Nearly 20 protesters arrested in the demonstration that broke out in front of the Governor’s Residence in St. Paul following the fatal shooting of Philando Castile no longer have court cases hanging over their heads.
The St. Paul City Attorney’s Office Tuesday morning announced its decision to dismiss the charges still facing 17 demonstrators arrested in the final days of the weeks-long encampment that arose along Summit Avenue in July of 2016, according to a statement issued by the office.
The encampment began after former St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights July 6 and continued for 20 days, temporarily shutting down traffic along Summit.
Seventy-three protesters were ultimately arrested in the evening and early morning hours of July 26 and 27 for allegedly not complying after law enforcement finally issued orders that the encampment needed to disperse, the city attorney’s office reported.
They were eventually charged, most with either unlawful assembly or public nuisance.
Forty-nine wound up accepting plea deals offered by the state that allowed them to plead to petty misdemeanor offenses or take advantage of diversion options.
The rest chose to take their cases to trial.
Of those, seven have completed their trials, the office reported Tuesday.
The rest no longer have to in light of the city attorney’s decision.
“We reviewed these cases with fairness and adherence to the applicable laws,” City Attorney Lyndsey Olson said in her office’s statement. “In light of the evidence, we have determined that further pursuit of these charges is not in our city’s best interest.”
Some 200 people were arrested for their participation in various protests that broke out across the city in response to the officer-involved shooting.
About 50 were arrested and charged for conduct stemming from a demonstration that temporarily shut-down Interstate 94 and turned violent after some in the crowd began throwing debris and other items at police.
Dozens of others were arrested in activities that broke out at Selby Avenue and Dale Street.
The city attorney office’s Tuesday decision did not involve cases stemming from those protests.
Yanez was acquitted of manslaughter charge in Castile’s death following a jury trial last summer.