Thank you for your interest in inviting the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism to Minneapolis in 2022. Please read through the materials below, and if appropriate, follow the link and sign the Open Letter.
We are asking all Organized Groups in the Twin Cities that are affected by Racism in the Minneapolis Police Department to sign on to this Open letter.
Origin of this project
This project originated from the working paper on Transforming the Minneapolis Police Department to Comply with the Rule of Law by James Roth. It was inspired by the murder of George Floyd and initially written for a class called 'Rule Of Law' at the University of Minnesota Law School taught by Professor Robert A. Stein, a widely recognized expert on the Rule of Law. Roth was also encouraged by Professor Fionnuala Ni Aoiain, Faculty Director, and Amanda Lyons, Executive Director, of the University of Minnesota Law School Human Rights Clinic, to pursue this project. One of the recommendations in the paper is to invite the U.N. Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to include Minneapolis in her upcoming U.S. Country Visit. The goal is to help create the political will in policymakers and voters to make necessary changes in public safety in Minneapolis. We are asking civil society groups and others to join in inviting her.
Open Letter to the UN Special Rapporteur
We have prepared the letter, and are collecting signatories in support of the letter.
The Open Letter that will be sent to Ms. E. Tendayi Achiume, the UN Special Rapporteur on Racism (https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-racism).
We will collect signatures and send the letter on June 1, 2022. Please share this website and encourage other groups to sign onto the letter.
Here's the Open Letter we will be sending:
Open Letter to UN Special Rapporteur
Sign the Letter
The link below will take you to a form to sign the letter. Thanks for participating in this important action!
Sign The Open Letter as a Group
Contact Us
If you have questions about this process, please contact us - Special Rapporteur Questions
OpED by James Roth - April 10, 2022
The next steps to transform the MPD …
Here's a link to an OpEd by James Roth that appeared in the April 10, 2022 edition of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
OpEd in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on April 10th
James Roth Video Presentation at Amnesty Group #37
Here's a recording of a presentation by James Roth, he details his paper on Racism with the Minneapolis Police Department. James also talks about sending the Open Letter to UN Special Rapporteur.
Full Paper by James Roth
James Roth - Working Paper on Transforming the Minneapolis Police Department to Comply with the Rule of Law: The Minneapolis Police Department has a documented history of decades of abuse in its use of force against minority residents out of proportion to its treatment of white residents. The murders of George Floyd and Amir Locke are only the most recent and glaring examples. This paper analyzes the history of the Minneapolis Police Department’s treatment of minority residents compared to the standards of the Rule of Law as well as past efforts at reform, and provides recommendations.