Community Activist Al Flowers' Family Asking For Answers After His Arrest

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The family of a known local activist says he was beaten and kicked by police this weekend.

Al Flowers was just released from the Hennepin County Jail Sunday. A mug shot shows his bruised face and bandaged head.

A Minneapolis Police report says officers showed up at his home to serve paperwork when Flowers assaulted a police officer.

At a tense press conference, police were saying they cannot comment on what happened to Flowers.

Flowers sister, however, said her brother is in bad physical shape and they deserve to know more.

Worship went on as usual, but the pews were a bit emptier than normal.

"He's a faithful member of the church, this is his church family," Pastor Clarence Hightower said.

Instead of being under the steeple, community activist Al Flowers was in jail.

His pastor went to visit late Saturday and says Flowers said the reason for his black eyes, stapled head and sore ribs is that he was beaten by officers who were trying to arrest his 16-year-old daughter.

"I didn't resist arrest is what he said. He says, 'next thing I know I was being attacked, I was being hit, I was being kicked,'" Hightower said.

Police reports are vague but say after they came to make an arrest at his house that Flowers assaulted a police officer, tried to flee and obstructed justice.

Flowers sister got a call from her niece as things unfolded.

"He was very calm in his request. He simply asked if he could see the arrest warrant that the officers said they had. And within seconds you heard loud banging, sounds like things are falling, his daughter screaming, begging them to stop hitting her dad," Lisa Clemons, Al's sister, said.

The Police Chief stood with the mayor to publicly say she can't say much.

"I am frustrated. I'm sure our entire department is frustrated because we cannot talk about what happened as this case moves through the legal process. For that reason, I am asking you and the members of the general public to please withhold judgment," Minneapolis police chief Janee Harteau said.

"The chief has reached out and I appreciate her for that. The mayor has reached out and I appreciate her for that. But in the end my brother was beat, and somebody should answer for that,"Clemons said.

Al Flowers is a known for speaking out against police brutality, for a while he even volunteered with the police department to try and bridge that gap.