Tell St. Louis County Prosecutor, Kim Maki, to drop the charges against Steven Cooper!

In July 2022, Steven Cooper was cleaning out the vehicle of his recently deceased brother when he found a gun and ammunition. He did what he thought was the right thing: he wrapped the gun in a sweatshirt, put it inside the secured door of his apartment building, and waited for his parole officer to arrive.

Cooper’s parole officer called the Duluth police. Due to his previous criminal record, Cooper was arrested for possession of a firearm and is now under threat of returning to prison. In an interview with the Minnesota Reformer, Cooper says “I could have easily thrown that thing in a river. I could have easily gave it to somebody … dumped it in the garbage [...] here’s the difference from the person that I used to be in 2006 and right now.”

Minnesota law doesn’t grant exceptions for people convicted of violent felonies to accidentally or briefly possess firearms.

The Duluth NAACP wants to know:

• Why is Steven being punished for doing the right thing?
• How can we expect to get firearms off the streets if there is a possibility for retaliation by the law?
• What role did Steven’s race play in his treatment from the Duluth Police Department and St. Louis County prosecutors?

Learn more about Steven’s case in this article from the Minnesota Reformer.

Watch Steven’s arrest video on facebook.

Stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks from the Duluth NAACP.