Over recent days, the unjust death of George Floyd has sparked peaceful-gone-violent protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which have spread across the world.
Now, the State of Minnesota has officially filed a human rights complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department.
Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights have announced that the State of Minnesota has filed a human rights complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department.
Governor Tim Waltz stated in a press conference:
“We know that deeply seated issues exist. I know it because we saw the casual nature of the erasing of George Floyd’s life and humanity. We also saw the reaction of the community. They expected nothing to happen because nothing happened so many times before.”
Waltz also stated that there will soon be an in-depth investigation into the department’s practices and policies over the past ten years. The investigation is set to conclude whether or not police have systematically discriminated against people of colour. The investigation may also suggest ways that systematic racism issues could be resolved. It has been decided that State Human Rights Commissioner, Rebecca Lucero will lead the ongoing human rights investigation while the FBI continues to investigate the tragic death of George Floyd.
Following Floyd’s death, all involved officers were fired, including Derek Chauvin who knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes causing his death. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and unsurprisingly has been the subject of various conduct complaints in the past. A recent autopsy has deemed that George Floyd’s death was, in fact, a homicide.
Furthermore, five black officers sued the Minneapolis Police Department in 2007 over alleged discrimination, and the city settled the lawsuit for $740,000.
In related news, check out what some of the world’s biggest creative artists are doing to shine the light on the ever-important Black Lives Matter Movement.
