Minneapolis police engaged in pattern of racial discrimination, study says

The Minneapolis police department has engaged in a pattern of unlawful, "discriminatory policing" for at least a decade, according to the inquiry launched after George Floyd’s murder.

City officials have allowed the police to persist in certain practices in violation of the state's Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination in public services, shows the investigation carried out by Minnesota's Department of Human Rights.

Stopping and arresting Black people at a higher rate than white people, using force more often on people of color and maintaining a culture where racist language is tolerated are among the findings of the investigation released on Wednesday.

The data “demonstrates significant racial disparities with respect to officers’ use of force, traffic stops, searches, citations and arrests”.

Additionally, it shows officers “used covert social media to surveil Black individuals and Black organizations, unrelated to criminal activity, and maintain an organizational culture where some officers and supervisors use racist, misogynistic and disrespectful language with impunity.”

Hundreds of American demonstrators in Minneapolis protest police killing of young Black man

Hundreds of American protesters have held a demonstration in downtown Minneapolis demanding justice in the police killing of a young African-American man.

Although Black residents make up only around 19% of the city's population, they accounted for 63% of all incidents in which police had employed force from 2010 to 2020, according to the report.

Such behavior festered as officers are inadequately trained, resulting in them unnecessarily escalating encounters with the public, showed the investigation noting that offending officers generally face no consequences.

"Without fundamental organizational culture changes, reforming MPD’s policies, procedures and trainings will be meaningless," the report said.

National civil rights attorney Ben Crump and his law partners called the report “historic” and “monumental in its importance”.

“We call on city, state and police leaders to accept the challenge of these findings and make meaningful change at last to create trust between communities of color in Minneapolis and those who are sworn to protect and serve them,” said the lawyers, who won a $27m settlement from the city for the Floyd family.

The Department of Human Rights launched its investigation following Floyd’s death on 25 May 2020. The Black man died after a white officer kneeled on his neck for nine and a half minutes.

A video of the fatal encounter sparked mass protests across the country and around the world against police racism and brutality.

Last year, former officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and pleaded guilty to federal civil rights violations.

Three Minneapolis ex-police officers guilty of violating George Floyd's rights

Three former Minneapolis police officers have been found guilty on all counts of violating the civil rights of African American George Floyd.

Three other fired officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng, were all found guilty on all counts of violating Floyd’s civil rights this year and they face a state trial starting in June.

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