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Lake Superior Socialist Action: P.O Box 16853, Duluth MN
55816; (715) 394-6660
Vigil Held to Call for an Independent Investigation into the
Death of David Croud
On October
13 a 29-year old American Indian man by the name of David Michael Croud was beaten and
arrested by the Duluth police for alleged public drunkenness. After police took Mr.
Croud into custody he
was taken to SMDC hospital, where he was sedated, went into a coma, and
died six
days later.
The Duluth
police department has called for the incident to be investigated by the MN Bureau of
Criminal Apprehension. Being that the BCA is branch of law enforcement many in the
community feel that this is
totally unacceptable.
The police cannot be expected to conduct an unbiased investigation of themselves.
What is needed is a thoroughly independent investigation of Croud's death and the actions
of the police.
It also needs
to be pointed out, and addressed, that this kind of use of excessive force
by the Duluth police is not an isolated incident. While seldom reported, numerous
members of the American Indian community have received abusive and biased
treatment at the hands of local police. The city of Duluth needs to make a very
public commitment to stop
the use excessive force by police, and to organize an educational campaign geared to
let people know the process for reporting police brutality and pursuing
accountability.
For
these reasons about three dozen people gathered in Duluth on Friday, Oct.
28 to hold a vigil in front of the City Hall. While the majority of folks who participated were American
Indians, the crowd represented a diverse cross-section of concerned Duluthians,
from African Americans to Mohawk-haired high school students.
The Duluth
News-Tribune and TV channel 6 showed up to cover the event and to pass on our demand for an
independent investigation. It's now in the hands of the city and the
police to respond. If they continue to refuse, and insist on the police
investigating themselves, more actions will be organized. A sign up sheet was
passed around so that the folks present could be alerted of future actions around
the David Croud case.
Special thanks
to LeAnn Littlewolf
and her family for helping to organize this. Thanks you also to Nancy,
Doug, Jessica and the others who were on hand to talk to the press, and to all of the
activists from Youth for Socialist Action for all their hugely helping hand in making
this event happen. The struggle continues!
[labor donated by
union labor]
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