The U.S. Department of Justice was like, “Hey, we’re gonna drop those police reform agreements with Louisville, Kentucky and Minneapolis that were made during the Biden era.” These agreements, also known as consent decrees, were put in place after investigations following the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020. The whole idea was to address claims of unconstitutional policing and civil rights violations in these cities.
Minneapolis and Louisville have been dealing with delays and extensions in federal court regarding these agreements. The DOJ has been dragging their feet in submitting required documents to the judges. Despite all this drama, officials in both cities are still down for the reforms outlined in the agreements. They’re all like, “We’re gonna make these changes happen, with or without the DOJ’s support.” The consent decrees basically lay out a plan for police reform to fix civil rights violations. If a federal judge gives the green light, an independent monitor will be appointed to oversee the reforms.
Kevin Trager, representing Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, was all, “We’re gonna stick to our word and make meaningful improvements, no matter what goes down in court.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was like, “We haven’t heard from the Trump administration about this, but we’re moving forward with the agreement, even if they don’t have our backs.” The DOJ also announced they’re gonna close investigations into police departments in Phoenix, Trenton, Memphis, Mount Vernon, Oklahoma City, and Louisiana State Police. Plus, they’re taking back findings from the Biden administration against departments accused of serious misconduct. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon was all about it, saying these consent decrees take control away from local peeps and give it to unelected folks with an anti-police agenda. Sounds like a mess, right? Stay tuned for more updates on this wild ride.
