Minneapolis Police To Be Investigated By State Civil Rights Department
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Department of Human Rights announced Tuesday that it will begin an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department after filing a civil rights charge related to the death of George Floyd.
Gov. Tim Walz says that this investigation into policies, procedures, and practices over the last 10 years will determine if the MPD has "engaged in systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color and ensure any such practices are stopped."
On May 25, George Floyd died during an arrest attempt by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is seen on video across the world on Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes, and three other officers. Floyd's death has since sparked protests, rioting and outcry across the city and nation calling for change.
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All four officers involved were fired a day after Floyd's death. And four days later, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Chauvin had been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. As of yet, none of the other three officers have been reported as having been taken into custody.
State officials say that Minnesota has one of the strongest civil rights laws in the country. It's illegal for a police department to discriminate against someone because of their race. This action against an entire police department would allow the Department of Human Rights to take what they are calling swift action in response to any determination of civil rights violations.
"Silence is complicity. Minnesotans can expect our administration to use every tool at our disposal to deconstruct generations of systemic racism in our state," Walz said. "As we move forward, we ask the community to watch what we do, not what we say. It is going to take action at all levels from the neighborhood on up, to get the change we need to see. This effort is only one of many steps to come in our effort to restore trust with those in the community who have been unseen and unheard for far too long."
Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero will lead the investigation.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement on the investigation Tuesday afternoon:
For our city to begin healing, we need to deliver justice for George Floyd and his family and enact deep, meaningful policing reforms," said Frey. "For years in Minneapolis, police chiefs and elected officials committed to change have been thwarted by police union protections and laws that severely limit accountability among police departments. I welcome today's announcement because breaking through those persistent barriers, shifting the culture of policing, and addressing systemic racism will require all of us working hand- in-hand.
In the last several years we've taken steps in the right direction, and I recognize that what progress we have made stands on the shoulders of past local leadership and community advocacy," Frey continued. "At the same time, reform efforts have been tempered by a broken arbitration process and the strength of police union contracts codified in law.
State action has been an effective mechanism to break through stalemates on police reform, and I welcome that partnership in Minneapolis.
Minneapolis City Council Members Lisa Bender, Alondra Cano, Phillipe Cunningham, Jeremiah Ellison, Steve Fletcher, Lisa Goodman, Cameron Gordon, Andrea Jenkins, Andrew Johnson, Linea Palmisano, Kevin Reich and Jeremy Schroeder also released this statement Tuesday afternoon:
George Floyd should be alive today.
Mr. Floyd's death is just one instance of unthinkable violence against Black men by law enforcement generally and the Minneapolis Police Department specifically. Our community, especially communities of color, has a deep mistrust of law enforcement given the actions of Minneapolis police officers over decades.
We welcome and fully support the Minnesota Department of Human Rights' robust investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department. We urge the state to use its full weight to hold the Minneapolis Police Department accountable for any and all abuses of power and harms to our community and stand ready to aid in this process as full partners. The City Council's oversight of the Minneapolis Police Department has been historically constrained by the City Charter and state law and we welcome new tools to pursue transformational, structural changes to how the City provides for public safety. We look forward to doing this critical work with our partners at the state, continuing to support the leadership of city staff including Civil Rights Director Velma Korbel and Police Chief Medaria Arradondo, and ensuring that community voices are fully centered in the process announced today.
STAY INFORMED: Click here to keep up to date on George Floyd's death investigation.