Rally in Minneapolis marks 5th anniversary of Jamar Clark’s death

A few dozen met in the middle of the street in North Minneapolis to mark the five-year anniversary of Jamar Clark’s death at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department, Clark got into a confrontation with paramedics outside a party on Nov. 15, 2015. When officers arrived, a struggle ensued. Investigators say Clark got ahold of an officer’s gun, and another officer responded by shooting Clark.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman declined to charge the officers involved in Clark’s death, and the city of Minneapolis eventually reached a $200,000 settlement with Clark’s family in a civil suit.

Following Clark’s death, Black Lives Matter organized protests outside the Minneapolis Police Department’s 4th Precinct, which carried on for 18 days.

“We are no longer going backwards. We are no longer going to see and allow for the racist systems of this country and here in Minneapolis, Minnesota to continue,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“I don’t care how cold it is. I don’t care how tired we are. I don’t care what else we have going on. We have to keep showing up. Jamar Clark’s spirit is still here. It’s crying out because he never received justice,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Twin Cities lawyer and civil rights activist.

The group then got into their cars to caravan through North Minneapolis neighborhoods, calling out for racial justice.