Nekima Levy-Pounds, president of the Minneapolis chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, compares the city's mostly white police department to "an occupying force" when its officers go into black neighborhoods.
In Baton Rouge, minorities are "very wary of police and often afraid of them," says Michele Fournet, a veteran criminal defense lawyer there.
Long before they were rocked this month by local police killings of black men, the two U.S. cities were grappling with similar problems - police forces viewed by many as overly aggressive and unrepresentative of black communities.
Activists and residents in both places have urged law enforcement to spend more time in neighborhoods building relationships and trust as part of "community policing" efforts. Many would also like the cities to hire more black officers.
In Baton Rouge, minorities are "very wary of police and often afraid of them," says Michele Fournet, a veteran criminal defense lawyer there.
Long before they were rocked this month by local police killings of black men, the two U.S. cities were grappling with similar problems - police forces viewed by many as overly aggressive and unrepresentative of black communities.
Activists and residents in both places have urged law enforcement to spend more time in neighborhoods building relationships and trust as part of "community policing" efforts. Many would also like the cities to hire more black officers.