Show us the files.
That's what the Star Tribune said to the FBI immediately after U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced that no federal charges would be filed in the police shooting of Jamar Clark.
Clark's death in November 2015 led to weeks of protests and added Minneapolis to the national debate over the deaths of black men at the hands of police. When Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced in March that the two officers wouldn't be charged with any state crimes, he complied with state law and handed over videos, interview transcripts, photos, autopsy results and other materials from the now-closed investigative file.
The FBI could have followed suit, once Luger declared in June that no civil rights charges were warranted in Clark's death. Now, members of the public should have a chance to see for themselves whether their investigation was truly "a thorough analysis of the evidence gathered."
Yet the FBI sent us a letter June 23 that answered our request this way: Nope.
The agency said it couldn't give us the file because the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) shields records that "could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings."
Thinking there might be some mistake, we asked again.
The FBI letter dated Aug. 31 was an identical rejection.