Minneapolis Police Department, Chief O’Hara make the case for community control of police

Minneapolis, MN - On October 23, Davis Moturi, a Black Minneapolis resident, was shot outside of his home, allegedly by his white neighbor, John Sawchak. The bullet entered Moturi’s neck, fractured his spine and broke a number of his ribs. There were no witnesses, no one was around to call 911, and no help would arrive for Moturi until his wife, Caroline Moturi, came home and found him on the ground writhing in pain.

In the weeks and months preceding this violent event, Moturi did everything someone in his position would be expected to do in a society where policing is put forward as the one and only intervention for people in crisis. Moturi repeatedly sought intervention from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). In an online fundraiser from September 2023, his wife Caroline Moturi stated, “Despite multiple calls to the police for help, we were consistently informed nothing could be done. At one point, an officer who responded to our distress told us to ‘just move out.’” Moturi’s repeated calls to 911 for assistance resulted in no meaningful actions to prevent this completely avoidable and unprovoked shooting.

During his press conference on Friday, October 25, Chief Brian O’Hara of MPD appeared disdainful toward not only the victim, but also the Minneapolis city council members who sent O’Hara a letter denouncing MPD’s inaction under his leadership. Chief O’Hara behaved exactly how we would expect a cop with a bloated budget and no accountability to behave. O’Hara pulled out the usual weak excuse that MPD is “understaffed,” he chastised the few council members who had the audacity to voice their criticism of him, and he even placed blame on Moturi, stating, “the situation escalated in part by actions that were precipitated by the victim.” And what was it that Moturi did to invite the bullet which entered his neck? He chose to prune the trees in his front yard on an October afternoon.

After the shooting that was caught on camera, Sawchak remained free in the community while Moturi was confined to a hospital bed recovering from his injuries. It was not until October 27 - four days after the shooting, when MPD’s inaction became the subject of community outrage and national media attention - that O’Hara executed the warrant for Sawchak’s arrest. Neighbors reported that MPD deployed a massive police presence, blared loudspeakers and were keeping neighbors awake until at least 2:30 a.m. on a work night.

After four days of sitting comfortably in his home, Sawchak was detained on second-degree attempted murder, along with a host of other charges. O’Hara and mainstream media outlets are reporting that Sawchak has a history of mental health issues. This situation was another example that when police are dealing with white men, they somehow find the capacity to show a level of patience, restraint and empathy that is rarely extended to Black, brown and indigenous people.

The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice remembers the names of Tekle Sundberg, Jamar Clark, Travis Jordan, Amir Locke, George Floyd and so many others killed by MPD. Indeed, O’Hara’s victim-blaming attitude toward Moturi, his disregard for public safety, and MPD’s ineptitude demonstrate why real police accountability is needed in this city.

MPD presents itself as the only deterrent to community violence, but even with a yearly budget ask of over $230 millionall they offer is excuses for their failures. This situation illustrates very clearly that police do not make our neighborhoods safer, and MPD’s inability to prevent violent incidents like this is not a result of politics or “the current rhetoric around policing,” as O’Hara wants us to believe. We are under no illusions; police do not serve community interests, so we need to focus our energies toward organizing for political power over MPD. We need a robust mechanism for holding MPD and Chief O’Hara accountable when their actions or inactions lead to community members being harmed, maimed or killed.

The Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J) seeks to establish a Civilian Police Accountability Commission (CPAC) to be that robust new governing body that holds power over the police. Elected CPAC commissioners would be mandated to review all police misconduct investigations. CPAC would have sweeping powers over MPD and could get rid of officers anywhere in the chain of command, including the chief of police, and muchmore.

Visit the TCC4J website to learn more about our initiative, get involved, and find us in the community to sign our petition in-person, or look for @TCC4J.

#MinneapolisMN #TCC4J #CPAC #DavisMoturi