Organizations Include: CAIR-Minnesota, Communities United Against Police Brutality, Racial Justice Network, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice for Jamal, Minnesota Justice Coalition, and others
On the heels of Derek Chauvin being found guilty of 2nd-degree murder, 3rd-degree murder, and manslaughter, activists push for stronger charges to be brought against Officer Kimberly Potter- the officer who killed Daunte Wright.
Executive Director of CAIR Minnesota Jaylani Hussein said, “In prosecuting police officers county prosecutors have been one of the largest barriers of affective accountability when officers killed black and brown bodies. That is why we are asking the governor to assign an attorney general and a special prosecutor. We have learned our lessons from the George Floyd case when the county prosecutor from Hennepin County refuses to bring forth murder charges.”
Civil Rights Attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong said, “It is evident that Washington County Attorney Pete Orput is not qualified and not prepare to make an appropriate charging decision in the case of Kim potter for the shooting of Daunt Wright. He has a record of representing the police association and. has not once in his entire career has never charged a police officer with murder for killing a civilian.” She added,” if Daunte were a young white man and the Police officer who killed him was a black woman, there is no doubt in my mind, Pete Orput would charger that black woman to the fullest extent of the law. Racial bias and a pro-police stance are key factors in Pete Orput’s faulty decision-making.”
CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein, 612-406-0070, jhussein@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper,202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR-MN Deputy Director Mohamed Ibrahim 507-990-3473, mIbrahim@cair.com