Most of our international clients have no idea whereMinneapolis, Minnesota is located. Even some US clients are not quite sure. Iexplain, “The Mississippi River runs through the center of the US startingfrom near the Canadian border in Minnesota in the center of the country. Theriver runs south to the Gulf of Mexico. Minneapolis is in the north-most state along the Mississippi River.”

Minneapolis and St. Paul are called the “Twin Cities.” They are home to 18 of the companies listed on The Fortune 500 Companies. The population is highly educated and high income. The schools are some of the highest-rated in the country. The “happiness score” for Minnesota is second only to Hawaii. It is the top among the healthiest states.

The Twin Cities has the largest population of Somali and Hmongrefugees in the country. We have a Somali US congresswoman, a Muslim StateAttorney General, the mayor of St Paul is black as is the Chief of Police inMinneapolis.

Most people are proud of the city and OK with people notknowing where we are located. We think of ourselves as open to diversity. Thatall changed on Memorial Day.

George Floyd Touched the World

The world saw a policeman put his knee on the neck of GeorgeFloyd for over eight minutes as Floyd defenselessly died. The incident occurredclose to where I grew up. The stores that burned are in the neighborhood Ishopped in as a child.

My brother lives a few blocks from the location of thestandoff on the bridge. The demonstrators running from the police ran past my brother’shome. The world has been outraged. Minneapolis is now a city name that mostpeople recognize.

The rosy picture I painted of Minneapolis is from a whiteman’s perspective. It is very different for many black people in Minneapolis. Racistpolicing has continued in minority neighborhoods. The public school performancegaps are some of the largest in the country. There has been much angst, but nosolution.

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Inflection Point

What does it take to significantly change an organizationalstructure? Companies go bankrupt or get purchased if they are dysfunctional.Democracies have elections. Dictators face revolution. What about policedepartments?

Minneapolis has tried changing the police culture from the top with the last two reform-minded Chiefs of Police. It hasn’t worked.

A crisis can be an opportunity. If there is enough political will for change, it can create opportunities. Intervention is a bit like a corporate takeover. Part of a takeover is to determine who should stay and who should go to build the future of the organization.

“Senior management” of the state and city government is committed to reform. Perhaps a few years from now, Minneapolis will be known as the city that addressed the problem culture and successfully moved toward their ideal.