By Associated Press - Monday, March 20, 2017

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on a Justice Department review of how Minneapolis police handled 18 days of protests in 2015 following the fatal shooting of a black man by a white police officer (all times local):

3:50 p.m.

The president of the Minneapolis NAACP charges that police violence and harassment against black men is continuing in the city.

Jason Sole confronted Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief Janee Harteau (juh-NAY’ har-TOH’) during a news conference that the city officials called to react to a Justice Department review of how their city handled 18 days of protests outside a police station in 2015.

The protests followed the shooting of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old black man who died in a confrontation with two white officers.

Sole told the mayor and police chief, “Jamar should still be alive” and asked, “Does that report show that we’re dying out here?”

Hodges responded that she wishes Clark were still alive, too, and that there hadn’t been a reason for having the 18-day occupation.

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2:30 p.m.

Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and Police Chief Janee Harteau (juh-NAY’ har-TOH’) say the need for better communications is their main takeaway from a Justice Department review of how their city handled 18 days of protests outside a police station in 2015.

The protests were over the fatal shooting of Jamar Clark. The 24-year-old Clark was black and he died in a confrontation with two white officers.

Hodges said at a news conference that her communications with citizens about their strategy for a negotiated settlement to end the occupation peacefully came up short, and she apologized.

The report also found there was a breakdown in the Police Department’s internal communications during the crisis, leaving officers at the station frustrated with the lack of clear orders and inconsistent direction.

Harteau told reporters the big lesson learned is “communication, communication, communication” across all levels in the department

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10:15 a.m.

A federal review of an 18-day standoff outside a Minneapolis police precinct following the fatal shooting of a black man in 2015 has found problems with the city’s coordination and communication.

The Justice Department’s review Monday came at the city’s request after the shooting of 24-year-old Jamar Clark.

Clark’s death in a confrontation with two officers sparked weeks of protests that were largely peaceful, though one on Nov. 18 included skirmishes between officers and demonstrators.

The review found the city didn’t have a coordinated response to the occupation and didn’t have a plan for managing a civil disturbance as it became a long-term event.

The city’s mayor and police chief planned to comment later Monday.

The county prosecutor and the U.S. attorney both declined to charge the two officers involved.

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