Unprecedented Action by Trump’s Department of Justice

Despite the Department of Justice’s decision to potentially dismiss their federal consent decree, the city of Minneapolis must continue to implement recommended reforms. We must address race-based policing through institutional change. The future of public safety depends on the trust built between the city of Minneapolis and the community.

Five years ago, Minneapolis Police Department Officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd. 

The 2023 DOJ report found that the MPD engaged in racial discrimination, used excessive force, and violated the Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The report also showed that our Black and Native community members have disproportionately been targeted with this kind of intimidation by the MPD.

I support comprehensive policing reforms that must include accessible and transparent data, along with focused accountability. The city of Minneapolis and the MPD must continue to comply with the mandates from the DOJ report and the 2022 Minnesota Department of Human Rights Investigation into the City of Minneapolis and the MPD.

The need for transformative public safety measures in Minneapolis did not begin with federal oversight; and the work cannot end when the federal government backs out. The city had opportunities to broadly address the fundamental need for policing reforms and alternatives.

Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne apologized to Minneapolis residents, saying “We all could have done more to anticipate the possibility that Trump would win the election and turn his back on our city, and we should have done more on City Council to hold the city administration accountable to enter into the consent decree before Trump had power.”

Reform of the MPD cannot depend on national politics, especially under a dangerous Trump administration.

UPDATE: Last night I attended the Minnesota Spokesman Recorder community meeting “A look at the past-where do we go from here?” on the approaching anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. 

Although there was plenty of community frustration, the panelists offered guidance on next steps. Dr. Yohuru Williams spoke about the importance of focusing on substantive change today by embracing our past failures to ensure our future looks different, saying “We need to pour our energy into trying to figure out how this could be the last time.”

As I think about the statement made by Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne, I didn’t hear an action plan. Grandstanding and finger pointing in the city of Minneapolis does not benefit our community. We have to focus and get the work done.