Men accused of racially-motivated beating to appear in court

Two men accused of beating a man in Brainerd earlier this month will appear in Crow Wing County court Tuesday.

The county attorney's office has charged Travis Campbell and Ryan Eastwood with felony assault and misdemeanor charges of assault motivated by bias. Both Eastwood and Campbell are white. The victim is a 53-year-old black man.

Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan said his office treats all assault cases seriously, but this one in particular has provided a teachable moment.

"We're in the schools and we're speaking about it," Ryan said. "You can't just beat people up because you don't like the color of their skin, or the way they look or the color of their hair, or the color of the clothes they're wearing or their sexual orientation or the rest of that stuff. The law clearly reflects that and we enforce the law."

A rally in support of the victim will be held in front of the courthouse Tuesday morning.

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