Faith Leaders Keeping Pressure on Lawmakers to Pass Police Reform Legislation

(KNSI) – Faith leaders in Minnesota are keeping pressure on lawmakers to pass police reform legislation following the Derek Chauvin verdict and the police killing of Daunte Wright.

Earlier this month, the Democrat-led Minnesota House passed an omnibus bill that included measures for police reform, including limits on traffic stops for minor violations and funding for community-based crime prevention.

St. Cloud Pastor James Alberts he and other faith leaders in the area established an agreement with local police to improve communication, helping to ease tensions, but he says that shouldn’t stop broader reforms.

“If we are going to entrust law enforcement to be the morality that we hope that they are, there has to be checks and balances when we come across individuals that fail to meet that standard.”

Pastor Peter Carlson Schattauer says with his position as a pastor, he feels a responsibility to help guide discussions about trust and accountability in policing.

“And this trust does not exist right now when the inherent worth and dignity that God has granted Black lives is not being honored.”

A deal struck last year in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, while bi-partisan, activists say, didn’t go far enough, and that new ideas can build on what’s already in place.

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