Black Lives Matter Protestors Burn American Flag Over Minneapolis Shooting Decision

Protestors rally outside of the Hennepin County Courthouse on March 30, 2016 in Minneapoli
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Lee Stranahan

Angry Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis chanted “I am a revolutionary!” and set fire to the American flag after a Hennepin County attorney announced there will be no charges against police officers involved in the shooting death of convicted felon Jamar Clark.

As Breitbart News reported yesterday, an investigation found the shooting was justified. At a press conference early Wednesday morning, Attorney Mike Freeman contested one of the chief claims of the protesters; that Clark was handcuffed when shot. Freeman said “Forensic evidence and video evidence both support the belief that Clark was not handcuffed at any time through the altercation.”

A report issued along with other pieces of evidence showed that Jamar Clark had impeded the work of EMTs who were trying to help the girlfriend that he had assaulted and left unable to walk and with a bruised face.

Clark then began calling paramedic Thompson a “pussy” and “bitch” and told (his girlfriend) Hayes that he was going to come see her. The paramedics loaded Hayes into the ambulance and locked the doors. (EMTs) Thompson and Haskell were very afraid at this point.

The report explains that Minneapolis police officers Ringgenberg and Schwarze arrived at the scene and were told the “person in the ambulance was assaulted by the person up on the curb (Jamar Clark) who was also interfering with the paramedics.” Clark refused to obey the officers and then according to the report:

Ringgenberg said he tried to move away from Clark to get in position to handcuff him. Ringgenberg felt his gun go from his right hip to the small of his back and told Schwarze, “He’s got my gun.” Ringgenberg said he reached back to the top of his gun and felt Clark’s “whole” hand on the gun. Ringgenberg repeatedly told his partner Schwarze, “He’s got my gun, he’s got my gun.” Ringgenberg recalled hearing Schwarze tell Clark to let go of the gun or Schwarze would shoot. Ringgenberg heard Clark say, “I’m ready to die.” Ringgenberg said, “That was the worst feeling ever because, it just, my heart just sank.” Ringgenberg believed he was going to die at that point because he had no control over his gun. Ringgenberg felt that Clark didn’t care what happened to him and remembered thinking that he didn’t want his partner to die with his gun. After Ringgenberg heard the round go off he remembered being able to roll away.

None of this evidence satisfied the hundreds of protesters who came out later that night for two rallies and marches that eventually converge in downtown Minneapolis.

After the groups merged, a number of speakers addressed the crowd, agitating them with anticapitalist, anti-American and anti white rhetoric. A number of the speakers made reference to the violent communist group the Black Panthers, who responsible for a number of deaths in the 1960s and 70s, including numerous shootings of police officers. The Minneapolis speakers also praised communist Angela Davis and “queen of the Black Liberation Army” Assata Shakur.

Then the protesters moved to the fourth precinct police station; a location that they had occupied four weeks last November. At that point, they began burning American flag.

The employees at a local Cub Foods supermarket were said to be so distraught over the decision that the store shut down.

Protesters vowed to continue fighting for what they referred to as “justice for Jamar.”

Follow Breitbart News investigative reporter and Citizen Journalism School founder Lee Stranahan on Twitter at @Stranahan.

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