By Lora Neng
WWW.STREETGANGS.COM STAFF WRITER
June 22, 2012
Ali Douglas Newman, also known by his rap moniker Brother Ali, was arrested outside a Minneapolis home Thursday evening. He and twelve other people were taken into custody for their appearance in an Occupy Homes MN rally protesting a wrongful foreclosure by PNC Bank.
The Cruz family made an online mortgage payment that was not accepted by the bank, who held their home's original mortgage and levied an additional two months' fine, according to CBS. The failure of payment was soon followed by a court ordered eviction under the request of Freddie Mac, the news of which prompted members of the community to link together around the property and stand up against the police's forcible removal. Brother Ali was detained on charges of trespassing and refusing to depart and posted $50 bail after four hours of processing at Hennepin County Jail.
Ali, an albino and practicing Muslim, is especially sensitive to the plight of the black and brown minority communities. He said that “the Muslim teachings I know tell you not to break laws,” but the call to restore "dignity" was stronger. He commented on the Minnesotan politeness of both the police and protestors through the ordeal and is expected to appear in court on June 5. The Occupy Homes movement has already won five cases due to the growing display of national public solidarity.
