Minneapolis policing reforms

by Khadra Abdulahi staff reporter

On March 31, the Minneapolis City Council unanimously voted on a new plan that will change how the city’s police department interacts with and arrests citizens, investigates crimes and punishes officers.

The plan was introduced following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, an event that sparked increased fear of police among citizens in not just Minnesota, but all over the country. After months of negotiation between the city and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the plan has been approved.

The agreement will mandate the city and the Minneapolis Police Department to set and enforce clear policies and prioritize organizational culture change to strengthen public safety by providing training, engagement, accountability and data collection for all policy changes. It will also ban searches based on the alleged scent of cannabis and require officers to de-escalate situations.

Officers will also be prohibited from using force to punish or retaliate, prevented from certain pretext

Viewer Staff 2022-2023

Maya Betti

Tyler Quattrin

Maya Betti, Tyler Quattrin

Sarafina Dillon

Michael Wang

Maya Gjelhaug stops, and limits how and when officers can use chemical irritants and tasers. However, the release states it does not prohibit an officer from relying on “reasonable articulable suspicion of criminal activity to enforce the law.”

Some Mounds View students see the ruling as a change for the better. “The good thing about this change is if one police [officer] is racially targeting a person then the other cop can interfere,” said junior Sriti Maripally.

Junior Linnea Valentine acknowledges both the possible positive and negative effects it could have. “I think it’s really good because more diversity has risen over [the] years and past history has impacted it. This

Ariana Eschenbacher, Rachel Zou

Maya Gjelhaug, Rachel Zou

Maya Betti

Maya Betti

Morghan Larson will lead to less brutality,” she said. “The negative is [that] this change will cause some issues like a rise in tension.”

Others believe that this decision could cause unintended consequences. Social studies teacher Aaron Oseland is concerned that these reforms may not address bias against those with lower incomes or people of color. “This change is good if it allows police to focus [on the] core job which is to maintain peace and to protect others,” said Oseland.

This reform will bring big shifts to the city of Minneapolis and may set a precedent that will influence decisions across the nation.

Sarafina Dillon

Shivam Vashishtha

Michael Wang

Sarafina Dillon, Ariana Eschenbacher, Morghan Larson

Khadra Abdulahi, Alexander Bi, David Anton Golridge, Charlotte Krum, Nikhil Kulangaroth, Isabella Kunc, Isabel Li, Gloria Liu, Owen Schwalm, Ahmed Sharara, Gao Zhong Tha, Kia Yang