MPLS Police Spied On, Posed As Black Activists: State Investigation

MINNEAPOLIS — The city of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department engaged "in a pattern or practice of race discrimination" in violation of the state law, an investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights found.

The department released its report based on their investigation Wednesday. The investigation began in the summer of 2020, following the killing of George Floyd.

Among the specific findings in the report is that Minneapolis police used covert social media accounts to surveil Black people and Black organizations, unrelated to criminal activity.

Using the covert social media accounts, police falsely engage with Black individuals, Black leaders, and Black organizations, according to investigators.

"In one case, an MPD officer used an MPD covert account to pose as a Black community member to send a message to a local branch of the NAACP criticizing the group," the report states.

"In another case, an MPD officer posed as a community member and RSVP’d to attend the birthday party of a prominent Black civil rights lawyer and activist."

Police officers also used covert accounts to pose as community members and to post comments and content online attacking police critics and criticizing local officials.

Other times, officers sent private messages criticizing elected officials — including a city council member and a state elected official — while posing as community members.

The report also found that racial disparities exist in how Minneapolis police officers use force, stop, search, arrest, and cite people of color, particularly Black people.

Officers also consistently use racist, misogynistic, and disrespectful language, according to the report.

"Following the murder of George Floyd, demands to end discriminatory policing practices reverberated across the world," Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said in a statement.

"Those demands remain just as urgent today with the announcement of the investigative findings which paints an unsettling picture of the City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Police Department engaging in a pattern of racial discrimination over the last decade."

What happens next

The Department of Human Rights will now work to form a consent decree with the city. A consent decree is a court-enforceable agreement that identifies specific changes that must be made under a specific timeframe.

State officials plan to meet with residents, police officers, and city staff to gather feedback on what should be included in the consent decree.

The public can provide ideas for the consent decree here.

Read the entire report released Wednesday here.