Police Relations in the Twin Cities

Minneapolis and St. Paul are often looked at in a positive light for its abundance of arts, parks, museums, restaurants, etc. but you probably hear a lot about the great people as well. How true is this? And is it true for everyone? "Minnesota Nice" gets thrown around a lot, but for many, this is a luxury reserved for white people.

One area where you are likely to see a glaring difference in opinion between white people and non-whites is in police relations. Distrust and fear of police is a problem that has plagued the entire country, but there are some unique issues faced in Minnesota.

A big part of the fear for African Americans is likely related to the systemic bias and racism that exists within the entire criminal justice system. From the courts, to the lawyers, to the laws on the books, the deck always seems stacked against African Americans. This has been an ongoing problem in Minnesota, and one that still has not been fully addressed. For most people, the police are the first and most visible arm of the law and the criminal justice system that they encounter. When it's apparent that you aren't going to get a fair shot in court, it's not difficult to understand why tensions might be high when dealing with police. This is likely why many African Americans feel the need to record any interaction they have with Police to video, which can sometimes exacerbate tensions when an officer feels like they're being targeted or accused of something.

Source: AP
This of course, all came to a horrific climax with the shooting and death of Philando Castile in St. Paul, MN. Millions of people across the world saw the Facebook live video recorded by his girlfriend that showed Officer Jeronimo Yanez gun down Castile in front of her and his 4-year old daughter. The story created outrage across the nation but was felt especially hard in the Twin Cities. For many African Americans, it was another example of what they deal with every day. For myself, and a lot of other white people, it was a big shock. We naively thought that this kind of thing just doesn't happen in Minnesota. It was an eye opening experience for a lot of people.

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