Report: Room For Improvement In Mpls.' Response To 4th Precinct Protest

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Department of Justice released Monday its assessment of how the City of Minneapolis responded to the occupation of the Fourth Precinct.

Demonstrators protested outside the building after the officer-involved shooting of Jamar Clark back in November of 2015.

The review was requested by Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief Janee Harteau to determine what was done well during the occupation and what could have been done better.

The DOJ released 36 findings and 71 recommendations for the city and police department to learn from.

"Throughout the occupation, our top goal as a city was keep all the people of Minneapolis safe -- demonstrators, officers, neighbors, residents, everyone," Hodges said.

The review found room for improvement from top city officials to those tasked to put their orders into action. It said the response to the occupation was not rigorously structured and not coordinated among elected officials and law enforcement.

Minneapolis NAACP President Dr. Jason Sole says if Clark wasn't killed there would have been no protest. He says the review doesn't touch on the real problem with police community relations.

"It's the culture of it happening and no accountability," Sole said. "We're dying out here, people being kicked, being mistreated in every kind of way, and there is no accountability, they keep the badge and the gun."

Hodges says she hopes people take time to digest the 90-page review. She plans to sit with members of the community to hear what they think the city can do better.

NAACP executive members say they don't want to see recommendations on paper, they want the city to do the right thing by all its citizens.