The passion that drew protesters onto St. Paul streets following the July police-involved shooting of a black motorist is now prompting a majority of those arrested to fight charges stemming from the demonstrations.
Dozens of people charged for roles in the shutdown of a stretch of Interstate 94 in St. Paul or other protests that broke out in the wake of Philando Castile’s July 6 death crammed into a Ramsey County District courtroom Thursday to enter pleas.
Despite a deal on the table from state prosecutors, most entered pleas of not guilty during the standing-room-only proceeding.
The hearing came less than 24 hours after presiding Judge Tony Atwal dropped all third-degree riot charges filed against protesters involved in the I-94 demonstration due to lack of probable cause.
Forty-eight protesters are charged with crimes for conduct during the I-94 shutdown July 9, which turned violent after some demonstrators started throwing objects at officers, according to court records. One hundred and thirty-five face charges for their actions at other demonstrations, including protests that took place outside Gov. Mark Dayton’s Summit Avenue residence, according to city prosecutors.
About 77 of those implicated had mandated court appearances Thursday. Only two of those arrested in the interstate shutdown took the plea deal during the hearing, which required entering a guilty plea to one count of public nuisance, a misdemeanor.
The conviction comes with a 30-day jail sentence, which doesn’t have to be served assuming the defendant abides by all terms of his or her one-year probation. Each also has to pay a $50 fine and court fees.
Under the terms of the deal, the second charge facing many of those arrested, unlawful assembly, was dismissed.
Rachel Mueller was among those who rejected the plea deal, but said she appreciated having the riot charge dismissed.
“That felt like a huge victory, honestly,” said Mueller, 27, of Minneapolis. “Those charges … were trumped up (and egregious), and really were more about criminalizing protests than preventing crime, so to have Judge Atwal validate that feels like a huge win.”
Mueller still faces one count of unlawful assembly and another count of public nuisance for joining hundreds of others who flooded I-94 to halt traffic and draw attention to racial injustice and Castile’s death.
The protest turned violent when some started throwing objects at police. About 21 officers suffered injuries, most of them minor. Demonstrators were arrested after they failed to heed more than 20 calls for them to disperse, court records say.
Mueller said she plans to fight her charges as an act of solidarity with Louis Bernard Hunter, the lone protester at the highway protest charged with felonies.
Hunter was charged with two counts of second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon. Hunter did not have a hearing Thursday and his attorney could not be immediately reached for comment.
Mueller and at least 25 others charged with crimes for their involvement in the highway closure plan to decline any plea deals in their cases. Their collective stance, Mueller said, will hopefully send a message to the court system and result in the dismissal of the charges facing Hunter.
Several other protesters have already taken plea deals, city attorneys said Thursday.
Of those implicated in the interstate shutdown, eight have accepted plea deals, said Assistant St. Paul City Attorney Steve Christie. That includes the two who entered guilty pleas Thursday.
Christie added that he’s been told by defense attorneys that others are interested in the offer but said he doesn’t know the number.
Thirty-three protesters took deals relative to the unlawful assembly and public nuisance charges filed against 135 others for their involvement in other protests, including demonstrations that took place outside the governor’s mansion and activities that broke out at Selby Avenue and Dale Street.
In those instances, prosecutors are offering defendants the chance to plead guilty to a petty misdemeanor or accept a continuance for dismissal. The latter comes with a $250 fee.
“These are very generous offers,” said Laura Pietan, deputy St. Paul city attorney.
Defendants have until Jan. 19 to take the deal.
In what many viewed as a stunning decision, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi filed manslaughter charges in November against Jeronimo Yanez, the St. Anthony police officer who killed Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights.
It was the first time a Minnesota officer was charged in such an incident in modern memory. Many protesters lauded the public demonstrations as integral to achieving the rare legal decision.
Yanez fired after the 32-year-old told him he had a firearm on him. Castile was licensed to carry.
Yanez’s team of attorneys has maintained that Yanez was in fear for his life and the life of his partner when he shot Castile.
Castile’s girlfriend and her young child were in the car at the time of the shooting. Castile’s girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, live-streamed its immediate aftermath on Facebook.