MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on community concern among some black leaders who fear black police officers’ discrimination lawsuit may discourage people of color from joining the force. Sepic interviews members of MAD DADS of Minneapolis and former police officer Michael Quinn.
The discrimination lawsuit filed by five African American police officers against the department is raising serious questions about diversity and equality on the police force. The suit's plaintiffs claim they've been passed over for promotions and have been subjected to a racially hostile atmosphere. Police officials deny claims that the men were discriminated against because of their skin color.
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GRANT WILLIAMS: This afternoon, the cramped South Minneapolis headquarters of MAD DADS is buzzing with activity. The head of the group, Vijay Smith, is preparing to lead a team of about a dozen men and one woman out to ride city buses along Lake Street. MAD DADS is a Christian outreach group. They go out on the streets and ride city buses in an attempt to help steer African Americans away from drugs, violence, and crime. Smith is also a member of a recruitment advisory group to the Minneapolis Police Department.
VIJAY SMITH: It makes it hard for us to recruit African American, and Latino, and Native American officers from the high schools and colleges when we have a situation like this.
GRANT WILLIAMS: Smith says it's important that young African Americans see the police force as a viable career option.
VIJAY SMITH: And it just doesn't look good. And so we have to decide, how do we make it sound attractive to our young people to want to be police officers?
GRANT WILLIAMS: Sandy Neely is one of the young guys Smith is referring to. Neely is a volunteer with MAD DADS, a college student, and an intern at the Hennepin County Juvenile detention center. Neely says he's not discouraged from being a police officer because of the Minneapolis lawsuit. But he says there's a need for more Black officers in the city, especially those who patrol areas with a lot of young African Americans.
SANDY NEELY: Well, a Black officer would probably know what the youth is going through. I mean, like the pain that they're going through, the little gestures or the little movements that they're doing.
GRANT WILLIAMS: Neely grew up in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Chicago. He says by the time he was nine, he knew what prostitution was and had seen someone get shot. Neely says it's an experience most white police officers don't have.
SANDY NEELY: The white officer might not understand the way that the young Black man is expressing himself. He might take that as hostile activity or hostile behavior.
GRANT WILLIAMS: The plaintiffs in the lawsuit claim they were targets of hostility on the part of white officers. For example, the complaint alleges that in 1992, Black officers received a hate letter signed KKK through the interosseous mail. And they claimed that under Police Chief Tim Dolan, the atmosphere has gotten more hostile.
MIKE QUINN: When I first started, it wasn't uncommon to hear cops use racial epithets on the street.
GRANT WILLIAMS: Mike Quinn recently retired after 23 years as a Minneapolis police officer. He's also the author of a book about his experiences, called Walking With the Devil; What Bad Cops Don't Want You To Know And Good Cops Won't Tell You. Quinn, who is white, says racism and cronyism are partially responsible for why officers of color aren't in leadership positions on the force. Quinn doesn't think Chief Dolan is a racist, but he says the chief has to do more to diversify the upper ranks of the department.
MIKE QUINN: With a large Black community that we have in Minneapolis, to not have somebody in that command staff that's connected to this community and is Black is a problem. You need that connection. And you've got plenty of good qualified candidates here.
GRANT WILLIAMS: Dolan's predecessor, William McManus, appointed two African Americans to deputy chief positions. When Dolan took over, he demoted one of them. That officer is one of the plaintiffs in the suit.
Minneapolis Police officials aren't talking about the lawsuit. But earlier this week, they released details of the department's diversity plan. The force is more racially diverse than it's ever been, they say. 18% of the 851 sworn officers are people of color. 7% are African American. And Dolan says 31% of the department's lieutenants are people of color. He says they're in position to become the next precinct commanders and deputy chiefs.
TIM DOLAN: There's 45 lieutenants down there that some very, very, very talented individuals. So it's so-- the future looks good, as far as having good candidates to fill those roles as they open.
GRANT WILLIAMS: But community activists, including some who are members of the Police Community Relations Council, are not as confident about the future of diversity for the department. They're calling for the MPD to be placed into federal receivership. Grant Williams, Minnesota Public Radio News, Minneapolis.