A community-led group that’s been working on police reform and trust on and off for more than two decades said it’s made significant progress with the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). 

At a packed community meeting Tuesday, the Unity Community Mediation Team (UCMT) shared there is more than 70% compliance with their ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU) with MPD. 

“Weekly and monthly, going not only toe-to-toe, but eye-to-eye, sometimes in disagreement, but then we all came back and said we can agree that we have complied in certain areas of the MOU, but the work is still yet to be done,” Ian Bethel, with the UCMT, said to the group.

The UCMT was first founded in 2003 and worked in a similar fashion with the department for five years. Then, following the murder of George Floyd, the group was revamped — eventually signing the MOU in August of 2022. 

The MOU — which is different than the court-enforceable agreement MPD has with the state Department of Human Rights and the eventual consent decree with the Department of Justice — covers a wide range of officer expectations through addressing policies, training, and diversity. 

During the community meeting, presenters — including MPD Chief Brian O’Hara — pointed to a group of diverse soon-to-be officers as an example of the progress made. He also highlighted the community mentorship program cadets are part of as another point towards that compliance. 

After only a couple months on the job, Minneapolis’ new director of Civil Rights, Michelle Phillips, reflected on the work and vowed to help continue this momentum. 

“We receive complaints from members of the public and community members to investigate allegations of police misconduct … understanding that we have to acknowledge, we weren’t always doing it the best way,” Phillips said. 

A founding member’s son, Crow Bellecourt, was also part of the night, sharing a few words about the importance of the work. 

“I stay hopeful, you know that that this work, that something can come out of this,” Bellecourt told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS. 

You can view the Memorandum of Understanding in its entirety below: