There is much to absorb in the report released yesterday by the MN Department of Human Rights. While not the main focus of the report, the policies and practices of prosecutors, with regard to problematic police officers, are disturbing. 1/4 minnesotareformer.com/2022/04/27/som… From page 66 of the report: “Prosecutors are aware of problematic MPD officers because these attorneys regularly review police records and view body worn camera footage to prosecute criminal cases.” 2/4

This Minnesota Department of Human Rights report released today documents in excruciating detail what many of us who have been deeply involved in this community have known for a long time. The Minneapolis Police Department has shattered the trust of too many in the community and caused deep pain and harm that has impacted multiple generations of our neighbors.

As Chief PD I talked to organizations about filing bar complaints for intentional misconduct to try to shield our staff and clients from retaliation. As Hennepin County Attorney I will change this culture to one of accountability.

washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/… “A public defender typically faces off with the same prosecutors every day. Reporting one to the bar could turn an entire district attorney’s office against you, jeopardizing your ability to effectively represent your other clients.”

Thank you for sending this and pointing out the issues with those who have disabilities. CAHOOTS is a program Minneapolis is trying to replicating here. Read about it below and check out the data:

https://twitter.com/gaelynnlea/status/1448655600716378122

In Eugene, Ore.,for example, the White Bird Clinic runs what’s known as CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets), a program that reroutes 911 and non-emergency calls relating to mental health, substance use or homelessness to a team of medics and crisis-care workers

I would not usually retweet a story like this but there is a terrible factual inaccuracy, badly in need of correction. The story is also in need of some balance. First, this is just wrong: 👇🏻

https://twitter.com/WCCO/status/1448619710963126275

“On Aug. 17, 202, Brown was sentenced to a year in the workhouse, but he was almost immediately released and given credit for 33 days.” 👇🏻

“Turning an emergency room visit into a “teachable moment” and helping young people manage their emotions and think twice before resorting to violence are among the most promising forms of community interventions, says a task force…” thecrimereport.org/2021/10/11/cur… “A review of four of the most commonly used violence-reduction strategies made clear that no single response was sufficient to curb the rising toll of deaths and injuries in neighborhoods considered “at-risk.”

My conversation w/ Max @MNReformer was almost 90 minutes so the podcast was a well-edited version. I said a couple of other things about the Idd case that also apply to the decision announced today. 👇🏻

https://twitter.com/jdugganmn/status/1447673790687846400

1. In both cases, police used a tactic known as “vehicle containment.” The photos of the parking ramp in the Smith case show how his car was boxed in by law enforcement (unmarked) cars. This is not meant to de-escalate. It escalates by forcing the person into “fight or flight.”

Conversations about traffic stops are important to have but we should rely on data and not anecdotes or fear. In Mpls, police made found guns in less than half of one percent of the searches they did after pulling Black drivers over for moving or equipment violations.

https://twitter.com/kstp/status/1444486864149303297

I would like to understand how Ramsey County’s policy is a disservice to victims (a claim from the story). Police can still pull over a car if they suspect the driver of committing a crime or having a warrant. Nothing in the policy prevents that.

“…it’s critical not to respond with the kinds of policies that gave us mass incarceration and are helping to perpetuate it — in particular, the aggressive use of decades-long, mandatory prison sentences for “violent” crimes.” t.co/kTJ2R4t9Hf “There are three things wrong with these “brute force” responses to violent crime.  The first is that they impose massive harm for negligible benefit. There’s no evidence that draconian sentences have done much to reduce violence in the United States.”

“If we are to achieve our goals of saving lives, of ending mass incarceration, and uprooting systemic inequities behind racial, economic and other disparities, we must implement 21st century drug strategies.”filtermag.org/weaponizing-mi… “Researchers, reformers, politicians and law enforcement professionals in the United States and across the globe have recognized we can no longer rely on our long-established system of criminalization and urging people to abstain from drug use.”

After George Floyd’s murder, city officials promised to reduce racial disparities in police use of force. At first glance, data taken from the city’s web site appears to show that happened. 
Before George Floyd, when MPD used force, 60% of the time it 👇🏻kare11.com/mobile/article… ☝🏻 …was used against black people. Since then, it has dropped to about 52%. That’s an improvement – although still a significant disparity in a city that's only about 20% Black. When KARE 11 took a deeper look at the numbers, however, we discovered something unusual.

This letter is historic. People have asked me why I think this letter is so important. To my knowledge, it is the very first time a prosecutor has publicly asked a judge to correct inaccurate and damaging conclusions about Black trauma and the perception of Black youth. 👇🏻

https://twitter.com/resmaamenakem/status/1413280045351809025

It is even more significant that the prosecutor wrote this letter not to get something in return, such as a higher sentence, but simply because it is the right thing to do. It is critically important to educate the public about trauma and stereotypes of Black youth.

Tuesday morning's pursuit "fit the criteria," Elder said Tuesday afternoon, but has since been referring further questions about the collision to the State Patrol. "We are limiting what we can chase for, but these were obvious felonies."

Left out 👇🏻
startribune.com/deadly-chase-p… Elder talks about the pursuit criteria. What does he leave out?

“police…must terminate a pursuit in progress if it "poses an unreasonable risk to the officers, the public or passengers of the vehicle being pursued who may be unwilling participants."

Discounting the trauma of the children who testified at trial — in an authoritative judicial opinion, no less — will only exacerbate the trauma they have suffered,” Ellison wrote…
washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07… What he wrote seems to be an indication that he has a real misunderstanding of what trauma is because it’s so contrary to what experts tell us,” said Mary Moriarty, former Hennepin County chief public defender.

Attorney General Ellison asks Judge Cahill to amend his sentencing order on the presence of children. This is excellent! mncourts.gov/mncourtsgov/me… “Moreover, as social science research demonstrates, for humans of all ages, giggling or smiling can actually be normal responses to stressful experiences.”

One month after George Floyd was murdered, about 100 people had been shot in Minneapolis.

I asked myself: What would happen if 100 people were shot in one month in my Armatage Minneapolis neighborhood? 👇🏻 Three Black children have been shot in the head in Minneapolis in the past several months. Two died and one is still fighting for his life.

I asked myself: What would happen if 3 children were shot in the head in my Minneapolis neighborhood? 👇🏻

This video of an MPD squad crashing into Leneal Frazier’s Jeep, killing him, is horrifying. This is a residential area, and according to MPD policy, officers “shall” terminate a pursuit in progress if the pursuit poses an unreasonable risk to the public.

So the question is not only whether MPD policy allowed pursuit of the car because of what the driver was suspected of doing, but also whether it was reasonable to do so. If you are able to watch the video, try to imagine how this high speed pursuit on Lyndale was reasonable.

While we prepare to hear closing arguments, I thought it might be helpful to share what will happen after the verdict.

1. Once the jurors arrive at a verdict, we have been told that the court will give 1-2 hours before the verdict is actually announced publicly.

👇🏻 If a guilty verdict:

1. The state has asked the court for a sentence greater than the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines provides.

2. The judge cannot do this without the jury finding aggravating factors. These are facts that make this case more serious than others. 👇🏻

This is a truth with which we white Minnesotans need to reckon. Let’s focus on the impact of our institutions and structures to make this a great state for every member of our community. via ⁦@nytopinion⁩ nytimes.com/2021/04/16/opi… “Unlike places where racism was (and is) open and transparent, racism in Minnesota is obscured by progressive policy. Our history and legacy of egalitarianism make it harder for us to see racial disparities as manifestations of racism.”

But a growing body of research shows pretext stops don't do much to curb serious crime, said Maria Ponomarenko, a law professor at the University of Minnesota. "The overwhelming evidence is it doesn't work," Ponomarenko said. "Hit rates are incredibly low."startribune.com/after-daunte-w… In 2017, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry invited researchers from New York University's Policing Project to assess racial disparities in traffic stops after a Black man, Jocques Clemmons, was killed by police during a stop.

Racism surely plays a role here, but there is another reason so many appalling police shootings involve motorists: Law enforcement officers are taught that routine traffic stops pose extreme danger to their own lives.

slate.com/news-and-polit… “This training frames how you come to think about doing traffic stops yourself. You’re told that no traffic stop is routine and you never know who you’re stopping. That affects how you approach interacting with stopped drivers and passengers.”