St. Paul police union criticizes AFSCME for support of Jamar Clark protesters

[Omaha Steve]

I'm a proud AFSCME retiree.






Union members join a protest over the police killing of Jamar Clark. Kyndell Harkness/Star Tribune


http://www.startribune.com/police-union-criticizes-afscme-for-support-of-jamar-clark-protesters/356158961/

St. Paul police union officials this week criticized the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3800 for its support of protesters condemning the shooting death of 24-year-old Jamar Clark by Minneapolis police, calling it “so biased and ignorant - it is useless to even debate.”

In a news release, St. Paul Police Federation president David Titus said he was “highly disappointed” with a Nov. 15 resolution of support put out by Local 3800, as well as the presence of the union’s members at protests outside the Fourth Precinct police station in north Minneapolis.

The labor union, which represents University of Minnesota clerical workers, called the shooting an outgrowth of "deep-seated, systemic racism that persists in our country where young people of color are profiled, criminalized, brutalized by police all across America." Local 3800 members also held a rally in solidarity with Black Lives Matter last weekend near where Clark was shot.

FULL story at link.

[bluestateguy]

1. Police "unions" are not real unions

When they start marching in the street for higher wages and benefits for all workers, we'll call them unions.

[TBF]

2. I'm ok with police unions in general -

as they are workers too - deserve their O/T for long hours etc. There are certainly systemic issues with police departments but those problems could be worked on if the owners of this country (I mean the real owners - the top 1/10th of the top 1%) had any desire to do so. As far this particular union and their condemnation - they are misplaced. But we also know what they are like in the St. Louis area. We saw Ferguson.