Calls for change fail to engage police union, but younger activists persist
| | | Stephen Maturen | Getty Images 2020
May 25, 2021
Understanding calls to reform Mpls police | |
|
|
|
Good morning. It's Tuesday. And it's going to be a nice one. Sunny with temps in the 70s and 80s across the state — and much cooler evening. Younger generation outlines a new approach to policing in Minneapolis
A task force of people under 30 have been driving change in Minneapolis policing. The changes they’d like to see include training to help officers avoid using lethal force, mental health counseling for officers to help them handle the trauma they are exposed to and other training.
“I would say first and foremost, the main thing that we’ve got to have when we talk about reform, is consequences for officers and accountability,” said co-chair AJ Flowers, 28.
The task force also proposed changing the name from the Minneapolis Police Department to the Minneapolis Peace Department.
“We don’t believe that we need to be policed,” said Flowers. “We need to bring peace to our communities at this point in time. We’ve been through so much trauma.”
The Minneapolis Police Federation has pushed back against the name change, said co-chair Miles Wilson, 26. And he said the union isn’t offering any alternative proposals. MPR News reporter Brandt Williams has more on efforts to bring change to policing in Minneapolis.
George Floyd: One year later
Yesterday, families of Oscar Grant, Eric Garner and other Black people killed by police gathered in Minneapolis to talk change Hundreds rallied Sunday to remember Floyd and push for reformsWatch: MPR News' Cathy Wurzer, Laura Yuen, Brandt Williams and Evan Frost discuss one year covering the George Floyd story
Here's what else to know:
In the southeast Minnesota town of Altura, a legal dispute over an old cemetery raises the question: Who owns the past? And in central Minnesota, students of color in the Rocori School District have been targets of racist bullying, prompting the school board to take action. Families of the three Minneapolis children struck by gunfire in recent weeks are pleading for the arrest of those responsible. Watchers of the night sky are in for a treat this week. Here's how to see the Super Flower Blood Moon lunar eclipse.
– Grace Birnstengel, MPR News | Find me on Twitter @grace__ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
