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| More MGSF Trouble http://www.twincitiescarry.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=13751 |
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| Author: | Traveler [ Tue Aug 04, 2009 2:49 pm ] |
| Post subject: | More MGSF Trouble |
(I wasn't able to post this due to the board hiatus.) http://www.startribune.com/local/stpaul/52122642.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU The defunct Metro Gang Strike Force extorted cash and property from seven Twin Cities residents and violated their constitutional protections against search and seizure, lawyers charged in a lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court. The suit, which the plaintiffs seek to have declared a class action, names as defendants the Strike Force, all the officers who served on it, and the law enforcement officials who make up its advisory board. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and nine other cities or counties that supplied officers to the Strike Force will be served notice today and named as additional defendants in the case, said Robert Hopper, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys. The Strike Force was permanently shut down July 17 by state Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion, following months of allegations about mismanagement and improper seizures of money and property by the multi-jurisdictional antigang unit. Hopper said Thursday that the Strike Force had "run amok." He added that, "Essentially, what this case is about is institutional malfeasance. It's about the government that is charged under our system of justice ... to protect citizens' constitutional and civil rights." He said none of the plaintiffs had criminal records and none was involved in drugs or gangs. He asserted that although the Strike Force seized their money and property, none of them had been charged with a crime. "They are innocent victims," he said. Among the named defendants are West St. Paul Police Chief Bud Shaver, chairman of the Force's advisory board. The lawyers notified news organizations of the suit late Thursday afternoon, and Shaver could not be reached for a response. The suit says the Strike Force targeted "vulnerable aliens" by calling the Minneapolis impound lot to ask if there were any "Mexicans" . . . (read the article to see more) |
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