Mr. Kushner is right in general - Minneapolis Attorneys generally prosecute misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors. There are times, however, when these cases are turned over to other jurisdisctions like Hennepin County or Ramsey County, especially when there may be accusations of conflict of interest. Not having called the City myself, I went on the article's statements that the County would be prosecuting. As to the staffing issue, the City Attorney's Office has 105 FTE. Again, the small number of cases which this represents to the overall case load of the City would not substantially affect the workload. Carol Becker Longfellow ----- Original Message ----- From: Jordan S. Kushner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2000 11:48 PM Subject: Re: Re-charging of ISAG cases - Couple of facts & a question > Response to Ms. Becker: > > > First off, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office, not the City of > > Minneapolis Attorney's Office will be prosecuting these cases. > > Incorrect!!! (as usual Ms. Becker) The Minneapolis City Attorney's office IS > prosecuting the ISAG protest cases referenced by Rosalind Nelson. Points of > information - the City attorney's office prosecutes misdemeanors and gross > misdemeanors with a very few exceptions (such as malicious punishment of a > child), and the protesters are charged with misdemeanors. The County Attorney > handles felony cases and charges involving juveniles. > > > > > Second off, the County Attorney has 160 attorneys, and over 400 staff total > > and it is doubtful that these few cases would cause any overtime or other > > things sliding. > > The City Attorney's office has substantially fewer attorneys. There is one > attorney (Assistant City Attorney Michael Hess) offiicially handling all the > cases. I do not know how many staff and police are doing work on the > prosecutions. It is obvious, however, that the hundreds of hours being spent on > prosecuting political activists could otherwise be used for other purposes. (I > do not know that the other ways that their time would be spent would necessarily > be much better - eg discriminatory prosecution of people of color for minor > offenses arising out of discriminatory arrests). > > > > > Third off, this article does not provide any information as to why these > > cases are being brought back. There are good legal reasons that they could > > be brought back. Does anyone have information on why this is? > > The charges are being brought back on the basis of allegations that the accused > persons participated in the ISAG demonstration. It is as simple as that. The > city alleges that the demonstration was unlawful, and is therefore prosecuting > people whom it believes participated. It is my admisttedly unobjective opinion > that not only are there no good legal reasons for the proseuctions, but the > prosecutions have the intention and effect of repressing free speech. I have > yet to hear any refutation of this opinion. The other underlying motive for the > prosecutions (and I feel comfortable stating it to be a fact) is the political > pressure from the police department to pursue the cases based on reasoning that > the fact of criminal charges somehow justifies all of the violence and money > ($1.15 million) that they spent to repress 150 peaceful protesters. > > > Carol Becker > > Longfellow > > Happy new year! > > Jordan Kushner > Powderhorn > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: Rosalind Nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2000 12:51 PM > > Subject: Re-charging of ISAG cases > > > > > According to the Independent Media website (www.minneapolis.indymedia.org) > > > the city is re-charging ISAG protesters whose cases had been dismissed in > > > November (apparently the ones that were dropped by the judge because of > > "no > > > probable cause"). So are they hoping for a different judge? Trying to > > > make extra work for the protester's lawyers? > > > > > > It seems as though the City Attorney's office must have some > > > responsibilities other than conducting a war of attrition with protest > > > groups. So are they hiring extra staff, working lots of overtime, or > > > letting their other normal duties slide? > > > > > > Rosalind Nelson > > > Bancroft > > > >
