Starting today, anyone living, working or visiting Minneapolis will enjoy new civil rights protections under the City’s expanded Civil Rights Ordinance - an important step forward in the City’s continuous efforts to strengthen equitable access to opportunity and improve quality of life across our community.
Under the amended Civil Rights Ordinance, it’s now illegal to be discriminated against because of your:
- housing status
- justice-impacted status (having a criminal record or history)
- or your height or weight
“With these amendments, Minneapolis now leads the country with some of the most progressive and comprehensive civil rights protections on the books,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “Whether you’re housed or unhoused, justice-impacted or not, tall or short, big or small, you deserve dignity, opportunity, and protection under the law—and Minneapolis is ensuring that happens.”
"We have seen discrimination against our neighbors based on their unhoused status, impact by the criminal justice system, or the size of their body," said Council Member Jason Chavez. "The work that resulted in this ordinance, which has long been led by the community, will make a tangible, positive difference in the lives of our residents. Getting to this point required a collaborative process, so I want to highlight all the work that city staff put in alongside the advocates who pushed to bolster protections for our community members."
“At a time when the federal administration is advancing attacks on our most vulnerable residents and attempting to strip away our hard-earned civil rights, here in Minneapolis we are not only defending the rights we have, we are continuing to expand protections against discrimination,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley.
Approved unanimously by City Council and signed by Mayor Jacob Frey in May, the updated law also strengthens enforcement of civil rights protections and makes the discrimination complaint and investigation process simpler and easier. A protected class refers to elements of a person’s identity they cannot or should not be asked to change, such as race, religion and gender.
In addition to the new protected classes, the amended Civil Rights Ordinance also expands the definition of race, familial status, and disability; and increases protections for pregnant workers and people’s religious observances.
“The Civil Rights Department is committed to robust enforcement of Minneapolis’ Civil Rights Ordinance and is energized to begin enforcement of these new, pioneering protections, “ said Kaela McConnon Diarra, Deputy Director of Civil Rights. “Our dedicated staff stands at the ready to receive and impartially investigate complaints on these new bases. If you believe you are experiencing discrimination in Minneapolis, please make a complaint.”
What is discrimination?
Discrimination occurs when you are treated negatively because of your protected class. A protected class generally is something about you that you cannot or should not be asked to change such as race, sex, national origin, religion and more. The Minneapolis Civil Rights Ordinance protects you from discrimination across the city including in the workplace, at school, where you rent, where you shop, when interacting with City employees and more. The ordinance also protects you from retaliation.
The Civil Rights Department receives hundreds of discrimination complaints each year and through investigation and mediation has facilitated more than $1 million in monetary damages for victims of discrimination since 2020, in addition to positive policy changes and training to prevent future discrimination. Additional information is available on the Civil Rights investigations dashboard.
How to file a complaint
The City of Minneapolis takes discrimination seriously. If you believe you have experienced discrimination in the City, we encourage you to submit a complaint online, by calling 311 or by visiting the Civil Rights Department in Minneapolis City Hall. There is no cost to file.
When you submit a complaint, an intake officer with the Civil Rights Department will document the complaint and may follow up with additional questions. Civil Rights staff may then be able to help draft a formal charge of discrimination, leading to potential mediation or an impartial investigation. More information about the discrimination complaint process can be found on the Civil Rights website.