Minneapolis – The Justice Department on Friday issued poignant criticism of Minneapolis police, accusing them of systematically discriminating against racial minorities, violating constitutional rights and disregarding the safety of those in custody. announced. many years Before George Floyd was killed.

report was the result of Two years of extensive research, and it corroborated many of the public complaints about police actions that surfaced after Floyd’s death. An investigation found that Minneapolis police officers used excessive force, including “unjustifiable lethal force,” in violation of people’s constitutionally protected right to speak.

The study also concluded that both the police and the city discriminate against blacks and Native Americans, as well as those with “behavioral health disorders.”

“We have observed many Metropolitan Police Department personnel who carried out difficult tasks with professionalism, courage and respect,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference in Minneapolis. “But the patterns and habits we observed made it possible for what happened to George Floyd.”

Garland said the police routinely disregarded the safety of those in custody, and when someone complained they couldn’t breathe, the police said, “I can breathe. I can breathe.” He pointed out that there are many examples of responses such as you are talking now “

Police officers involved in Floyd’s case May 25, 2020, Arrested persons have made similar comments.

The report said police “used dangerous techniques and weapons against people who had committed at most petty crimes and, in some cases, no crimes at all,” and “angered or criticized police officers.” Those who did so were punished by force,” he said.

Police also “patrolled areas differently based on racial composition and discriminated based on race when searching, handcuffing or using violence during stops,” the report said.

As a result of the investigation, the city and police department agreed to an arrangement called a Consent Order. Under this arrangement, reforms would require oversight by an independent oversight body and approval by a federal judge. The deal is similar to reform efforts in Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore, Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri.

Consent statutes require agencies to meet specified goals before federal oversight is lifted, a process that often takes years and costs millions of dollars. .

George Floyd’s brother, Terrence Floyd, praised the Justice Department’s overhaul.

“That way we can solve and stop what’s going on in law enforcement,” said Floyd, who is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who was hired last year to oversee reforms after Floyd’s murder, said the department was committed to creating “the police department that every Minneapolis resident deserves.”

Mayor Jacob Fry approved the move forward.

“We understand that change is non-negotiable,” Frey said. “Progress can be painful, and obstacles can be devastating.

The scathing report reflected Garland’s commitment to prioritizing civil rights and policing across the country. Similar investigations into police departments are underway in cities such as Louisville, Phoenix and Memphis.

The Minneapolis investigation Launched in April 2021, The day after the death of white former police officer Derek Chauvin. convicted of murder and manslaughter The murder of Floyd, who was black.

During the meeting, Mr. Floyd repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe,” and Mr. Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nine and a half minutes, leaving him limp. The killing was documented by eyewitnesses and sparked months of mass protests as part of a wider campaign. State liquidation over racial injustice.

The Justice Department investigated police practices dating back to 2016 and found that officers sometimes shot people without determining whether there was an immediate threat.

Officers also used a neck restraint similar to that used by Chauvin on Floyd nearly 200 times between January 1, 2016, and August 16, 2022, resulting in 44 arrests. didn’t need Reports say some officers continued to use neck restraints even after they were banned after Floyd’s murder.

Studies show that black drivers in Minneapolis are 6.5 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers, and Native American drivers are 7.9 times more likely to be stopped. Police also often retaliated against protesters and journalists covering the protests, the report said.

According to the report, the city dispatched police officers to behavioral health-related 911 calls, sometimes with tragic consequences, “even when the law enforcement response was not appropriate or necessary.” .

The report said the findings were based on a review of documents, body camera videos, data provided by the city and police, and conversations with rides, officers and residents.

President Joe Biden called the conclusion “disturbing,” and in a written statement said, “It is an urgent call for Congress to pass common sense reforms that will boost public confidence, combat racism, and thereby enhance public safety.” emphasizes the need for

Some changes have already been made.

The report noted that police are now prohibited from using neck restraints like the one that killed Floyd. Police officers are no longer allowed to use some crowd control weapons without the chief’s permission. “No Knock” Writs Banned 2022 Amir Rock dies.

The city also launched a program in which trained mental health professionals, rather than the police, respond to some calls.

Keisha Deonalin, director of opportunities, race, and justice at the NAACP, applauded the Department of Justice for holding police accountable, but said much work remains to be done beyond Minneapolis.

“This is a constant problem across the country,” says Deonarin. “If you look at the police system, it is a militarized system.

The Justice Department isn’t the only one to expose the problem.

a Similar survey A study by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights found “significant racial disparities in police use of force, traffic stops, searches, summons, and arrests.” The newspaper criticized “an organizational culture in which some officers and supervisors use racist, misogynistic and disrespectful language with impunity.”

The federal report recommends 28 “corrective” actions to improve policing as a prelude to a consent decree. Garland said the measures “provide a starting framework for improving public safety, building community confidence, and complying with the Constitution and federal law.”

The mayor said city leaders “want a single overseer to oversee both federal plans and state agreements to avoid two different determinations of compliance.” Stated. That’s not the way to get definite and objective success. “

Floyd, 46, was arrested on suspicion of handing over counterfeit $20 bills for a pack of cigarettes at a street market. He struggled with police who tried to put him in a patrol car, and they pushed him to the ground, even though he was already handcuffed.

Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years for murder. He also pleaded guilty to federal charges of violating Floyd’s civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in prison in the case. He is serving time in Tucson, Arizona.

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Salter reported from O’Fallon, Missouri. Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst of Washington, D.C., Aaron Morrison of New York, and Summer Valentine of Columbia, Missouri, contributed to the report.

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You can see the full Associated Press report on the murder of George Floyd below. https://apnews.com/hub/ Death of George Floyd