MINNEAPOLIS– The minneapolis city council is expected to decide monday whether to approve an agreement with the federal government in response to the murder of George Floyd that would require major reforms within the city’s police department, with long-term court oversight.
The agreement, known as a consent decree, has been under negotiation since the Justice Department made a scathing criticism of the city police in June 2023, claiming that they systematically discriminated against racial minorities, violated constitutional rights and ignored the safety of people in custody for years before Floyd, a Black man, was killed by a white Minneapolis officer in 2020. take police brutality into account and racism.
The Report from the Ministry of Justice was the result of a far-reaching two-year investigation This confirmed many complaints from citizens about the actions of the police. The investigation found that Minneapolis officers used excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force,” and violated the rights of people engaging in constitutionally protected speech.
As a result, the city and police department agreed to negotiate a deal with the federal agency to require changes overseen by an independent monitor and approved by a federal judge. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, several council members and police accountability activists all welcomed the prospect at the time as a step toward healing the city.
Frey convened a special City Council meeting Monday “for the purpose of receiving a briefing on the U.S. Department of Justice’s lawsuits against the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department, including resolution options.” After a closed-door discussion that began Monday morning, the council was expected to meet again in public for a vote in the afternoon.
During his first administration, newly elected President Donald Trump was critical of consent decrees as anti-police. Finalizing the Minneapolis agreement before he returns to office on Jan. 20 would make it harder for him to undermine the deal because any changes would require court approval.
A state court judge in 2023 approved a similar agreement between Minneapolis and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after the state agency issued its own exciting report in 2022. The state research found that the city’s police department had engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination for at least a decade.
The Ministry of Justice is open 12 similar studies from state and local law enforcement agencies since April 2021, many in response to high-profile deaths at the hands of police.
It has signed agreements with Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri. A consent decree with Louisville, Kentucky, following an investigation initiated by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor is waiting for court approval. In Memphis, Tennessee, the mayor last month pushed back against the push for a consent decree there, saying his city has made hundreds of positive changes since the assault death of Tire Nichols.
Consent decrees require law enforcement agencies to achieve specific goals before removing federal oversight, a process that often takes years and millions of dollars. A key reason Minneapolis hired Brian O’Hara as police chief in 2022 was his experience implementing a consent decree in Newark, New Jersey.
If Minneapolis’ federal agreement wins court approval, the city would be in the unusual position of operating under both federal and state consent decrees.