St. Paul recorder., 1963-06-20
Minneapolis Community
Police Relations Offers
Challenge To City

The city of Minneapolis can by giving atten-
ton to the lessons suggested by the recent incidents
in north Minneapolis leading to the brink of violence
become model for the entire country in handling
its human relations problems.
These problems are not easy. The eruption of
Negro demands for equal rights in the South is hav-
ing rePercussions throughout the country including
cities where substantial progress has been made and
is continuing. Our public officials throughout the
country expect Negroes to become increasingly
militant and demanding, kind of delayed release
from pent-up, long endurance of wrongs.
Under present circumstances we may expect
the Negro community to be over-critica of the po-
lice department. to attribute to the police anti
Negro prejudice than they actually have (Which is
penty!) and to attach more significance to any
shortcoming, misbehaWor or breach of discipline
than is actually justified
On the other hand we in the Twin Cities are in
uniquely favorable position to deal with our human
relations problems constructively. Minnesota Ne
groes have made real progress in recent years on
all fronts Our cause has been made the cause of all
forward-looking and responsible elements of the
community We propose to keep it that way.
Part of the problem, as we see it. is to keep
other elements of the community from committing
provocative acts like that committed by the Mime
apolis police recently. Last week suggested that
"a more effective program Of education and indoc-
trinaton is needed in our police department" and
"a better program is needed for screening the appn
cants for police careers" These proposals seem to
modest enough Negro citizens certainly have the
right to expect that the police powers should be
welded by men who respect the rights of all citizens
who are color blind" in the performance of their
duties and who exercise proper restraint at all
times.
At this point, the departments performance is
not reassurng The police, using police facilities and
ume-on-duty making up a fund to pay the officer
who cubbed Raymond Wells while his as yet undis-
ciplined colleagues held the victim, to his loss
Of wages during 3O-day suspension. In other words
the police thumblng their at Chief Of Po-
lice Pat Waing and nullifying the effect Of their
supervisors disciplinary action. In other words,
there is discipline and the offending cop actually
Is rewarded for his misbehaHor: at the city's cost
the police destroying the departments discipline
Chief Walling did not answer our proposals
about better screening and better indoctrinaton.
But he did talk to a Minneapolis Tribune reporter
about them He says there already is psychological
screening. What asked was better psychological
screening"-that Is of quality that would weed
out such obvious misfits.
He says there is indoctrination and education
WhaI we asked was a DeIter program possibly one
that would help the individual policeman to recog-
nize his responsibility to the entire community;
certainly that would teach him better than to
challenge and obstruct the disciplinary authority Of
his superiors in any case-even the case Of a cop
who beat up on a Negro.
What we have suggested is a long-range pro-
gram. good place for the Chief of Police to begin
is with the cops who thumbing their noses at
him by canceng out his disciplinary suspension Of
the cub-happy rookie