An investigative report on police in Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed in 2020, revealed Friday that law enforcement “frequently use excessive force,” including deadly force, and “unlawfully discriminate against people of color.” and indigenous people”.
The investigation of the United States Department of Justice that was carried out into the Minneapolis police after the death of George Floyd revealed troubling findings this Friday, June 16.
The investigation, which lasted two years, was to determine whether there are systematic problems in the city’s police force that could explain the acts that led to the death of George Floyd by law enforcement in 2020.
“Many agents do their difficult job with professionalism, courage and respect. However, our investigation has concluded that systemic problems made what happened to George Floyd possible,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference in Minneapolis.
Among the problems, “excessive force” is frequently used, including deadly force, and there is “unlawful discrimination against Black people and indigenous people.” According to the investigation, the report’s conclusion is “unappealable.”
To carry out the investigation, which began a year after the death of George Floyd, the Justice Department studied police camera recordings dating back to 2016 and listened to thousands of witnesses in Minneapolis, a city of 425,000 people in the northern United States. States and one of the most unequal in the United States.
President Joe Biden called the findings “disturbing” and said they “underscore the urgent need for Congress to pass common-sense reforms that will increase public trust, combat racial profiling and thereby strengthen public safety.”
George Floyd, an American of African descent, died in custody on May 25, 2020, suffocated under the knee of police officer Derek Chauvin, who pressed his knee against his neck for more than nine minutes. During the encounter, Floyd repeatedly said that he was unable to breathe before becoming inanimate.
Use of exaggerated force
According to the report, “for years, Minneapolis police have used dangerous weapons and techniques against people who have committed only minor crimes, if any.”
In addition, law enforcement also often use their weapons for no real reason. Thus, “they use force to punish people who annoy them or criticize them,” denounces the text.
Officers also used neck restraints like the one Chauvin used on Floyd nearly 200 times between 2016 and 2022, including 44 cases that did not require an arrest.
Another example is the use of tear gas or rubber bullets in demonstrations or against journalists.
According to Garland, officers also routinely neglect the safety of people in custody. She gave the example of people complaining about not breathing, to which officers responded with phrases like, “You can breathe. You’re talking right now.”
Discrimination
In the report, it is verified that the agents discriminate against the population and control black or indigenous people more.
“They patrol neighborhoods differently based on their ethnic composition,” the report states.
Merrick Garland said, “The data shows that, in non-arrest situations, Minneapolis officers check six times as many Black and Native Americans as White people.”
In addition, the detection of racism has become more difficult since the death of George Floyd since now, agents often hide the ethnicity of the people they control in their reports.
On the other hand, it reveals discrimination and mismanagement of people with mental problems. The report cites the example of a man who had started cutting his throat with a knife while in custody of him and was shot four times by officers.
In fact, the report reveals that the police are often called upon in cases of dementia crisis when they are not trained to deal with this type of situation, which often leads to more violence.
Finally, the system of internal controls is “an opaque maze, with many dead ends, with the result that many justified complaints are dismissed without investigation or clear reason,” the Department of Justice warns.
necessary reforms
“To the credit of police and city leaders, significant changes have been made,” but “there is still work to be done,” Garland told a news conference.
Twenty-eight recommendations were submitted and the city and the police department reached an agreement that requires the reforms to be overseen by an independent monitor and approved by a federal judge.
“We understand that change is non-negotiable… progress can be painful, and the obstacles can be great. But we have not let up in the three years since the murder of George Floyd,” said Mayor Jacob Frey.
Terrence Floyd, younger brother of George Floyd recognized the work of the Department of Justice.
“This is how to resolve and end what is happening with law enforcement,” Floyd said.
Keisha Deonarine, director of opportunity, race and justice for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), praised the report but cautioned that this problem does not only exist in Minneapolis.
“This is an ongoing problem across the country…When you look at the police system, it’s a militarized system. It’s not used, used or trained at all the way it should be,” Deonarine said.
With AP and AFP
