Outgoing Minneapolis civil rights director confident in future of police reform

NINA MOINI: Today is Michelle Phillips' last day on the job. The Minneapolis Civil Rights Department director announced in June that she's leaving for another position. She'll be the assistant city administrator in Oakland, California, where previously she was that city's first inspector general.

Phillips joined the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department just over a year ago. She faced turmoil in the process of investigating police misconduct and a long backlog of complaints. The city has since made progress on that backlog, according to the independent monitor that's overseeing its court-ordered police reforms. Michelle Phillips joins me now. Welcome to Minnesota Now. Thank you for taking the time.

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Absolutely. Thank you for the opportunity.

NINA MOINI: I wondered about if you just had reflections over the last almost a year or so that you were in this position. I mentioned that you're taking another job in a place that you're already familiar with. But what was at the heart of your decision to move on?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: So I'll talk about reflecting first. It's been a little bit over a year that I've been the director of civil rights for the city of Minneapolis, and it has been an absolute pleasure. As you opened up, there were some challenges when I initially took the position. But at this point, I believe that I am leaving the Department in such an amazing place and space for them to serve and continue to serve the citizens and the residents in Minneapolis.

So I feel very, very good about where the Department is right now. And that leads to why I'm comfortable with leaving. There were some goals that I wanted to set, and that was really to stabilize the infrastructure within the Civil Rights Department, make sure that we had a lot more community engagement, education, and then empower our staff to really enforce the ordinance the way that it was written. And I definitely believe that we've done just that in this little bit over a year. So there are some new challenges facing me in the city of Oakland, and I'm excited to take on that next chapter of my life.

NINA MOINI: What was it about Minneapolis when you initially decided to take this position that made you want to take it on? Because as you mentioned, there was some turmoil and backlogs and a lot going on.

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: I think, one, the impact. The residents deserve a functioning Civil Rights Department, particularly in this time as we're trying to implement positive, sustainable police reform efforts-- as well as, at that time, a federal election and then ultimately getting a new administration. That really had a lot of folks questioning, where do we go from here?

We had to fix and heal within the Civil Rights Department so that we could show up for the residents that we serve. And I wanted to be a part of that change. I wanted to help to guide the amazing professionals that are already within that Department, to let them see the forest through the trees, and that, throughout everything, we can still be impactful.

NINA MOINI: Yeah, I think in many workplaces, city governments, anywhere, people have different experiences of working there. But we do know that in recent years, including the person who formerly held your position, some people have not had good experiences working within the culture of the city. How would you describe the culture of working for the city of Minneapolis?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: I think that's a two-pronged answer, and I'll be very transparent. The Department was challenged, and rightfully so. There was some shakeup within the Civil Rights Department as far as the leadership instability over the last, maybe, couple of years. So there were some cultural challenges. There was a lot of uncertainty, a lack of vision at that time.

And over the course of the year, I made it a mission to breathe life and support and uplift the staff, so that they know their work is important and that they, as resources to our residents, are very valued. And I believe that if you ask any of them now that the culture within that Department is much different. It's very positive. And we're moving in a trajectory that's amazing.

For me as a director, I have had nothing but support from the mayor and city council in order for me to do my job and to support the residents and enforce the ordinances as they're written. So I personally can just say that I was given the latitude and autonomy to execute my job as a director, and I did just that.

NINA MOINI: And according to, again, this independent monitor that's kind of overseeing the agreements for the reforms in the city of Minneapolis, they reported that, by March, the city had either referred all complaints for further investigation or dismissed them-- talking about this backlog in police misconduct complaints. I guess, if you have a short answer, how were you able to catch up? Why wasn't that able to be done before?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Short answer, structure. And I just think that infrastructure is really important--

NINA MOINI: Yeah, what do you mean by that, I wonder?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Sure. So one thing that I was very intentional about when I came in was looking at the structure, meaning the organizational structure of the Office of Police Conduct Review. There is a large volume of complaints that come in. And my assessment was that we did not have the appropriate staffing or the appropriate infrastructure. We didn't have enough supervisors. And we didn't have dedicated units to focus on areas.

So I created an intake unit to intake and triage complaints, an investigations unit to investigate administrative investigations. And then we created a research and policy unit to help to support the Community Commission on Police Oversight, as well as do proactive research and studies. So that was very, very important. And then all of those units have supervisors. And then the associate director, Director Russell Fujisawa, was a key hire when I came in. And he came on board in October.

NINA MOINI: And to your point, I think staffing-- everybody wishes they could have more staff. And that often does lead to more effective work. Do you feel-- obviously, they'll be looking for a new director, but do you feel that the Department that you oversaw is adequately staffed at this point to be able to follow through on some of these reforms?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: So I will definitely speak to the Office of Police Conduct Review. As we've been working through the backlog, we've been trying to gauge if we can sustain the pace. As you know, the settlement agreement requires 180 days for us to complete any incoming cases. So as we clear the backlog, we weren't really focusing on the newer cases timely. And then we started to say, OK, let's focus on the backlog as that started to clear, as well as the new incoming cases so we don't slip.

The answer to that is we're not quite sure. I think right now we're just assessing if this is a sustainable staffing level while holding on to ad hoc external investigators just in case we see some slippage, so that we can then go back to the administration and council and say, we might need one more in the Office of Police Conduct Review. But that assessment is ongoing.

NINA MOINI: And obviously, you're allowed to take another job. But the deputy director of civil rights is leading the Department while the city is going to conduct another nationwide search. Are you concerned about the transition or this turnover that's been happening in recent years causing further delays in the city being able to complete those mandated reforms part of the settlement agreement?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Absolutely not. The deputy director, Kaela McConnon Diarra, is phenomenal. The associate directors that I have left in charge of this Department are amazing. We have cultivated each other, quite frankly, over the years, from our entry level staff all the way up to myself. And they are capable, confident, competent, and credentialed, quite frankly, to get this work done. So I am leaving them in great hands, and I have no issues whatsoever that this work will not continue.

NINA MOINI: Would you have a piece of advice that you'd want to give for who your permanent successor would be?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Listen to community and listen to your staff. Community and staff are the heartbeat of our work. I think that that's what helps to inform evolution in civil rights, the history of it, as well as the future of it. So that's my first thing, is to really listen, learn, and then implement.

NINA MOINI: And then is there anything-- I'm just curious to know-- that you've learned from your time in Minneapolis that you'll take back to Oakland with you?

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Oh my goodness, so much. I couldn't even know where to begin. I think bringing community along every step of the way-- and I think community is always important and centered. But also in the conversations to have council. City council have been very, very supportive. Council President Payne has been supportive, as well as having Mayor Frey in a part of those conversations. So this is a collaborative effort. Nobody can do it alone.

And I think that was very, very evident here in this particular role-- and making sure that staff has a seat at the table when we start to mold the direction of our departments, whatever that department may be. So I appreciate the opportunity. I've grown as a leader and a director. And I'm definitely going to take that with me.

NINA MOINI: Well, Director-- for one more day-- Phillips, thank you very much for your time. And all the best to you.

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Absolutely. Thank you so much. And we're at the Trans Equity Summit tabling.

NINA MOINI: Nice!

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: So anybody who's out there, please feel free to come. We have our Know Your Rights Campaign information. And very excited to be in community one last time.

NINA MOINI: Thank you. Appreciate everyone's time during this special day. Take care.

MICHELLE PHILLIPS: Absolutely. Bye.

NINA MOINI: Michelle Phillips is the outgoing director of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department. She has accepted a position as assistant city administrator for the city of Oakland, California.