Uniformed men in Web video were not Minneapolis police

A YouTube video of teens harassing a gay man shows private security, not police officers, Minneapolis police officials say.

By MARY LYNN SMITH, Star Tribune

Last update: June 30, 2009 - 11:43 PM

Minneapolis police officials want to make it clear: Their officers are not the guys with the badges in a YouTube video that shows a gay man being taunted by a group of teenagers.

The video, posted after this weekend's Gay Pride festival shows a group of teens taunting and harassing the man with verbal threats. As the teens follow the man down the street, two security officers walk by without intervening.

Adam Schreifels, the man who was taunted by the teens, said he was leaving the Gay Pride festivities on Saturday night when the group of teens asked him if he was gay. "I said, 'Yes, and proud of it,'" he said Tuesday.

That's when they began to harass him and throw stones at him.

By Tuesday, the video had received more than 3,000 views. Justin Grey Day, who shot and posted it on YouTube, said he received many messages from people who asked why "police" didn't stop the threats from the teens.

The Minneapolis Police Department issued a news release Tuesday, hoping to end speculation that their officers were captured in the video.

"Those security officers who casually walk by during this incident were not from our department," the release states. "We have a strict uniform policy, and those were not our uniforms or our police officers. This [the teens' taunting] is unacceptable behavior that would not be tolerated by the Minneapolis police."

Police officials also contacted Grey Day, who has since added a note to the video he posted to let viewers know that the "officers" in the clip are private security officers.

Schreifels said his main concern, however, is that the teens aren't being held accountable for their actions.

"It was very disturbing," he said. "Do we need to have someone harmed or killed before we stand up and put a stop to this behavior? If these kids aren't held accountable, they'll bring this kind of behavior into their schools against someone who's more vulnerable than I am."

The video can be viewed at tinyurl.com/kogwd5.

Mary Lynn Smith • 612-673-4788

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