Subject: Bus strike
The bus strike has disadvantaged many more than just the poor people. It interferes with monitoring the courts. Sometimes it keeps other
people from reporting to the court when they need to. I have been monitoring the courts sometimes along with the Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB) members who are there many days. I find the cost of parking downtown prohibitive and was thankful for the buses when they ran.
The other day, I paid the required 10 cents a minute ($2 for 20 minutes. Is my arithmetic right?) to park just East of the Government Center.
Experience has shown that if a number of people show up to monitor the courts, sometimes the charges are dismissed without further ado. These are the charges that should never have been imposed—the false criminal charges that the Minneapolis police put on people (mostly Black) to cover up the fact that the police beat them. They think the victim will have less chance to press charges against the police if they have a criminal charge against them.
Other times, we learn that the prosecutor will try to get the victim to plead to a lesser sentence when he has not done anything wrong at all. The so-called offender will be more likely to resist this injustice when there are people watching.
It’s always nice to know what goes on in the world.
Louise Bouta Kingfield Well Mind Association of Minnesota 4003 Pillsbury Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55409 Phone: 612-823-8249 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.wellmindminnesota.org
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