Post-Floyd probe finds discrimination by Minneapolis police

Estimated learn time: 3-4 minutes

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A state investigation launched after George Floyd’s killing within the custody of 4 Minneapolis cops has decided that the division engages in a sample of race discrimination.

Minnesota’s Division of Human Rights introduced the discovering of the almost two-year probe on Wednesday. The division has the ability to implement the state’s Human Rights Act, which makes it unlawful for police departments to discriminate towards somebody as a consequence of their race.

The state launched its investigation barely every week after Floyd’s loss of life on Could 25, 2020. Then-officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to pin the Black man to the pavement for 9½ minutes in a case that sparked protests all over the world towards police racism and brutality. Chauvin, who’s white, was convicted final spring of homicide. Three different officers — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng — had been convicted this yr of violating Floyd’s civil rights in a federal trial they usually face a state trial beginning in June.

Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero stated then that the state hoped to make use of the investigation to seek out long-term options for systemic change. She stated the aim was to barter a consent decree with town that courts might implement with injunctions and monetary penalties, citing such agreements in over a dozen different cities together with Chicago, the place the U.S. Justice Division discovered an extended historical past of racial bias and extreme use of power by police.

The division shortly received a court docket order wherein town agreed to make rapid modifications, together with banning chokeholds and requiring officers to intervene after they see one other officer utilizing inappropriate power.

Since then, state investigators have been reviewing a decade’s value of knowledge, together with information on visitors stops, searches, arrests and makes use of of power, and examined insurance policies and coaching. In addition they invited residents to submit their very own tales of encounters with Minneapolis police.

The Minnesota Division of Human Rights is the state’s civil rights enforcement company. Its duties embrace imposing the Minnesota Human Rights Act which, amongst different issues, makes it unlawful for a police division to discriminate towards somebody due to their race.

The division has come beneath stress from a number of organizations since Floyd’s loss of life. The U.S. Division of Justice can be investigating Minneapolis policing practices, although it isn’t considered near a conclusion.

A number of Metropolis Council members and residents have pushed to interchange the division with a brand new public security unit that they argue might take a extra complete public well being strategy to policing, together with dropping a required minimal variety of cops. Voters rejected the concept final yr.

Mayor Jacob Frey and Chief Medaria Arradondo, earlier than his retirement in January, additionally made a spread of modifications in division insurance policies and practices, together with requiring officers to doc their makes an attempt to de-escalate conditions and now not stopping motorists for minor visitors violations.

However neighborhood anger at police flared anew in February when cops serving a no-knock warrant shot and killed Amir Locke, a 22-year-old Black man who was staying on a sofa in his cousin’s condo. Prosecutors declined to cost the officer who shot Locke, saying physique digicam video confirmed him pointing a gun on the officer, a declare his household disputed. Town has since banned no-knock warrants besides in probably the most excessive circumstances, resembling a hostage state of affairs.

Ibrahim is a corps member for the Related Press/Report for America Statehouse Information Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit nationwide service program that locations journalists in native newsrooms to report on undercovered points.

Associated tales