Socialist mayoral candidate Omar Fateh says Minneapolis failed to ‘reform’ policing after George Floyd

Fateh was asked whether policing in the city has improved since Floyd’s death sparked riots in 2020. “Unfortunately, no,” Fateh answered. “The mayor has promised continuously to our communities that there would be real meaningful reform. And five years later, there is still no plan.”

Following Floyd’s death in May 2020, Minneapolis became the epicenter of national protests that escalated into riots. One of the city’s police precincts was burned to the ground. In the aftermath, the Minneapolis City Council pledged to dismantle the police department and adopt a “community-led” public safety model.

That effort ultimately failed. In November 2021, voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure to replace the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) with a Department of Public Safety. Meanwhile, the city has struggled to recruit and retain officers, even as crime spiked and residents formed neighborhood watch groups to restore security in their communities.

Despite the city council’s push to defund the police, its members collectively spent tens of thousands of dollars on private security for themselves.

Earlier this year, the Minneapolis City Council approved a federal consent decree negotiated with the Biden-Harris Department of Justice. The agreement, which follows a DOJ report citing systemic problems within MPD, mandates sweeping changes over four years.

The decree requires MPD to adopt reforms aimed at implementing de-escalation policies, proportional use-of-force standards, and fair disciplinary systems. Officers will also receive training to interact with youth in developmentally appropriate ways and have access to confidential mental health services.

Fateh, an ally of fellow Democratic Socialist and New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, launched his mayoral campaign last week. Fateh’s platform includes declaring Minneapolis a safe-haven for abortion and gender-transition procedures, imposing rent control, raising the minimum wage, and blocking MPD coordination with ICE.

“Protecting all of our communities from Donald Trump means not letting MPD interact with ICE, whether it’s for an immigration raid or not,” Fateh said in a recent statement.

The mayoral candidate, who has spoken at multiple Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) events, has argued that Minneapolis must take more steps to defund and dismantle traditional policing.