POLICE BRUTALITY CASES: WALTER SCOTT MURDER & MORE

[HairOfTheDog]

Glenda Hatchett (^ in stripes) during a Tuesday press conference outside the Capitol Building in St. Paul announced the Hatchett Law Firm ― which specializes in wrongful death ― will represent the Castile family in all civil matters.

“Yes, we will pursue justice on his behalf. Yes, there will be a lawsuit,” Hatchett told reporters.

Hatchett declined to immediately elaborate on the nature of the civil suit, but said everything will be in the public once the action is filed. “My responsibilities are on the civil side, but I’ll be monitoring closely what happens on the criminal side,” she added.

Hatchett said she will ask on behalf of the Castile family for an independent prosecutor to be appointed in any criminal case against the St. Anthony police officer who fatally shot the 32-year-old, and will also reach out to the Department of Justice.

Hatchett made the point that Castile, who was “respected deeply in the community” and “loved by his coworkers,” wasn’t running from the police, wasn’t reaching for a gun and wasn’t doing anything unlawful.

“This time, we have a man complying with a police officer’s directions. This time, we’re telling you, ladies and gentleman, must be the last time.”

“A lot of you are going to ask me my response to the officer’s attorney. My response is: ‘I will see you in court,’” Hatchett told reporters.

Family, friends and colleagues have described Castile as a quiet but funny man who loved his family and took pride in his work. He was a longtime St. Paul Public Schools employee who in recent years served as the lunchroom supervisor for J.J. Hill Montessori.

Castile had no record of felonies, but a lengthy record of traffic stops that yielded more than 50 violations. Roughly half of the infractions, which included driving with a suspended license and parking violations, were dismissed. But community activists and the local NAACP said Castile’s experience with traffic stops mirrors those of many in the Twin Cities’ black community and suggest a pattern of racial profiling by police.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/phil...24?section=