The Democrats have run Minneapolis for 40 years. The Democrats have controlled Minnesota for a long time, too.
George Floyd’s death led to a DOJ investigation into Minneapolis police tactics. Officials scoured through documents, files, videos, and data. It found:
The Department of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law:
- MPD uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and other types of force.
- MPD unlawfully discriminates against Black and Native American people in its enforcement activities.
- MPD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech.
- MPD and the City discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls for assistance.
The DOJ “also found persistent deficiencies in MPD’s accountability systems, training, supervision, and officer wellness programs, which contribute to the violations of the Constitution and federal law.”
One city leader told the DOJ that complaints about the police force happened way before Floyd’s death:
For years, MPD used dangerous techniques and weapons against people who committed at most a petty offense and sometimes no offense at all. MPD used force to punish people who made officers angry or criticized the police. MPD patrolled neighborhoods differently based on their racial composition and discriminated based on race when searching, handcuffing, or using force against people during stops. The City sent MPD officers to behavioral health-related 911 calls, even when a law enforcement response was not appropriate or necessary, sometimes with tragic results. These actions put MPD officers and the Minneapolis community at risk.
The DOJ and Minneapolis agreed to negotiate “a deal for overhauling the Police Department that could be enforced by a court.”
Those agreements are “consent decrees.” These decrees are agreed to by all parties and submitted to a court. It becomes legally binding when a judge approves it. No one can appeal these agreements unless one side commits fraud or if both parties commit an error.
The decrees can last for years. The Los Angeles Police Department remained under one for 11 years. Detroit had one for 13 years.
After Floyd’s death, Minneapolis became ground zero for the “defund the police” movement. Police officers resigned in a hurry, leaving the city without a lot of protection.
Minneapolis has a handful of officers. Crime has risen because duh:
As of early this month, Minneapolis had 585 police officers on its payroll, down from the 912 it employed in early 2019 and well below the minimum force strength of 731 officers set by the city’s charter.The exodus included many officers who retired on disability after getting a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder.As its police ranks thinned out, Minneapolis — like many other cities around the country — experienced a surge in crime.Gang violence became a significant concern among residents and law enforcement officials, leading federal prosecutors to indict dozens of suspected gang members on racketeering charges this year. Carjackings and car theft became growing problems. This year alone, more than 4,100 vehicles have been reported stolen, nearly twice as many as during the same period last year.
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