Civil Rights Groups Says It's Gathered 70,000 Signatures For The Release Of Video
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A national civil rights group says it's amassed nearly 70,000 signatures demanding that leaders in Minnesota release video of the Jamar Clark shooting.
The group ColorOfChange has a petition on its website, calling for Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety release to videos of the Nov. 15 shooting.
Community members say that 24-year-old Clark was shot in the head while handcuffed. Police have disputed that claim.
Since the shooting, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis and other protesters have called for the videos to be released.
On Monday, Gov. Mark Dayton said he watched some footage from an ambulance. He said that what he saw was inconclusive, neither exonerating the officers nor supporting the claim that Clark was handcuffed.
The U.S. Department of Justice is conducting an investigation of the shooting, as is the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
ColorOfChange, which claims to have more than 1 million members, said in a press release that the Justice Department investigation will likely take months, meaning that the video won't be released any time soon.
The group is demanding action now for the people of Minneapolis.
"The reality is, Jamar's killing has hit a nerve for thousands of Black youth in Minneapolis, where police are 5.8 times more likely to stop and arrest Black teens than white youth for low level issues," the group said in a release. "Mayor Hodges and Chief Harteau should be doing everything in their power to end the culture of secrecy and impunity that drives anti-Black policing, starting with release of these video."
Early last week, protesters demanded the names of the officers involved in Clark's shooting. The BCA identified them as Mark Ringgenberg and Dustin Schwarze.
Both are on administrative leave, which is standard procedure following a police shooting.
