In a strongly worded letter to students, staff, and faculty, the president of the University of Minnesota, Joan Gabel, is severing ties with the Minneapolis Police Department.

“Our hearts are broken after watching the appalling video capturing the actions of Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) officers against George Floyd leading to his tragic death.”

University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel (from the university’s website)

She instructed staff to no longer contract with Minneapolis police “for additional law enforcement support needed for large events, such as football games, concerts, and ceremonies.”

“We have a responsibility to uphold our values and a duty to honor them,” Gabel said in the letter, “We will limit our collaboration with the MPD to joint patrols and investigations that directly enhance the safety of our community or that allow us to investigate and apprehend those who put our students, faculty, and staff at risk.”

Our campuses and facilities are a part of the communities in which they reside,” Gabel wrote, “University students, staff, and faculty are day-to-day participants in the life of every community in this state, and we must act when our neighbors are harmed and in pain.