Wielding musical instruments and signs, a small crowd of protesters gathered in front of Ramsey County Attorney John Choi’s office in downtown St. Paul on Friday morning with a unified rallying cry.
“Drop the charges,” they shouted between bursts of music and brief speeches.
The charges they were referring to face Louis Hunter, a second cousin of Philando Castile who was charged for his alleged conduct in a protest that broke out on Interstate 94 in St. Paul. Castile was shot to death by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop July 6, 2016, in Falcon Heights.
Authorities said Friday that the state’s case against him will proceed.
Some 300 people participated in the freeway protest, which turned violent after some in the crowd began throwing debris and other items at police. Some of the officers sustained injuries.
Hunter, 38, is accused of being among those who threw objects during the temporary shutdown of the highway. He faces two counts of second-degree riot with a dangerous weapon, both felonies.
The charges are the harshest of any filed against those arrested during the riot. Some 40 others face misdemeanor charges of unlawful assembly and public nuisance.
About 20 of them have rejected plea deals and have vowed not to resolve their cases until charges against Hunter are dropped, protesters say.
St. Paul City Attorney Samuel Clark on Friday said no protesters have expressed that request directly to his office. The plea deal offer included getting one of the two misdemeanor charges facing many of them dropped and avoiding further jail time.
“I said from the beginning that this was a fair offer given what happened that night,” Clark said. “That … more than half took it further confirms for me that it’s reasonable.”
Several of the cases involving protests that broke out elsewhere following Castile’s death, including one outside the Governor’s Residence and another at the corner of Grand Avenue and Dale Street, have also yet to be resolved. Many protesters arrested in those instances have also accepted plea deals, according to Clark.
Jesse Mortenson is among those vowing to fight his charges so long as Hunter’s case continues. Mortenson was arrested in the I-94 shutdown and spoke at Friday’s event, which concluded with the presentation of some 1,000 postcards signed by community members to Choi’s office. The postcards call for Hunter’s case to be dismissed.
“We have a clear message that (Hunter’s case) is not in the best interest of justice,” Mortenson said. “We are here … demanding that John Choi hear these concerns.”
Choi, though, is not prosecuting the case. He transferred it to Carver County to avoid a conflict of interest while Ramsey County pursued its criminal case against the police officer who fatally shot Castile.
Despite Choi transferring the case, Mortenson said, he is still in a position to pass along the message.
“We are asking him to step in,” Mortenson said.
Song is “Do What Cha Wanna….” by the Unlawful Assembly Brass Band pic.twitter.com/PD1Ub5DFA8
— FredMelo, Reporter (@FrederickMelo) July 28, 2017
Michelle Gross, president of the local activist group Communities United Against Police Brutality, accused authorities of trumping up the charges against Hunter as a way to try to “scare people back into their corners.”
A representative from Choi’s office said the county attorney declined to comment and directed a reporter to a statement posted on the office’s website.
“It would be inappropriate for the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office to try to interfere with this pending case in any way after it was transferred to Carver County, ” the statement reads. “We are, and will continue to be, uninvolved in any decision that is made in conjunction with this case.”
Carver County Attorney Mark Metz said his office has no immediate plans to drop the case.
“Our office continues to review the case and evaluate the evidence, which contains a substantial amount of video evidence and other reports,” Metz said. “At this time, we have no further comment.”
Hunter also spoke Friday. The father of four thanked those who have supported him and asked them to continue to do so.
“I am innocent of all my charges,” Hunter said. “I showed up to protest in the death of my cousin. I am still outraged about the killing of my cousin. … But I didn’t throw anything. I never done nothing to harm any officer or no one there. I came and I went home.”
He added that the case has caused him to lose his home, business and vehicle.
In May, prosecutors offered Hunter a plea deal. In exchange for entering a guilty plea to one gross-misdemeanor riot charge, prosecutors said they would sentence Hunter only for a misdemeanor-level offense. The felonies facing him would be dropped.
Hunter rejected the offer. His case is scheduled for trial in late September.
Former St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter in Castile’s death following a jury trial in Ramsey County.
Yanez testified that he shot Castile out of fear for his life when the 32-year-old ignored his orders to stop reaching toward his gun. Yanez’s commands came immediately after Castile told the officer that he had a firearm on him. Castile was licensed to carry.
Prosecutors argued during Yanez’s trial that Castile was reaching for his wallet to produce the driver’s license Yanez had just asked to see when the officer got nervous and shot him.
Community organizers plan to gather again in front of the Ramsey County courthouse next month when some of the protesters facing less-serious charges are slated to go to trial.