ST. PAUL, Minnesota (AP) – The Minneapolis Police Department has been involved in a model of racial discrimination for at least the past decade, including stopping and arresting blacks with a higher percentage of whites, using force more often against blacks, and maintaining culture, in which racist language is tolerated, found a state investigation launched after the murder of George Floyd.
A report released Wednesday by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights after nearly two years of investigation said the agency and the city would agree on a decree agreeing to address the contribution of residents, employees, city officials and others.
The report said police figures “showed significant racial differences in the use of force by officers, traffic jams, searches, citations and arrests”. It also says that employees “use covert social media to monitor black people and black non-criminal organizations and maintain an organizational culture in which some employees and supervisors use racist, misogynistic and disrespectful language with impunity.”
Commissioner for Human Rights Rebecca Lucero told a news conference after the report was released that she did not point to any officers or city leaders.
“This investigation is not about one person or one incident,” Lucero said.
Asked how long the consent order could take, Lucero said: “As long as it takes to do the right thing.”
The report said the city and police departments “do not have to wait to make immediate changes to begin addressing the causes of discrimination that weaken the city’s public safety system and harm community members.” It outlined several steps the city could take now, including strengthening internal oversight to hold staff accountable, better training and better communication with the public about critical incidents, such as shooting with officers.
National Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump and his partners, who won a $ 27 million deal from the city for the Floyd family, called the report “historic” and “monumental in importance.” They said they were “grateful and deeply hopeful” that change was inevitable.
“We call on city, state and police leaders to take up the challenge of these findings and finally make a significant change to build trust between Minneapolis-colored communities and those who have vowed to protect and serve them,” the lawyers said in a statement. .
The Ministry of Human Rights began its investigation only a week after Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. Then-officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to nail the black man to the sidewalk for 9 1/2 minutes in a case that sparked protests around the world against police racism and brutality. Chauvin, who is white, was convicted of murder last spring. Three other fired officers – Tou Tao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Queng – were convicted this year of violating Floyd’s civil rights in a federal lawsuit and are facing a state trial that begins in June.
State investigators reviewed information for a decade, including data on traffic stops, searches, arrests and the use of force, and reviewed policies and training. The review included about 700 hours of video from the body’s camera and nearly 480,000 pages of documents from city and police services. Lucero said investigators had interviewed staff in the department and “we found a lot of staff to be very responsive.” Investigators also invited citizens to present their own stories of meetings with police in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is the state agency for enforcing civil rights. His responsibilities include enforcing the Minnesota Human Rights Act, which, among other things, makes it illegal for the police department to discriminate against someone because of their race.
“Race-based police are illegal and harm especially people of color and indigenous peoples – sometimes costing the lives of community members,” the report said.
The department came under pressure from various directions after Floyd’s death. The US Department of Justice is also investigating police practices in Minneapolis, although it is not considered close.
Several municipal council members and residents demanded that the department be replaced with a new public safety unit, which they said could take a more comprehensive approach to public health for the police, including removing the required minimum number of police officers. Voters rejected the idea last year.
Mayor Jacob Frey and Chief Medaria Aradondo, before retiring in January, also made a number of changes to the department’s policies and practices, including requiring employees to document attempts to de-escalate situations and no longer stop drivers for minor traffic violations.
But public anger at the police flared up again in February when police officers carrying out a no-knock order shot and killed Amir Lok, a 22-year-old black man who was staying on a couch in his cousin’s apartment. Prosecutors declined to press charges against the police officer who shot Locke, saying the video camera showed him pointing a gun at the police officer, an allegation his family disputed. Since then, the city has banned orders without knocking, except in the most extreme circumstances, such as the hostage situation.
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Find the full coverage of the AP for the death of George Floyd on:
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Ibrahim is a member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national non-profit service program that accommodates journalists in local newsrooms to report on secret matters.
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