TRANSFORM POLICY & BEHAVIOR

There are many reforms needed to address racial injustice. Our criminal justice system needs significant reform. Policing, in particular, requires immediate attention.

WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND THE NATION?

The African American Leadership Forum (AALF) recently held a listening session with leaders in the Black community and developed a survey to get feedback about what a Black-Centered Design (BCD) approach to policing could look like, as well as the tools and resources needed to prevent deadly interactions between African Americans and law enforcement in the Twin Cities and across the state of Minnesota.  BCD was developed in their Collective Impact Initiative and is a new approach to bringing positive change to the Black community by empowering African Americans to lead and develop solutions to the problems that most affect their lives.

The conversation in the Listening Session centered on the challenge of addressing police brutality, over-policing, and the epidemic of deadly encounters between police officers in Minnesota’s seven-county metro area and around the country.

Click here to download a copy of the survey responses.

PolicetheTruth.org intends to provide pro bono and subsidized assistance to law enforcement personnel willing to speak up in difficult times, by providing employment protection throughout the process.

Click here to learn more.

Breaking Barriers United is an initiative which addresses current issues between law enforcement and the communities they serve, with a transparent approach.

Through relationship building and mentoring programs, Breaking Barriers United connects with tomorrow’s leaders in neighborhoods sometimes forgotten.

Click here to get involved today.

Nationally, police reform is a particularly difficult challenge because decisions are made across the federal, state, and local levels and we need to take action in all three.

Reform creating the biggest immediate impact can be categorized in three different ways:

Enforcement of overcriminalization 

  1. Limit contact between citizens and law enforcement by removing unnecessary laws. 
  2. Modify current drug charging and sentencing practices/laws.
  3. Divert addiction and mental health calls to treatment instead of law enforcement.

Internal Police Culture 

  1. Encourage transparency and accountability in union contracts and allow for stricter disciplinary procedures.
  2. Implement national best practices for use of force procedures and prioritize de-escalation.
  3. Prohibit arrest quotas.
  4. Integrate bias-free policing principles.

External Perverse Incentives 

  1. Reform qualified immunity.
  2. Reduce reliance on funds from fines, fees, and forfeitures
  3. End civil asset forfeiture.
  4. Reform 1033.

For a full description of the reforms and research that informs these recommendations, check out our research page.