text: Police yield to NAACP on 'use of force' event | Duluth News Tribune
  The Duluth Police Department canceled a community forum scheduled for Friday centered on the use of force by law enforcement agencies. The cancelation came Thursday in response to an early morning call from the Duluth branch of the NAACP to postp...
  Written By: Brady Slater | Sep 13th 2018 - 5pm.
  The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office is located in the Public Safety Building in Duluth. Bob King / rking@duluthnews.com
  The Duluth Police Department canceled a community forum scheduled for Friday centered on the use of force by law enforcement agencies. The cancelation came Thursday in response to an early morning call from the Duluth branch of the NAACP to postpone the event.
  The Duluth police, in partnership with the FBI, U.S. Attorney's Office, state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, St. Louis County Sheriff's Office and Superior Police Department, had planned to host the "Use of Force in Minnesota" forum - subtitled, "a dialogue between law enforcement and communities of inclusion" - and said it invited more than 100 community members, including members of the NAACP. The police say they expanded invitations to the event from similar engagements around the state, up from the established 30 invitees.
  "Even in doubling this invite we knew there would be more interest than space," the police said. "Friday was not intended to be the end of the conversation, but rather a continuation."
  "We feel that any law enforcement policies, trainings, or meetings that directly impact our safety, particularly policies and practices regarding use of force, should have ample community input, which this meeting lacks," an NAACP news release said.
  The event had been scheduled to be held at the Public Safety Building on Arlington Road - headquarters of the Duluth Police Department.
  "We chose the Public Safety Building only after finding numerous neutral site venues booked," the Duluth police said.
  In objecting to the now canceled event, the NAACP also brought up the Duluth police's intention to purchase protective gear - a measure it put on hold last December after community groups objected to what can also be referred to as "riot gear."
  "We believe the Duluth Police Department's request for riot gear will only erode public trust," the NAACP news release said, harkening the 2014 unrest between a predominantly black community and armored police in Ferguson, Mo. "We have seen the devastating impact an overly-militarized police force has on communities of color."