This weekend at a rally and press conference in Minneapolis, the family of Fong Lee will announce its decision to appeal their wrongful death suit against Jason Andersen and the Minneapolis Police Department to the Supreme Court. It's happening Saturday, October 2, 2:00pm at Cityview Elementary School in Minneapolis. Here's the press release from the Justice for Fong Lee Committee:
PRESS CONFERENCE AND RALLY: FAMILY OF SLAIN TEEN FONG LEE APPEALING CASE TO SUPREME COURTTo put it bluntly, the Minneapolis Police Department wants to sweep Fong Lee under the rug. If it were up to them, the matter would just die, and the family would quietly give up their fight for justice. But that's definitely not happening, and Fong Lee's family is asking the community for its support. For more information, contact justiceforfonglee@gmail.com. And spread the word. (Thanks, Slanty.)
CONTACT:
Janelle Yang, 952-201-0383
Justice for Fong Lee Committee, 612-424-1166
justiceforfonglee@gmail.com
WHAT: Press Conference and Rally to announce the Lee family's decision to appeal their wrongful death suit against Jason Andersen and the Minneapolis Police Department to the Supreme Court. The Lee family has retained the law firm Hilliard, Munoz, Gonzales (http://hmglawfirm.com/) in the shooting death of their teenage son Fong Lee by Minneapolis police officer Jason Andersen, who was recently fired because of a federal indictment in another brutality charge.
WHEN: Saturday, October 2, 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: Cityview Elementary School, where Fong Lee was killed.
3350 North 4th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55412
WHO: This press conference is being organized by the Justice for Fong Lee Committee and the family of Fong Lee. Family members and Janelle Yang, the legal contact for the family, will be making statements about the appeal. Community organizations and leaders will also be making statements of support.
WHY: The family and community were shocked and angered by the 2009 verdict in their wrongful death suit as well as the district court's recent denial for an appeal. They view these decisions as part of a growing pattern of police misconduct and lack of accountability in the Twin Cities. Under new representation from the firm Hilliard, Munoz, Gonzales, the Lee family is appealing their wrongful death suit to the Supreme Court.
Statement from the attorney:
"Amidst the recent news of Minneapolis Police Officer Jason Andersen being fired for the second time in his career for lying about events when he was accused of kicking a teenager in the head while a member of the Gang Strike Force, the family of another of Andersen's nineteenyear-old victims, Fong Lee, is petitioning for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn the Eighth Circuit Court's recent decision refusing to award Fong Lee's family damages after he was shot 8 times by the officer. There are a number of issues in the case
that warrant Supreme Court review and perhaps we can bring a rogue officer to justice."