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Yesterday, former Minneapolis Police Chief Janeé Harteau published a letter penned by Minneapolis Police Federation President and notorious local villian Bob Kroll. The response was swift, angry and righteous. Unions are calling for his resignation.
UNITE HERE Local 17 is circulating a petition calling for Bob Kroll to “resign or be removed by the Board of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis.”
The petition reads:
As a Labor Movement representing historically oppressed people we have come to understand that discriminating against ethnic minorities, people or color, women or around sexual identity continues and needs to be faced down TODAY.
Bob Kroll has:
- On multiple occasions called Black Lives Matter a ‘terrorist organization’
- Referred to victims of police brutality as ‘violent criminals’
- According to the current Chief: called Keith Ellison ‘a terrorist’
- And openly displayed ‘white power’ patches
This is obviously not an exhaustive list, but it is shocking that Bob Kroll has a position of power with any union, especially a union of people who are sworn to ‘serve and protect’ our community.
The Minnesota AFL-CIO released a statement calling for Bob Kroll’s immediate resignation.
Minneapolis Police Union President, Bob Kroll, has failed the Labor Movement and the residents of Minneapolis. Bob Kroll has a long history of bigoted remarks and complaints of violence made against him. As union President, he antagonizes and disparages members of the Black community. He advocates for military-style police tactics making communities less safe and the police force more deadly. Despite his conduct, Kroll was reelected with an overwhelming majority. If Bob Kroll does not value the lives that he is sworn to protect, then we can only expect more death under his leadership.
Now, instead of seeking meaningful dialogue or reform to make sure what happened to George Floyd never happens again, Bob Kroll is trying to justify this senseless killing and have the officers involved reinstated. Unions exist to protect workers who have been wronged, not to keep violent people in police ranks. All four police officers involved in George Floyd’s murder must be charged.
The statement notes that the police federation was never a member of the Minnesota AFL-CIO
those were white supremacist standing on the steps of several state capitols armed with AR-15 automatic weapons during the protest to open those states—they were not confronted with any police presence—but i see massive police presence at the protest for George Floyd—where most of the people are unarmed and only carrying signs—this alone seems to be a double standard—and our president seems to favor the latter—even threatening to put more fire power on our streets