CAIR-MN applauds judge’s decision in St. Paul skyway lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS (Dec. 10, 2015) — The Minnesota Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) on Thursday welcomed a decision by the U.S. District Court of Minnesota Judge Susan Richard Nelson to not dismiss St. Paul’s request to dismiss the lawsuit by Chris Lollie.

Judge Nelson is recommending settlement discussions with a tentative trial date for April 2016. She believed the the officers who responded to a security guard’s report of an uncooperative male in the skyway had reason to investigate, but not probable cause to make an arrest.

On Jan. 31, 2014, Lollie was in the skyway in the First National Bank Building when a security guard told him he couldn’t sit in chairs in a lounge area, then called police. He was tased and arrested. CAIR called on the Department of Justice to investigate the incident.

In a statement welcoming the US District’s Judge’s assessment, CAIR-MN Executive Director Jaylani Hussein said: “We appreciate Judge Nelson’s respect for due process and to not grant the city’s request to dismiss the lawsuit.”

CAIR-MN recently joined the NAACP, Black Lives Matter, and other civil rights groups in calling for an investigate the police shooting of unarmed African-American Jamar Clark in Minneapolis.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.