Law Enforcement and Racial Justice

Professor Richard Frase has published this guide to the major legal issues posed by the pending prosecutions of the four officers charged with the death of George Floyd.

News article covering civil law suit filed by the family of George Floyd in the Federal District Court for Minnesota on 7/15/20. Includes a link to the 40 page complaint.

Schaffer v. Chauvin et al, Docket No. 0:20-cv-01577 (D. Minn. Jul 15, 2020), Court Docket. Login with Bloomberg Law credentials.

07:35 - How The State of Minnesota Can Hold Officers Accountable: A Review of Police Accountability Proposals.
50:24 - How The State of Minnesota is Failing to Hold Officers Accountable.
1:11:04 - How Holding Officers Accountable Can Help Prevent Civil Unrest in Minnesota.

On July 23, 2020, Governor Walz signed the Minnesota Police Accountability Act, a law "providing for law enforcement; providing peer counseling, critical incident stress management, residency incentives, crisis intervention and mental illness crisis training, autism training, and duty to intercede and report for peace officers; regulating use of force; expanding membership of the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training; prohibiting warrior-style training; providing for a community relations advisory council; providing for certain peace officer data; providing for peace officer grievance arbitration selection procedure; providing for reports; appropriating money"

A resolution declaring racism a public health crisis.

The working group, formed in July 2019 and chaired by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Department of Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington, provided the opportunity for law enforcement, the community, and other stakeholders to discuss police-involved deadly force encounters. The website includes links to hearings transcripts and an executive summary of the group's report, which includes 28 recommendations and 33 action steps aimed at reducing deadly force encounters with law enforcement in Minnesota.

Outlining procedures for Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation of police officer use of force.

Beginning with the July 23, 2020 meeting, the POST Executive Director will request Board authorization to begin the process of review and comprehensive overhaul of Minn. Stat. Chap. 6700 – Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training Rules.

Through the investigation, the Department of Human Rights will "review the Minneapolis Police Department's policies, procedures, and practices over the past 10 years to determine if the police department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color." (http://mn.gov/mdhr/news-community/newsroom/civilrightsupdates.jsp?id=1061-434480)

Order approving the proposed court order filed by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, with stipulation by the city of Minneapolis, that requires the Minneapolis Police Department to implement initial structural changes, as part of the Department of Human Rights civil investigation.

The Minneapolis City Council resolves to begin a year-long "process of community engagement, research, and structural change to create a transformative new model for cultivating safety in our city." Under the resolution the Council created a Future of Community Safety Work Group, which will "report back to the Council by July 24, 2020 with a set of preliminary recommendations for engaging with specific cultural and stakeholder groups, the community at large and relevant experts that can partner with the City to help Minneapolis transition to a transformative new model for cultivating community safety."

Proposed ballot measure that would ask Minneapolis voters to amend the City Charter to create a new Department of Community Safety and Violence Prevention and remove the Police Department as a charter department.

Considering a proposal to amend the Minneapolis City Charter to address the creation of a new Charter Department to provide for community safety and violence prevention, and the removal of the Police Department as a Charter Department, Article VII and Article VIII.

The Minneapolis Charter Commission's Public Safety Workgroup will study and make recommendations on the proposed amendment to create a new Community Safety & Violence Prevention Department and remove the Police Department from the Charter. This site includes proposed amendments, public comments, and reference materials.

Facebook page of Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro.

Facebook page for Black Lives Matter Minnesota.

BLVC is committed to a long term vision in which ALL Black lives not only matter, but are able to thrive. What we know to be true in order to create this world is that oppressed people, especially Black people, need to build collective power in order to create systems transformation. Through the development of powerful strategic campaigns, we seek to expand the power of Black people across the Twin Cities metro area and Minnesota.

"Communities United Against Police Brutality is a Twin-Cities based organization that was created to deal with police brutality on an ongoing basis." The website includes documents, reports, newsletter and other educational and advocacy-related materials, including the report, "What Will It Take to End Police Violence? Recommendations for Reform"

"MPD150: working towards a police free Minneapolis
MPD150 is a participatory, horizontally-organized effort by local organizers, researchers, artists and activists. It is not the project of any organization. We stand on the shoulders of the work that many organizations have been doing for years and welcome the support of everyone who agrees with our approach. We hope that the process we are developing will help organizers in other cities to establish practical abolitionist strategies."

"The Racial Justice Network (RJN) is a multi-racial, grassroots organization, committed to fighting for racial justice and building bridges across racial, social, and economic lines."

Reclaim the Block began in 2018 and organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety. The website includes links to various publications (fact sheets, tool kits, press releases).

SURJ-TC is a Minnesota chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) — a national network of groups and individuals organizing White people for racial justice.
Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. SURJ works to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change.

"TCC4J is a community group dedicated to the fight for justice for those who have been harmed by police. Founded after the killing by MPD of Jamar Clark, on November 15, 2015." A draft of TCC4J's proposed legislation to create a Civilian Police Accountability Council [CPAC] in Minneapolis is available on the TCC4J website.

By Elizabeth Hinton, Boston Review (May 29, 2020)

By Ricardo Lopez, New Yorker, (June 10, 2020)

By Oliva B. Waxman, Time (May 28, 2020)

By Kirsten Delegard, Historyapolis blog post (Nov. 20, 2015)

By Sarah Holder, Bloomberg CityLab, (June 5, 2020)

By Denise Pike, Essay published on April 29, 2020 on the Public History of 35W website. A community-collaborative oral history and research project on 35W in South Minneapolis.

By Igor Derysh, Salon (June 8, 2020)

By Terrion L. Williamson, Belt Magazine (June 11, 2020)

By Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello, MinnPost (June 9, 2020)

By Su Hwang, Literary Hub (June 8, 2020)

By Katrina Phillips, Washington Post [online] (June 6, 2020)