ELEFA meeting
BY KAY SCHROVEN
“How will you prevent putting another Chauvin in charge of training the Minnesota Police Department (MPD)?” This was one of the questions posed by a community member at the March 12th meeting with the Independent Evaluators (IE), known as Effective Law Enforcement for All (ELEFA.) Approximately 150 attended the meeting held at the Ukrainian Center on E. Main St., Minneapolis. Michael Rainville, the Ward 3 Representative, introduced the session and welcomed attendees. A wonderful buffet by Surdyk’s was served.
But not everyone is pleased with ELEFA. This became clear when community members spoke out during the Q&A session at the close of the evening. Put simply, mistrust remains. Several community groups were in attendance including CCPO (Community Commission on Police Oversight), an independent body that allows the public to participate in police oversight. Some community members carried signs that read “ELEFA out of CCPO Review Panels.” It seems that members of the ELEFA team have sat in during CCPO review sessions. Some view this as a conflict of interest. Activists in both New Orleans and Minneapolis have criticized ELEFA, suggesting conflicts of interest because it has created a situation where former police are overseeing current police. Mr. Douglass assured the community that ELEFA understands the mistrust and stated, “We understand that Minneapolis earned its Consent Decree.”
