On Wednesday, the U.S. agency of Justice announced that it is rescinding consent decrees, or deals, that the Biden-era agency had made with the cities of Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, on police reform. The investigations conducted following the 2020 police shootings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd gave rise to the legally binding accords.
The agreements with Minneapolis and Louisville, which were meant to address claims of civil rights violations and systemic unconstitutional policing, were both delayed and held up in federal court. In each case, the DOJ requested different extensions to file documents that the federal judges requested.
Attorney Ben Crump, who represents the families of Taylor and Floyd, said in a statement on Wednesday that the decision is a “slap in the face.”
“These consent decrees and investigations were not symbolic gestures, they were lifelines for communities crying out for change, rooted in years of organizing, suffering, and advocacy,” Crump said, adding that these moves will “deepen the divide between law enforcement and the people.”
Addressing reporters in a press conference on Wednesday, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the Trump administration’s move and noted that the city is “serious” about its commitment to police reform.
Frey also questioned the timing of the announcement.
“The Trump administration is a mess,” Frey said, referencing the various delays requested by the White House in federal court. “It is predictable that they would move for a dismissal the very same week that George Floyd was murdered five years ago. What this shows is that all Donald Trump really cares about is political theater.”
Frey said that the federal judge in this case will now decide whether to dismiss the agreement, but said the “bottom line” is that “we’re doing it anyway.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon responded to Minneapolis’s opposition to the DOJ moving to drop the consent decree while speaking with reporters on Wednesday. She said she finds it “very interesting” that Minneapolis is publicly opposing the DOJ’s move to drop the consent decree.
“I don’t know why a city would want federal government leaning over it,” Dhillon said.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg also spoke out in a Wednesday press conference.
“The DOJ is moving to dismiss its case with prejudice, meaning that the case will be permanently closed. We believe the court will grant this motion,” he said. “While this is not the outcome we hoped for when we stood right here in December and announced the decree, it is an outcome that we have planned for. We as a city are committed to reform.”
In addition to saying that he “made a promise to our community, and we are keeping that promise,” Greenberg said he will proceed with community engagement sessions to gather input before designating an impartial monitor to make sure the reforms are carried out.
