Local Group 37, Twin Cities is hosting James Roth, who will speak about his Working Paper on Transforming the Minneapolis Police Department to Comply with the Rule of Law: Reform or Abolition.
The Minneapolis Police Department has a documented history of decades of abuse in its use of force against minority residents out of proportion to its treatment of white residents. The murders of George Floyd and Amir Locke are only the most recent and glaring examples. This paper analyzes the history of the Minneapolis Police Department’s treatment of minority residents compared to the standards of the Rule of Law and finds it sorely lacking. Past efforts at reform have failed. Among the recommendations are adopting the recommendations of the Department of Justice’s Pattern or Practice Investigation, inviting the United Nations special rapporteur on racism and xenophobia to include Minneapolis as part of her upcoming country visit to the U.S., and conducting a truth and reconciliation process.