Rustic Bar Assault Analysis

Still no accountability for assailants in September 12th Assault at the Rustic Bar


March 11, 2024


Contact: leanduluth@gmail.com

Introduction

There was significant community concern in addition to local and national press coverage following the September 12th assault at the West Duluth bar that left Michelle Folson, a Black and Indigenous woman, in the hospital and the two suspects initially without criminal charges. Over the past six months, LEAN has monitored the case and studied documents in order to create the following analysis and collection of police documents. Additionally,  primary documents from the police department and Ms. Folson are available to the public for download on LEAN’s website. While this case is complex, LEAN’s analysis shows the story of a Brown woman in our community who experienced violence, and the multitude of ways that the two white assailants, Mylon Griak and Scott Rabold, have not only avoided definitive accountability, but have also managed to avoid a day in court for nearly six months. The purpose of this report is to promote public visibility for Ms. Folson’s case, to raise questions about how the DPD and the City of Duluth have approached the case so far, and to ensure that prosecuting agencies are held accountable to who they serve (and fail to serve) in our community.

Photo of Ms. Folson's glasses following the assault

Timeline

The following timeline is taken directly from the primary sources included on our website:

List of Services

Photos uploaded to Ms. Folson's Facebook page following the assault

Discussion

The primary question that LEAN team members have been faced with throughout this investigation is whether or not Griak and Rabold’s actions should warrant a more severe charge than 5th degree assault. The next higher charge would be assault in the third degree, which would constitute a felony charge. MN Statute 609.223 defines 3rd degree assault as: 


Whoever assaults another and inflicts substantial bodily harm may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or to payment of a fine of not more than $10,000, or both.


Notably, MN Statute 609.02 Subd. 7a defines substantial bodily harm as:


"Substantial bodily harm" means bodily injury which involves a temporary but substantial disfigurement, or which causes a temporary but substantial loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ, or which causes a fracture of any bodily member.


With these statutes and definitions in mind, the main questions that remain when determining the appropriate charges for the suspects are 1) whether or not Ms. Folson’s injuries meet the definition of substantial bodily harm and 2) whether or not the actions of Rabold and Griak can be justified as self defense. Considering the letter from a healthcare provider explicitly stating that Ms. Folson’s injuries upon examination “would support the above definition of substantial bodily harm” and the surveillance camera transcript in which police officers describe Folson being kicked in the head, pinned to the ground, and her head being smashed on the ground approximately two times, LEAN Duluth is left with the following questions:


  • What information has St. Louis County Attorney Kim Maki received that makes her confident in her decision not to charge either suspect with felony assault?
  • Would Griak and Rabold have already faced a judge earlier if Kim Maki had decided to prosecute a felony charge?
  • Why hasn’t the video of the assault been shared with the press or public despite pressure from the victim and multiple community organizations?
  • What message does this slow, limited prosecution send to BIPOC community members about their safety in Duluth and how they will be represented by the criminal justice system? 


While a legal approach to this case might help examine the decisions of police and the county attorney’s office, it could never do justice to the trauma that an act like this perpetuates against an entire community. In an exclusive interview with LEAN Duluth, Ms. Folson shared: 


“There is nothing those men can say that can justify what they did to me. Nothing I did will ever justify what those two men did to me. They changed me forever.” 


She asked LEAN Duluth to end our release with the following quote from Edward De Bono: 


“There is never any justification for things being complex when they could be so simple.”


In the News

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