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Updated: 6:30 p.m. June 10 | Published: 3:16 p.m. June 10

Minneapolis city leaders have so far declined to meet with state officials to discuss reform of the police department, but said Friday that they will attend the next meeting scheduled for June 21.

Following a nearly two-year investigation, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights released a 

 in late April that found a pattern of illegal racial discrimination in the MPD.

Mayor Jacob Frey has said that he supports the creation of a consent decree that would allow a Minnesota judge to enforce agreed-upon reforms. 

But in a letter sent to the mayor Friday, Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero says city officials did not attend the first two meetings to discuss the terms of a consent decree. Those meetings had been scheduled for May 24 and June 7.

 it would not attend until it gets evidence to support some of the state's claims — specifically officers' alleged covert use of social media to target Black leaders.

In her letter, Lucero says there's already "significant alignment" in many areas, and that the city “already has in its possession substantive evidence to support every finding of race discrimination.” Lucero says she looks forward to meeting with city officials at the next scheduled meeting on June 21.

In a statement issued Friday evening, Interim City Attorney Peter Ginder said the city “will move forward with the scheduled meeting on June 21 with MDHR, but is disappointed to not have received a substantive response and answers to our questions and concerns.”

Ginder’s statement goes on to say that the city has convened “an internal workgroup on consent decree planning” that includes staff from Frey’s office, as well as Council President Andrea Jenkins, Council Vice President Linea Palmisano, and Council Members LaTrisha Vetaw and Jeremiah Ellison.

Crime, Law and Justice

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Matt Sepic

Author

Minneapolis city leaders have so far declined to meet with state officials to discuss reform of the police department. City representatives have not appeared for meetings with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights that were scheduled for May 24 and June 7, but say they will attend the next meeting scheduled for June 21.

Minneapolis officials haven't showed up to meetings on police reforms

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