The swirl of anger and disappointment was palpable among Minneapolis City Council members and other leaders at Police Chief Brian O’Hara’s resignation following “concerning substantiated findings” regarding concealment of evidence during a probe into sexual misconduct allegations.

But in interviews with more than a dozen residents across the city, the reaction was more mixed and nuanced.

Many said they were disturbed and angered. Some were critical of his time as chief and said he needed to go, citing the Police Department’s response — or lack thereof — to the surge of federal agents to the city last winter.

But others said their overall feeling was sadness — they thought O’Hara had otherwise done a commendable job in a tough spot just three years after George Floyd’s murder and the exodus of many officers during the civil unrest.

“I respect that he has done it this long, and it sucks that he’s stepping down,” said Tay Sanders, 33, as he walked through the Whittier neighborhood in south Minneapolis.

Sanders, who is unhoused, was most impressed by the decrease of violent crime in the city under O’Hara’s tenure. Anecdotally, he has noticed fewer shootings and robberies over the past three years.

Others in the neighborhood, however, were staunch critics.

At Nelson’s Auto Repair, shop manager Kyrie Lewis said O’Hara should have had Minneapolis officers step in to protect residents during federal raids as part of Operation Metro Surge.

“I’m glad to see him go and I hope that they get somebody that can handle our police force responsibly,” Lewis said.

Konni Welk of the Windom neighborhood in the city’s southwest side felt similarly. As she walked into Kowalski’s, she said she thinks O’Hara should have instructed officers to interject during raids if the federal officers didn’t have a warrant and prevent unlawful operations.

“I think standing there and not doing anything was also really sickening,” she said.

Eu-k Hua, 32, grew up in south Minneapolis. He said that while he doesn’t have much confidence in whoever replaces O’Hara, a change needed to be made. He was unimpressed with the department’s handling of the federal surge and the shortfalls in some cases during his tenure, such as the death of Allison Lussier and the shooting of Davis Moturi.

“Putting it cordially, it’s great news,” Hua said.

In north Minneapolis, several residents expressed positivity about O’Hara’s tenure up until the allegations surrounding his resignation. Pearlie Collins, 68, was supportive of O’Hara and the department’s work on the North Side to reduce violent crime.

“The operative word is reduced,” Collins said. “Did he reduce crime? I think it’s a lot better.”

As she walked with her grandkids to Cub Foods, Collins pointed to various spots along W. Broadway where she said shootings used to be commonplace, but are now quiet. In the end, though, she said O’Hara needed to leave after the allegations of evidence tampering.

“Why would I have you on my team if I can’t trust you?” she said.

Many others across the city were unaware of O’Hara’s resignation the day after it happened and didn’t have a strong opinion about him. Melinda Johnson, a 50-year-old paraeducator, said she was “neutral” about the job police have done recently but still wishes more changes could have been made.

“I think (O’Hara)] made good strides, but I don’t think a whole lot changed,” said Johnson as she left Cub Foods on a bicycle.

Over in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, a couple of restaurant owners were largely positive about O’Hara.

“I believe the guy was good, and a good chief,” said Faisal Hamud of Hodan Cuisine.

While the allegations against O’Hara are a problem, he said they shouldn’t define his time in Minneapolis.

“It’s a life,” he said. “Good and bad things sometimes happen.”

As a business owner, Hamud said he’s experienced difficulties with crime since the riots after Floyd’s murder. Hamud said he believes there has been a dramatic improvement in the years since O’Hara stepped in.

Robert Bassil, the owner of the late-night convenience store Mr. Santana in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood, had no strong feelings either way about O’Hara. In general, he doesn’t believe the city has become significantly safer in recent years, and his store is burglarized or robbed from time to time.

For a handful of homeowners in south Minneapolis, the consensus was that they think anyone would have had a difficult time leading the police force in Minneapolis.

Jacqueline Hanson, a retired resident of Lynnhurst south of Lake Harriet, said she was disappointed by the allegations of sexual misconduct, and that O’Hara seemed promising up until then.

“He came in from the East Coast, he brought his voice, some power, and I really had a lot of hope for him,” she said.

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