The man who led a protest inside a private building where a Minneapolis judge lives has now been charged with felony harassment and aggravating violations like retaliating against a judicial officer.
Cortez Rice is a prominent Black Lives Matter activist in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He rose to prominence as an activist/organizer during the George Floyd unrest because he falsely suggested that he was related to Floyd. Last month, he staged a protest outside the supposed condo of Judge Regina Chu, who is overseeing the Kim Potter trial. Now, he has been arrested and faces a felony charge.
Ironically, Rice could have been in jail when he allegedly tried to intimidate Chu but was not, thanks to the judge herself. Just weeks before he protested outside her home, Rice appeared in her courtroom after allegedly violating his probation. He was on probation due to a gun charge he earned after a 2016 incident that involved a woman getting shot.
Chu ruled that Rice should remain free rather than going back to jail.
About one month later he appeared in her building, saying things like, “we are here for one person in particular.
“We at the judge house … on her ass, we on her heels,” he said in his now-infamous livestream outside Chu’s residence. “Waiting for the gang to get up here,” he added as he beckoned for his fellow protesters to join him directly outside the unit where the judge supposedly lives.
Chu decided at this point that Rice is a threat to the public. “Judge R.C. noted that she believed she was the target of the Defendant and the other protestors. She further stated that it was her belief the intention was to intimidate her and to interfere with the judicial process,” the charging document reads.
Rice was arrested late last week in Waukesha, Wisconsin, where a black nationalist recently drove his vehicle through a Christmas parade, leaving six dead and over 50 injured.
He is presently awaiting extradition to Minnesota where he will stand trial. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
Rice deleted the original livestream that he hosted inside Chu’s building. A re-uploaded version can be viewed here:
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
