MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis is slowly starting its goodbye to Officer Jamal Mitchell.
Over the weekend, his body was escorted to a funeral home in north Minneapolis – with first responders lining the procession path.
Now, community leaders are speaking out against the violence that took the beloved officer's life, and calling on political leaders to do more.
Unity Community Mediation Team held a press conference Monday morning at New Beginnings Baptist Ministries, a church about 2.5 miles south from where Mitchell was shot.
"I met Officer Mitchell on several occasions in the community. That's why my heart is hurting right now," the group's communications director, Al Flowers, said. "It's particularly hard on the African-American community because it was an African American officer."
About a dozen members, many of whom are pastors, were gathered.
"He wanted to make a change," said Rev. Runney Patterson Sr., of New Hope Baptist Church. "We as Black pastors and Black churches don't have a choice but to deal with these issues because usually on a daily, weekly basis, we are called upon when tragedy comes into our community."
UCMT leaders said the group aims to prevent violence, adding that everyone in attendance has had boots-on-the-ground experience.
"Not by verbiage but by actually in the trenches and doing the work and not even getting paid for it," said Rev. Ian D. Bethel, Sr., who leads New Beginnings Baptist Ministries and is UCMT chair.
Bethel also highlighted an existing Memorandum of Understanding with Minneapolis police. He says, within it, a mentorship program involving BIPOC and female officers is up and running.
"We are now in compliance [with the agreement]," Bethel said.
UCMT also spent a significant portion of the press conference calling on community to act.
"Oftentimes, when the role is reversed and it's an officer that has taken the lives of a citizen, there are protesters. There are marches," Patterson said. "We need to have the same kind of energy."
"[Investigators] should release the tape so people can see the carnage that was brought to that family and what they did to him," Flowers added.
City Council members joined the governor and mayor for a press conference honoring Mitchell Thursday. Still, UCMT is calling on council president Elliot Payne to lead the full council in "unconditionally" supporting police.
"We must support law enforcement," Bethel said. "Stop the politics."
One group member suggested launching a police recruitment program at schools in Mitchell's name. KARE 11 reached out to Payne to ask if there are additional plans to honor him and will update this story once a response is received.
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