by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - The state of Minnesota will start an investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department’s (MPD) policies and procedures over the last ten years, to determine if officers “engaged in systemic discriminatory practices,” the Star Tribune reported. The inquiry follows the death of George Floyd, who died on May 25 after an arresting officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes as he lay face down on the road, unarmed and with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Announcing the investigation in a Twitter post on Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said the state’s Human Rights Department had filed a civil rights charge against the MPD. “My administration will use every tool at our disposal to deconstruct generations of systemic racism in Minnesota,” Walz said. “This effort is one of many steps to come in our effort to restore trust with communities that have been unseen and unheard for far too long.”
Heading the investigation, Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said: “This is about systems change. This is not a report. This is something that will result in court action and require change,” the Star Tribune reported.
Lucero said that in the first instance her department will be working with city officials to bring about some fast changes, the Star Tribune reported. Alongside this, there will also be a longer inquiry with a view to reaching a consent decree that can be enforced in the courts.
In a statement responding to the announcement late Tuesday, Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo said: “With the assistance of the State Human Rights Commission, we can take an honest examination at systemic barriers that have prevented us from reaching our greatest potential for those we serve.”
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