defenD the 646+

Also see Twitter Storm (Dec 2020)

November 4th Arrestee Guide
(from February 2021)

On November 4, 2020, more than 646 peaceful protesters were arrested while marching on Highway I-94 to protest Trump’s attempts to steal the presidential election and to call for a People’s Mandate to address the triple pandemic of racism, COVID-19, and a recession. The Minnesota State Patrol trapped protesters on I-94 without warning and refused to let them leave, which violates the law that requires police to give a dispersal order with a timeline before arresting individuals.

The following information is intended to provide updated information and guidance for arrestees of the November 4th protest:

Amina’s Case Updates:

Stand in solidarity with Amina McCaskill! Amina was charged with multiple felonies for riot and assault with a dangerous weapon. She is accused of using a laser pointer during the protest on November 4th.

Amina’s court date is scheduled for February 8th at 10:30 AM. TCC4J will be holding a rally on February 5th to demand that Amina’s charges and the charges of everyone arrested during the protest on November 4th be dropped. We also encourage people to join Amina’s hearing virtually on February 8th to show solidarity with her. More information about this rally and how to join Amina’s hearing can be found on the Facebook event pages HERE and HERE.

Case Information:

Arrestees can use the case number on their citation to look up information regarding their cases using the Minnesota Trial Court Public Access page HERE. Some arrestees’ charges have been dropped, some have received court dates, and others are still awaiting court dates to be scheduled, which is why it is important to check your case information frequently.

You do not need to call the court to receive a court date. However, you can call the Hennepin County court at 612-348-2040 to ask if there is any new information about your case. You should also call this number if you never received a citation, or to update your address, if your address is incorrect on your citation. You should be able to request text updates on your case by calling this number.

Some arrestees received citations incorrectly showing that they were arrested in Ramsey county. If your citation indicates this and you have not received an updated citation from Hennepin county, you can call Ramsey county court at 651-266-1999 to ask if there is updated information about your case. You can also fill out this survey from Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support, HERE, which is collecting information from people who were incorrectly charged in Ramsey county, to try to drop these people’s charges.

You can also request a discovery of your case by emailing the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office at jim.rowader@minneapolismn.gov if you are an adult, or emailing the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office at citizeninfo@hennepin.us if you are a minor. TCC4J asks that you please copy us on these emails at  justice4jamar@gmail.com. You will need to include your legal name, case number and citation number in these emails.

Representation and Additional Info:

If you receive a court date, you can represent yourself pro se or hire an attorney. You may qualify for a public defender - it's always better to ask (at the beginning of your first court date). If you choose to represent yourself pro se, you can find information about how to do so in this video by Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support HERE. If you choose to hire an attorney and are looking for free representation, you can contact Minnesota’s National Lawyer’s Guild through their website HERE.

Some arrestees who requested discoveries for their cases received plea deals from the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office. TCC4J recommends that if you have received one of these plea deals or are offered a plea deal in the future regarding the November 4th protest, that you do not accept these deals. Of course, we understand that some people do not have the time or resources to fight their case, or they cannot risk taking their case to trial. However, if people have the capacity, we urge arrestees to fight their charges to stand in solidarity with other arrestees, and especially with Amina McCaskill. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that if you do decide to accept a plea deal, this charge could still appear on your record.

If you would like more information about the public nuisance charge that most arrestees were charged with, you can find an explanation of this charge in Minnesota Uprising Arrestee Support’s video HERE.