Local advocates for police accountability want Minneapolis voters to create a new civilian commission to oversee police, removing power from the mayor and City Council.
Members of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar said they don't think current proposals to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a community safety department do enough to improve oversight of officers.
"If you talk to mothers and sisters and brothers and family members, they can tell you it's not enough to change the name or to remove the number of officers," said Sam Martinez, an organizer with the coalition. "It doesn't fix anything. It doesn't actually bring accountability."
Minneapolis has become a testing ground for proposals seeking to change the way cities approach policing in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Two other proposals are in the works to replace the city's Police Department with a new public safety department. Those have elicited strong reactions in the community. Supporters tend to argue the change is crucial because past reform efforts haven't worked, while others argue it is largely symbolic and does little to improve accountability.
Some activists who are skeptical of those proposals appear to be more open to the idea of creating a civilian-led commission.
"I don't think the City Council has done a great job with what they do control, so I'm not eager to give them more control," said Michelle Gross, found of Communities United Against Police Brutality. "I think this is much more transparency, and it's more directly accountable to the community."
Many in City Hall are just learning of the proposal. Mayor Jacob Frey's office said he "is not supportive of this initiative." Reached Wednesday night, Council Member Phillipe Cunningham, a key author of one of the council's proposals, said it was the first time he was hearing of it.