Union Members Rally With 4th Precinct Protesters
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- It was a relatively quiet Friday night around the 4th Precinct building in north Minneapolis as a protest following the shooting death of 24-year-old Jamar Clark reaches its seventh day.
At one point extra barriers went up around the building, leading to a short exchange between police and demonstrators. Some protestors even spat at police.
Throughout the night demonstrators were hearing that they may be removed from the area, but that did not happen Saturday morning. Protesters are camping out on sidewalks instead of the street.
As the demonstration continued, Minneapolis police tried to undo some of the damage outside the precinct from the last week.
Thursday night, several people covered the sides of the building with spray paint leaving profanities and Jamar Clark's name. Saturday morning, police brought in crews to clean up the graffiti and paint over it. Officers stood watch as workers erased the damage.
Some of the local unions brought breakfast to protesters Saturday morning, and they joined in a solidarity rally at noon.
One speaker, Alanna Galloway of the Communication Workers of America, says civil rights are workers' rights.
Kyle Edwards of AFSCME Local 3800, representing University of Minnesota clerical workers, says working class people are becoming aware that "we're all in this together."
Related: MPD Chief, Union Head Spar Over 4th Precinct Protests On WCCO Radio
A few hundred people gathered for a candlelight vigil and prayer Friday night. All races and ages turned up looking for answers, change and to pray.
Gov. Dayton met with some members of the group along with Jamar Clark's family Saturday evening, along with Congressman Keith Ellison. Black Lives Matter organizers say they're hoping the governor will compel video evidence to be released.
One of the leaders of Black Lives Matter, Michael McDowell, said he doesn't think releasing the video would harm the investigation.
"They're saying it's going to mess up the cops' statements, witness statements and stuff like that, but we think that's false," he said. "There are numerous witness with videos."
One such video surfaced Saturday morning on the Black Lives Matter Minneapolis Facebook page (WARNING: video includes graphic language). The group says the video shows Clark on the ground in handcuffs after he was shot, but the video is dark, and unclear.
Videographers at WCCO have tried to enhance the footage to see more clearly, but haven't been able to do so. WCCO cannot verify claims made about the video, or its source.
The president of the Minneapolis police union, Lt. Bob Kroll, has said handcuffs were at the scene, but were never on Jamar Clark.
Cornell William Brooks, the head of the national NAACP, spoke about last weekend's shooting, but he also had a message of peace for the protesters.
"I'm not looking to march across Minnesota, but if we need to march across Minnesota, we will march across Minnesota," Brooks said. "If we are disciplined, if we throw arguments and organization and demonstrations and prayer vigils -- and not rocks and bricks -- we can get the justice we seek."
Supporters then marched two blocks away to the site where Clark was killed by police last Sunday.
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