Everyone must promote peace, break evil: Alveda King
Niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. Alveda King says while there are systemic problems rooted in America, there must be more peaceful protesting instead of outright rioting.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights (MDHR) has opened an investigation and filed a civil rights complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) following the death of George Floyd.
The investigation will look into whether the MPD has engaged in “systemic discriminatory practices toward people of color” over the last 10 years, the department said Tuesday.
“Community leaders have been asking for structural change for decades,” MDHR Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said in a statement Tuesday. “They have fought for this and it is essential that we acknowledge the work and commitment of those who have paved the path to make today’s announcement possible.”
Minneapolis has seen two major protests in just the last five years -- first sparked by the death of Jamar Clark, a 24-year black man who was shot by police in 2015, and Floyd, who died in police custody May 25 after former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes in a moment caught on cellphone video.
"This incident, and others similar to it since at least Jan. 1, 2010, and continuing to the present, require investigation into whether the respondent’s training, policies, procedures, practices, including but not limited to use-of-force protocols, and any corresponding implementation, amounts to unlawful race-based policing, which deprives people of color, particularly Black community members, of their civil rights under the Minnesota Human Rights Act,” the charges filed by Lucero state.
FLOYD FAMILY ATTORNEY PREDICTS THREE OTHER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICERS WILL BE CHARGED BY NEXT WEEK
Days-long protests across the nation responded to Floyd’s death last week.
“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," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said Tuesday. "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."
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The MDHR has sought approval from the city, along with the MDP, to implement temporary policy changes ahead of permanent measures to address and prevent “systemic discriminatory practices” within the police department.
“As we move forward, we ask the community to watch what we do, not what we say,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday. “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.”
The Minneapolis Police Department could not immediately be reached for comment.
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