Communities United Against Police Brutality(TM)

PETITION FOR JUSTICE FOR DAVID CROUD
We just received the following email and feel that it deserves to be sent out right away. Please take a few minutes to read the information in the petition and then go to the website and sign it. This petition was started by NDN News, a Native American newspaper http://www.ndnnews.com/
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Stop the continual abuse, racism and violence against Native Americans from police departments and other authorities.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Croud/petition.html

To: Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) & Duluth Police Department

Stop the continual abuse, racism and violence against Native Americans from police departments and other authorities.

On October 12, 2005 David Croud a 29 year old Native American from the White Earth Reservation was beaten by officers from the Duluth Police Department in downtown Duluth, MN. According to reports, Croud was apparently intoxicated and had been harassing patrons at a local casino. Police were called to take Croud to the detox center.

Eye witness accounts state "Croud was passive, it was the police officers that were the aggressive ones" The officers in question slammed Croud into a stone wall a couple of times, then flung him to the pavement. His face was bloody and there was a pool of blood on the pavement. He was then shoved into the police car.

Croud was taken to the St. Mary's Medical Center emergency room, not the detox center. He was in critical condition upon arrival, placed on life support in intensive care and never regained consciousness after going into a coma.

Croud passed away on October 18, 2005.

The question is just because someone is intoxicated, does that mean they deserve to be beaten and die because of it? What right did these eight officers have to take his life?

The eight officers involved in this incident have been placed on administrative leave and the case is "under investigation."

The continual racism and violence against Native Americans within the police departments all over the country, must come to a end. These officers should be immediately and permanently removed from duty and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. These eight officers should not be receiving special treatment in this case. The eye witnesses have stated the events that took place, the facts are all against the officers in question. Any other individual that committed this crime would already be charged and imprisoned awaiting trail. Instead almost two weeks later, the case is still "under investigation."

Please support this petition and let the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) & Duluth Police Department know that this behavior and lack of immediate action will no longer be tolerated.

The people DEMAND action in this case and these eight officers be prosecuted in a criminal court for their crime. Justice must be served.

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Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)
Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue South
http://www.CUAPB.org