Mother Jones has reported than 493 people in Minneapolis still face charges for unlawful assembly or the executive curfew order during the George Floyd uprisings in May and early June. These nonviolent misdemeanors carry a 90 day jail sentence or a $1,000 fine.
This course of legal action runs in contrast to neighboring cities like St. Paul where City Attorney Lyndsey Olsen has decided to drop charges against demonstrators who weren’t violent or threatening “in the interest in justice.”
“People are having to face having this charge be something that can be searched out about them by potential employers or schools,” Minnesota Freedom Fund Board Member Jared Mollenkof said.
In addition to the 493 people facing misdemeanors, 15 others are facing felonies. Of the fifteen demonstrators, the vast majority are facing burglary charges for shoplifting from businesses like Foot Locker, AT&T and Target.
This report comes as a group of nearly 100 protesters were arrested and charged with felonies in Louisville, Kentucky while advocating for justice in the case of Breonna Taylor. The charges came as the group sat down on the front lawn of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. Initial statements from Attorney General Cameron indicate that he plans to move forward with these charges as well.
