MN-646 defendant rejects plea bargain

Minneapolis, MN – On February 8, over 100 people attended the court support for Amina McCaskill. McCaskill and over 646 others are targets of political repression from the November 4, 2020 national day of action to demand a “People’s Agenda” post-Trump. They were arrested as they were trying to march off of Interstate 94.

The hearing was held on Zoom. Most of McCaskill’s 100-plus supporters renamed themselves as “Observer for Amina.” The hearing’s original intent was for McCaskill to respond to a plea bargain which would still result in serious charges. She declined the plea bargain and instead opted to go to trial. The prosecutor indicated that they had submitted minor evidence and alluded to raising additional charges.

This enraged attendees and they responded by allegedly confronting the prosecutor, after which the prosecutor requested the judge to intercede; he also threatened to hold attendees in contempt.

Earlier in the morning, Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar members dropped a banner at the Hennepin County Government Center as workers arrived downtown. The banner read “Drop the charges! Amina McCaskill, I94 646+, all targets of political repression!”

As attendees left the virtual hearing, they turned their microphones on and shouted, “Drop the charges!”