Survivors of human rights abuses testify at Minneapolis UN hearing

By Cole Miska Contributing Writer

On May 2, members of the United Nations (UN) Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement (EMLER) held hearings in Minneapolis to gather testimony related to racism and policing. The event, which was held at the Urban League building at 2100 Plymouth Ave. N, was one of six stops on EMLER’s visit to the United States. International human rights lawyer Kerry McLean, who has done work for the UN AntiRacism Coalition (UNARC), set up Tuesday morning’s hearing.

According to McLean, the goal of EMLER’s visit is to examine the causes and realities of systemic racism faced by people of African descent involving law enforcement and the legal system, and to learn how laws may lead to disproportionate interactions between law enforcement and Black people compared to people of other races.

The Minneapolis hearings are part of a two-week tour that included hearings in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis and New York City. UN representatives who on page 5