This lawsuit is to force Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to release the footage they have of the shooting death of Jamar Clark in 2015 by the Minneapolis Police
Case Description
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed a lawsuit on behalf of itself and the NAACP Minneapolis against Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to force the release of video footage documenting the police killing of Jamar Clark. Minneapolis police shot and killed Jamar Clark, an unarmed 24-year-old African American man, in November 2015. The public has a right to access this footage and the Defendants' refusal to release it violates the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act.
The case, filed in Minnesota State Court, asserts that the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act requires Defendants to release the videos as soon as possible. In addition, under the law, information should be released where the benefit to the public outweighs any potential harm.
Minnesota residents have been demanding the release of this footage for months. Demonstrators had staged a continued protest at the precinct near where Mr. Clark was shot, organized numerous marches, and repeatedly asked for the release of the tapes.
Jamar Clark's family is not affiliated with the case.
