[The anti-cheesehead]

7 juveniles, 2 adults held in attack that started on Metro bus
Chao Xiong, Star Tribune
April 13, 2005 BUS0413

Nine people have been arrested in an attack on a 15-year-old boy who was dragged from a Metro Transit bus, beaten and robbed before he was able to flee and get help.

The ninth suspect was arrested Tuesday in the attack on the teenager, who was riding the bus from downtown Minneapolis through the North Side on April 2 when he was dragged off near 34th and Fremont Avs. N.

The victim was punched, stomped on and kicked in the face, according to charges filed Monday against one of the suspects. Authorities said they expect that more charges will be filed this week against seven juvenile suspects and an adult suspect.

Three charges were filed Monday against Markee L. Colquitte, 18, of Minneapolis.

Colquitte was charged with first-degree aggravated robbery, kidnapping and third-degree riot.

Some of the suspects have been identified as members of the Tre-Six Vice Lords street gang, said Mike Martin, regional commander of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force.

That relatively small gang, made up of mostly juveniles and young adults, is suspected of committing robberies and assaults and trafficking in crack cocaine and marijuana in north Minneapolis, Martin said.

According to the criminal complaint filed Monday in Hennepin County District Court, the victim boarded the bus at 7th St. and Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Six to 10 young males in the back of the bus surrounded him and taunted him, making repeated references to his race (the victim is white, the suspects black). When the bus stopped at 34th and Fremont, they grabbed him and pulled him off, the complaint said. They punched and kicked the victim, breaking his wallet chain and fleeing with the wallet, which contained $17.

He ran to a nearby convenience store and called 911. He suffered scrapes and bruises to his face, forehead, hands and back, the complaint said.

Video surveillance from the bus shows the group dragging the victim onto the sidewalk, according to Metro Transit police.

"It was outrageous," said Metro Transit police Capt. Dave Indrehus. "The victim in this case was totally innocent, had nothing to do with these parties."

The video shows that other bus passengers did not try to intervene, Indrehus said. "Quite frankly, I don't know if I would blame them," he said. "You may end up becoming a victim yourself."

The surveillance tape did not capture the bus driver's actions, he said.

The driver called Metro Transit's control center to report the incident, said Bob Gibbons, director of customer service. He refused to divulge further details pending an investigation of the driver's and Metro Transit's handling of the case.

Metro Transit's 1,600 drivers are trained to call for help on the bus radio, to protect the victim by pulling over and letting the victim or perpetrators off the bus, or to try to defuse altercations without harming themselves, Gibbons said.

"They have to make that judgment, if there's anything they can do, shouting, honking their horn," he said.

Gibbons called such altercations rare, and Metro Transit police said the bus line where the fight took place is not known for such problems.

 

[twincities03]

I'm sure if this incident involved six to ten white guys beating down an innocent minority, the whole community as well as the media would be claiming this as a hate crime. These pieces of sh*t are going to get off on gang-related charges. Remember kids blacks and other minorities can't be considered racist or carry out hate crimes against whites because they aren't in a position of power.

 

[The anti-cheesehead]

I'm sure if this incident involved six to ten white guys beating down an innocent minority, the whole community as well as the media would be claiming this as a hate crime. These pieces of sh*t are going to get off on gang-related charges.

That's exactly why I called this thread what I called it.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head.

If it were the other way around, I wouldn't be surprised if it made national news. I wouldn't be surprised if Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton made a trip to Minneapolis to give a few speeches.

Remember kids blacks and other minorities can't be considered racist or carry out hate crimes against whites because they aren't in a position of power.

I'd consider NINE people against ONE 15 year old kid a position of power.

 

[denvernative1982]

What happened was very wrong, I dont think violence is the right way to address social issues.

But we need to take a good hard look folks at what might have prompted this. First, Minneapolis has a 32% poverty rate among African-Americans and a 9% poverty rate amongst whites. I think rather than going on about one isolated incident, we need to talk about the major disparity in income going on the Twin Cities just because of skin pigment.

Personally, It would be nice if such a right-wing newspaper like the Star Tribune addressed the income disparity in the Twin Cities rather than go on a imflammatory long article about a beating that was wrong, but intended to cause tension amongst different groups. This story under normal circumstances would get three lines considering it was a beating.

You know considering Minneapolis has 20 fortune 500's why does it have a 32% poverty rate amongst blacks and Indianapolis and Columbus have rates of 21% and 23% respectively.

Minneapolis needs to move be politically like it was 20 and 30 years ago, it used to have such a good reputation on these kinds of issues. Minneapolis I think has politically made a 180 degree turn, almost overnight.

The 5th ward councilmember Natalie Johnson Lee even had "no comment" on the Rybak "state of the fundraiser address" and she is the voice that the Minneapolis black community elected to the city council. Evidently, North Minneapolis is not getting needs met under the hard right Rybak administration.

 

[sfhoya]

This was an outrageous crime and if the DA prosecutes it as a hate crime, that's fine by me.

The most alarming element of this story, though, is that a street gang is roaming around downtown Minneapolis looking for victims. To frame this as a racial issue gives these thugs far too much credit - they don't commit crimes in the name of any ideology (be it racism, homophobia, or misogyny) other than pure nihilism. If that 15 year old had been black, I'm sure these same thugs would have used the 'n' word quite liberally while they were smashing his face in.

10 years after "Murderapolis" we have gangs freely walking our streets. This strikes me as a serious issue of public safety, not race.

 

[sfhoya]

What happened was very wrong, I dont think violence is the right way to address social issues.

But we need to take a good hard look folks at what might have prompted this. First, Minneapolis has a 32% poverty rate among African-Americans and a 9% poverty rate amongst whites. I think rather than going on about one isolated incident, we need to talk about the major disparity in income going on the Twin Cities just because of skin pigment.

Personally, It would be nice if such a right-wing newspaper like the Star Tribune addressed the income disparity in the Twin Cities rather than go on a imflammatory long article about a beating that was wrong, but intended to cause tension amongst different groups. This story under normal circumstances would get three lines considering it was a beating.

You know considering Minneapolis has 20 fortune 500's why does it have a 32% poverty rate amongst blacks and Indianapolis and Columbus have rates of 21% and 23% respectively.

Minneapolis needs to move be politically like it was 20 and 30 years ago, it used to have such a good reputation on these kinds of issues. Minneapolis I think has politically made a 180 degree turn, almost overnight.

The 5th ward councilmember Natalie Johnson Lee even had "no comment" on the Rybak "state of the fundraiser address" and she is the voice that the Minneapolis black community elected to the city council. Evidently, North Minneapolis is not getting needs met under the hard right Rybak administration.

Denvernative, the StarTribune is a decidedly left-leaning newspaper which made (what seems to be) a political choice not to mention the race of the suspects or victims in this case until 10 days after the crime. The conservative blogs are having a field day with this omission as they do with every perceived instance of left-wing bias at the paper. The paper has devoted lots of copy to racial issues in Minneapolis over the years, including a massive initiative on race I took part in while in high school. As for Rybak, he is a liberal mayor presiding over a very liberal city council in a city whose Republican party is in a very deep coma.

To be sure, the black poverty rate in Minneapolis is a major problem. Rybak's (professed) commitment to "rebuild" the north side in yesterday's State of the City address is, at least, a rhetorical move in the right direction. I know black community leaders are launching a new initiative to leverage the financial and political resources of the Twin Cities' black middle class on job creation and public safety issues. Still, more needs to be done.

That's a separate issue for a separate thread, though. Let's treat this incident for what it was: an assault on a 15 year old and on our public safety.

 

[The anti-cheesehead]

right-wing newspaper like the Star Tribune

Right wing. Ummm, yah. :weird:

The most alarming element of this story, though, is that a street gang is roaming around downtown Minneapolis looking for victims.

It's not new. Just a month or so ago, a camera on 7th street near the City Center caught something similar on video tape. 2 or 3 guys surrounded another guy and severly beat him and robbed him. Right in the middle of downtown. I've worked in downtown for 4 years and 7th street around the City Center is a pretty shady area as far as downtown is concerned.

 

[The anti-cheesehead]

Denvernative, the StarTribune is a decidedly left-leaning newspaper.

Seriously.

I don't know where denvernative comes up with some of this stuff. He talks like he knows what he's talking about, but more often than not, he's hopelessly uninformed.

 

[denvernative1982]

Yes, compared to alot of cities major daily papers the Star Tribune is progressive on the editorial page, but they really dont cover progressive ideas as much as the should.

Getting back too it, Rybak is a liberal in the same way as Hickenlooper in Denver or Coleman in Columbus. Which means he is a liberal on social issues but a dyed-in the wool conservative on the real issues that make lower and middle income peoples lives better.

In a town where its politically popular too be pro-choice, pro-gun control and pro-gay rights like Denver, Columbus or Minneapolis. Any mayor in these three cities those stands are required. But on the real economic issues that effect us every day these mayors included Rybak come up way short.

Minneapolis can count on a massive homeless population, racial stife, an erosion of public services and major hardship for the cities renters by the time Rybak is done
with his tenure. The only people who will see progress under Rybak are the people who own homes near the downtown area, because thats all Rybak cares about is condos, lofts and hotels.

Minneapolis is doing the same thing that Denver did in the early and middle 90's.

 

[The anti-cheesehead]

Yes, compared to alot of cities major daily papers the Star Tribune is progressive on the editorial page, but they really dont cover progressive ideas as much as the should.

So they're "right wing"?

You need to move to Canada.

 

[City of Lakes]

But we need to take a good hard look folks at what might have prompted this. First, Minneapolis has a 32% poverty rate among African-Americans and a 9% poverty rate amongst whites.

First, you need to get your facts straight. As of last year, the poverty rate for blacks was at 24%.

BTW, Minneapolis has an overall povery rate of about 11% and Minnesota has the second lowest poverty rates in the nation, behind only New Hampshire.

I think rather than going on about one isolated incident, we need to talk about the major disparity in income going on the Twin Cities just because of skin pigment.

I think you need to take into consideration that Minneapolis has a very large immigrant population (e.g. Somali, Hmong, Mexican, Ethiopian, Liberian, Chinese, etc...) and an excellent welfare system that attracts many people who rely way too heavily on it as a way of life.

Personally, It would be nice if such a right-wing newspaper like the Star Tribune addressed the income disparity in the Twin Cities rather than go on a imflammatory long article about a beating that was wrong, but intended to cause tension amongst different groups. This story under normal circumstances would get three lines considering it was a beating.

If you had any clue, you would know that the Star Tribune is a left-leaning paper.

You know considering Minneapolis has 20 fortune 500's why does it have a 32% poverty rate amongst blacks and Indianapolis and Columbus have rates of 21% and 23% respectively.

Well, considering you're facts are wrong, I guess we can all laugh at you.

Minneapolis needs to move be politically like it was 20 and 30 years ago, it used to have such a good reputation on these kinds of issues. Minneapolis I think has politically made a 180 degree turn, almost overnight.

Do you know what the city's conditions were like 20-30 years ago you ignorant prick?

The 5th ward councilmember Natalie Johnson Lee even had "no comment" on the Rybak "state of the fundraiser address" and she is the voice that the Minneapolis black community elected to the city council. Evidently, North Minneapolis is not getting needs met under the hard right Rybak administration.

What? Natalie Johnson Lee! The same person who had the balls to publicly offer condolences to a deranged, black woman's family after she and a white Minneapolis police officer shot and killed each other in a public-housing restroom in south Minneapolis. Creating tension out of a horrible incident such as that and having encounters with the police while serving the public does not make for a great leader. When there's so-called leaders like her and white trash like you to prop her up, then it's no wonder why the black community is struggling.

 

[milwaukeeunseen]

What a sad story. I wonder if the case wasn't so much racially motivated as it was another sad case of a group of young males with no conscience. They were taunting him with racial slurs, but that doesn't neccessarily mean they singled him out JUST because he was white.

This kind of thing has happened far too many times all over the country. Parts of our cities have become like the Wild West, with nihilistic young men out roaming the streets looking for nothing but trouble. In Milwaukee last summer there were three seperate incidents of youth group violence, in which ten to fifteen young kids bludgeoned people within an inch of their lives for no good reason (one person, Charlie Young, died in the most notorious such incident).

This is a national problem and we need to have a national discussion about it. Unfortunately in the mainstream press the shock and dismay at an incident like this fades slowly away, and then we all forget about it until the next time it happens. Within the black community in Milwaukee there is much discussion about what to do about this menacing problem. But we need to get EVERYONE in on this discussion, recognize it's not a liberal or conservative issue, that it's an issue of public safety and welfare, and do something about it.

 

[The anti-cheesehead]

They were taunting him with racial slurs, but that doesn't neccessarily mean they singled him out JUST because he was white.

That's the only way it'd be interpreted though if it were the other way around.

 

[Bond James Bond]

Yup, hate crimes cab go both ways.

 

[denvernative1982]

First, you need to get your facts straight. As of last year, the poverty rate for blacks was at 24%.

BTW, Minneapolis has an overall povery rate of about 11% and Minnesota has the second lowest poverty rates in the nation, behind only New Hampshire.



I think you need to take into consideration that Minneapolis has a very large immigrant population (e.g. Somali, Hmong, Mexican, Ethiopian, Liberian, Chinese, etc...) and an excellent welfare system that attracts many people who rely way too heavily on it as a way of life.



If you had any clue, you would know that the Star Tribune is a left-leaning paper.



Well, considering you're facts are wrong, I guess we can all laugh at you.



Do you know what the city's conditions were like 20-30 years ago you ignorant prick?



What? Natalie Johnson Lee! The same person who had the balls to publicly offer condolences to a deranged, black woman's family after she and a white Minneapolis police officer shot and killed each other in a public-housing restroom in south Minneapolis. Creating tension out of a horrible incident such as that and having encounters with the police while serving the public does not make for a great leader. When there's so-called leaders like her and white trash like you to prop her up, then it's no wonder why the black community is struggling.

-Well, the Census says 32% black poverty rate in Minneapolis, so thats what it is and its much higher than Indianapolis or Columbus. I didnt just pull a number out of a hat like somebody else. If you got 20 fortune 500's (which is 3rd highest per-capita in America, behind San Jose and Omaha) you shouldnt have any poverty in the town at all.


-Good Welfare System? huh, thats funny then how come I see so many homeless people in Minneapolis, much more than I have seen in Denver. Its easy, people in Minneapolis are in denial that the city has taken a hard turn too the right politically. I bet Minneapolis spends alot less than other midwestern cities on welfare.

-And you say that Minneapolis has such a large immigrant population
Minneapolis is at 38th place out of the 100 largest cities as a percentage of population that is immigrant, Even Portland, Oregon which is known to be very undiverse is just a few sports below Minneapolis


-No I dont know what Minneapolis conditions were 20 years ago. But I do know that the Metro Council is the worst organization I have ever heard of.
Seriously, the Metro Council has caused an extreme housing shortage that has sent the real estate prices soaring, no other midwestern city is as ridiculously over-valued as Minneapolis. The Metro Council is the cause of alot of economic tension in Minneapolis that has caused ethnic/racial relations too go down-hill.

-Minneapolis and Indianapolis have about the same infrastructure, wages and services and yet Indianapoils has an average home cost of about half of Minneapolis, thats right Indianapolis is half. I think Minneapolis is about twice as exepensive as it should be. But the Metro Council has been militant about zoning.

 

[denvernative1982]

What? Natalie Johnson Lee! The same person who had the balls to publicly offer condolences to a deranged, black woman's family after she and a white Minneapolis police officer shot and killed each other in a public-housing restroom in south Minneapolis. Creating tension out of a horrible incident such as that and having encounters with the police while serving the public does not make for a great leader. When there's so-called leaders like her and white trash like you to prop her up, then it's no wonder why the black community is struggling.

The Minneapolis police shouldnt be barging into people's homes and shooting them. Unless there was a hostage there is no excuse for police officer to barge into peoples homes and shoot them.

I think Natalie Johnson Lee has done much more for community than Rybak has with his ridiculous State of the City address. We need more people too stand up to the bad apples in the police department. So many police officers are in it just because they wanna have a macho job where they can show aggressive they can be.

We had in incident in Omaha, where a police officer was killed and the whole community was crying, despite the fact the officer was a racially insensitive.
Its amazing no body cried for the Albert Rucker who was born into a life of poverty and had a difficult upbringing yet was shot by an Omaha police officer . However when the police officer died the whole community was holding bake sales for his greedy wife, who herself started an organization that targeted African Americans in a negative way.

 

[The anti-cheesehead]

denvernative---Seriously. Quit typing. You lost me after you said the Star Trib was right wing.

 

[Toggie]

this may explain our poverty disparity

Minneapolis's black population increased by 43.5% between 1990 and 2000
an increase of 20,870 from 47,948 to 68,818

http://factfinder.census.gov/servle...arch_results=16000US272585&-format=&-_lang=en
http://factfinder.census.gov/servle...rch_results=16000US2743000&-format=&-_lang=en

between 1990 and 2000 Minneapolis's Sub-Sahara Africa (ancestry, not race) population increased by 13,600. The vast, vast majority of these immigrants are refugees.

http://factfinder.census.gov/servle...SP&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en
http://factfinder.census.gov/servle...85&-search_results=01000US&-format=&-_lang=en

 

[ReddAlert]

Minneapolis is having these problems now!? Is there no order in this world of ours?

 

[The anti-cheesehead]

Minneapolis is having these problems now!? Is there no order in this world of ours?

The problems were way worse about 10 years ago.