Kim Potter trial: BLM protester accused of intimidating choose held with out bond as Daunte Wright case begins

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The Minneapolis Black Lives Matter activist charged with intimidating the choose presiding over the trial for former police officer Kim Potter was ordered held with out bond on Tuesday – which means he’ll stay jailed no less than for the primary two weeks of the excessive profile case involving Daunte Wright’s loss of life. 

Cortez Rice’s protection lawyer tried to argue that his consumer’s feedback whereas livestreaming himself at a downtown Minneapolis condominium on Nov. 6 had been taken out of context by “White supremacist kind teams” who reposted snippets of the video on-line. 

Minneapolis civil rights legal professional Jordan Kushner asserted that Rice’s participation in a protest on the assumed dwelling of Decide Regina Chu had been inside his constitutional First Modification protections of free speech. 

“As soon as put in context,” the video will present Rice was not making an attempt to threaten the choose, Kushner stated. 

KIM POTTER TRIAL: BLM PROTESTER CHARGED WITH INTIMIDATING JUDGE EXTRADITED TO MINNESOTA, TO APPEAR IN COURT 

Decide Bastian, nevertheless, ordered Rice, 32, held with out bail as a result of he allegedly violated probation for a 3rd time following his 2017 conviction for felony possession of a firearm. Bastian agreed to rethink his resolution to disclaim bond in the course of the subsequent court docket listening to scheduled for Dec. 20 at 1:30 p.m. 

The felony grievance from Hennepin County particulars how Rice participated in a protest exterior a Minneapolis condominium constructing to demand Chu reverse her order banning Potter’s trial from being broadcast. Rice allegedly took a step farther by live-streaming himself on YouTube and climbing to the twelfth ground. He spurted threatening language exterior the unit believed to be the place Chu lived, the grievance obtained by Fox Information Digital says.

Regina Chu (left) is presiding over the trial for Kim Potter. Cortez Rice (right) is charged with intimidating the judge to allow cameras in the courtroom. 

Regina Chu (left) is presiding over the trial for Kim Potter. Cortez Rice (proper) is charged with intimidating the choose to permit cameras within the courtroom. 
(AP/Waukesha County Jail )

“We on her heels,” he shouted, including that he was “ready for the gang to rise up right here.” Persevering with to make use of profanity as soon as again exterior, Rice addressed Chu by title, saying, “We demand transparency. We’d hate you to get kicked out of your condominium.”

Since George Floyd’s loss of life on Memorial Day 2020, protesters have more and more adopted the tactic of concentrating on non-public houses.

It occurred to Potter’s dwelling in Champlin, Minn., costing the suburb hundreds of {dollars} in safety measures earlier than the home was ultimately bought and the ex-Brooklyn Heart police officer’s household moved. Demonstrations even have been seen exterior the houses of the previous head of the Minneapolis police union, in addition to the residence of a use-of-force skilled who testified within the trial for Derek Chauvin. 

Cortez Rice was transported from the Waukesha County Jail in Wisconsin back to Minnesota. He was ordered held without bond at the Hennepin County Public Safety building until at least his next court hearing on Dec. 20. 

Cortez Rice was transported from the Waukesha County Jail in Wisconsin again to Minnesota. He was ordered held with out bond on the Hennepin County Public Security constructing till no less than his subsequent court docket listening to on Dec. 20. 
(Fox Information Digital/Danielle Wallace)

Prosecutor Judith Cole famous Tuesday that Rice didn’t obtain permission from his probation officer to depart the state of Minnesota earlier than he was apprehended in Wisconsin final week. Kushner claimed Rice couldn’t attain the officer and made the decision to go anyway to attend a last-minute funeral. 

Seen in an orange jumpsuit and a masks, Rice at first threw his fingers up and shook his head earlier than reluctantly signing a waiver of extradition discover on digicam throughout Tuesday’s Zoom continuing. Kushner briefed his consumer in a break-out room earlier than Rice signed the piece of paper – however the non-public digital session ended earlier than he was completed, and the choose stated that it shouldn’t take so lengthy for the lawyer to clarify the waiver to his consumer. 

Throughout the identical court docket listening to, Decide Invoice Koch set bail at $20,000 for Rice on the felony harassment cost associated to the incident at Chu’s dwelling. That quantity was decrease than the $50,000 with out circumstances and the $30,000 with circumstances requested by prosecutors. 

Daunte Wright, left, was killed in an April traffic stop. Kim Potter, right, is charged with manslaughter in his killing. 

Daunte Wright, left, was killed in an April visitors cease. Kim Potter, proper, is charged with manslaughter in his killing. 
(Fb/Hennepin County Sheriff)

Circumstances embody sustaining contact together with his supervising agent, remaining law-abiding with out violating any federal, state, or native legislation, attending all scheduled court docket appearances, refraining from possessing any weapons together with firearms or knives, signing a waiver of extradition, remaining no less than three blocks away from the Hennepin County Authorities Heart or any judicial constructing until he’s there for his personal hearings and staying away from the place Chu or her employees stay, work, or attend college. Rice should additionally observe all remedy necessities underneath situation of probation. 

Rice will nonetheless stay behind bars till his subsequent court docket look on Dec. 20 – which implies Potter’s trial can have been underway for over two weeks. Opening arguments are slated to start Wednesday. 

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Regardless of Rice’s felony document, Kushner painted his consumer as a “group activist who works with households of victims of police violence.” Rice additionally works as a union carpenter, in response to his lawyer, and routinely helps distribute meals and clothes as a part of his volunteer work. 

Whereas many attendees of Tuesday’s Zoom listening to modified their usernames to indicate assist for Rice, Kushner highlighted that his consumer had sturdy ties to the group and allegedly has no historical past of failing to look for his earlier court docket hearings. Kushner stated his consumer has “no historical past of violence of any kind” associated to protesters or group activism, affirming that Rice is “not a threatening determine of any kind.” 

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