The statement reads in part, “The egregious conduct by police at the #McKinney pool party is emblematic of the broader concerns being raised about systemic patterns of abuse towards African Americans at the hands of law enforcement. While it is easy to single out one officer as a ‘bad apple’ the reality is that this is a problem of a police culture in this country that too often tolerates abuse, biased policing and a blue code of silence when such incidents take place. The video also illustrates that there are two systems of policing in this country – one for whites and one for Blacks. Black people experience disproportionate rates of police contact, abuse, harassment, arrests and even death at the hands of law enforcement. Black girls and women are not exempt from police abuse and mistreatment.”

Black Lives Matter Minneapolis participant Brianna Wilson, states “As a young person growing up in North Minneapolis, one of my first interactions with suited police officers was at the end of my high school homecoming dance where they maced us, young men and women, as a way of dispersing the crowd. This was my first, but unfortunately not my last time being maced by cops. My friends who went to predominantly white suburban schools did not have similar experiences.”

#MinneapolisMN #MiinneapolisMN #PoliceBrutality #BlackLivesMatter

The repeal comes on the heels of a new ACLU report showing that in Minneapolis, Black and Native American people are over eight times more likely to be arrested for low-level offenses than white people.​

The Twin Cities' racial disparities, among the worst in the nation on every measure, have long shadowed a region consistently cited as one of the best places to live – for white people.

“In many ways Minnesota and Wisconsin have become the new South. The disparities we're seeing rival anything in the Jim Crow era,” said Anthony Newby, executive director of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change. “Today's repeal is a small, important first step toward ending racial disparities in our police system.”

Repealing these ordinances has been a priority for Neighborhoods Organizing for Change, Black Lives Matter-Minneapolis, and the ACLU-MN.

#MinneapolisMN #MiinneapolisMN #RacismInTheCriminalJusticeSystem #InjusticeSystem