Is Police Brutality A Problem In Minneapolis

From Five To Twelve Complaints Are Filed Per Week

Feb 14, 2009 Paul Hamilton

Two recent deaths in the Minneapolis community at the hands of the police department have again raised questions about the impartiality of those who protect and serve.

At a recent rally organized in North Minneapolis by a group called Communities United Against Police Brutality (CUAPB), the call went out to a group of their supporters that an independent investigation is needed in the death of Ahmed Gulad. The killing which was labeled a justifiable homicide by Minneapolis Police, because the officers involved said that they felt their lives were threatened by Gulad. However CUAPB President Michelle Gross has made the charge that the death was unnecessary and may have had something to do with his being of Somali descent.

Another Death A Month Earlier

A North Minneapolis radio disc jockey at the urban station KMOJ, Quincy Smith, was also killed but not with a gun this time. Unfortunately his fate was sealed when the Minneapolis Police used a taser apparently in an effort to subdue him, but ultimately causing Smith to have a heart attack and die. Both deaths are being investigated by a non-transparent policy instituted by the Minneapolis Police themselves when deaths occur and the police have been involved, and by a concerned citizens committee specifically designed for instances like this. But regrettably the department is often able to skirt liability and responsibility by charging the person in question with crimes like disorderly conduct, or forth or fifth degree assault.

More Regulation of the Minneapolis Police May Be Required

More regulation of any police department in the wake of officer abuses is not always a controversial issue. Often times citizen oversight groups and more layers of police department or city and county judicial review can actually be in the best interest of citizens. However the urgency to effect this type of change is often times met with opposition from the police departments it seeks to help. And because the individuals complaining about the police are often people from minority groups, poor people, or the homeless and because they tend to be from the less powerful groups in society their cry for help may often go without a proper resolution. In response to these issues and concerns more regulation of the police can set a tone of accountability for actions, proper standards of interaction with minority and groups that may require specialized attention when coming into contact with the police, and training designed to promote education about minority and other disaffected populations.

Citizens Give Police Their Power

The unprecedented power give to any police department including the one in Minneapolis should perhaps be used sparingly and with the incorporation of as much good judgment and good will as possible. However the Minneapolis Police may do well to remember that the clout given by the ordinary everyday citizen of Minneapolis which is then obtained and used by the Minneapolis Police department is not an unlimited grant of authority, but merely a delegation of that power by citizens to keep them safe and secure and to protect their property. Consequently, if the police abuse this power, they need to be held accountable for their action or inaction in the jobs with which they have agreed to do and the oaths they have individually sworn to uphold.

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