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“Of the 14 people killed by MPD officers since 2010, 13 were people of color or Indigenous,” the report says. “People of color and Indigenous individuals make up approximately 42% of Minneapolis’s population, but account for 93% of all deaths involving MPD officers between January 1, 2010 and February 2, 2022.”
A clear racial disparity can also be seen in the widespread use of chemical and other “less lethal” weapons. MPD officers use pepper spray at a higher rate against blacks than against whites. From the report: “Officers noted the use of chemical irritants in 25.1% of the use of force involving Black individuals. In contrast, MPD officers noted using chemical irritants in 18.2% of force uses involving white individuals in similar circumstances. Overall, according to the report, “between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2020, 63% of all incidents of use of force recorded by MPD officers were against Black individuals.”
Traffic stops, unfortunately, were no different. “Although Black individuals make up approximately 19% of Minneapolis’s population, MPD’s data indicates that from January 1, 2017 to May 24, 2020, 78%—or more than 6,500—of all searches made by MPD officers were the result of Black individuals or their searches. vehicles during officer-initiated traffic stops.” According to the report, blacks in Minneapolis are six times more at risk of experiencing violence than their white neighbors during traffic stops.
The Minneapolis Police Department did not respond to our request for comment.
The Secret Police: An MIT Technology Review investigation
This story is part of a series that offers an unprecedented look at how federal and local law enforcement are using high-tech tools to create a complete surveillance system on the streets of Minneapolis and what it means for the future of policing. You can find the whole series here.
illegal surveillance
The report also explains that the ministry uses covert social media accounts to spy on Black people: “MPD officers used covert or fake social media accounts to spy on and engage with Black individuals, Black organizations, and elected officials unrelated to criminal activity. security target.”
Online, officers used private accounts to follow, comment and message groups such as the NAACP and the Urban League while posing as like-minded individuals.
“In one case, an MPD officer used an MPD covert account to pretend to be a Black community member to send a message to a local branch of the NAACP criticizing the group. In another case, an MPD officer pretended to be a member of the community and was present at the RSVP to attend the birthday party of a prominent Black civil rights lawyer and activist.
Similarly, MIT Technology Review’s reporting shows that officers maintain at least three watchlists found in and around racial and policing-related protests. Nine state and local police departments were part of a multi-agency response program called Operation Safety Net, which worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to acquire surveillance tools, compile datasets, and increase communication sharing. during racial justice protests in the state. program continued well beyond the publicly announced discharge process.
While our investigation did not explore the extent of racial prejudice, it did show that local, state, and federal law enforcement have learned to work in concert to bring about anonymous protests, a fundamental principle of protecting freedom of speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. All but impossible.
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