On Friday, officials with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a report that alleges police in Minneapolis systematically discriminated against Blacks and other minorities, and violated their constitutional rights before George Floyd was killed in 2020.
The report was released after a two-year investigation by the DOJ, which also concluded Minneapolis police engaged in excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force.” The investigation indicated that in addition to Blacks, Native Americans and people with mental health conditions were also disproportionately impacted.
The DOJ investigation was launched after George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin, a former officer with the Minneapolis Police Department.
“We observed many MPD officers who did their difficult work with professionalism, courage and respect. But the patterns and practices we observed made what happened to George Floyd possible,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at a news conference on Friday.
In addition, Garland said the safety of the people who were in the custody of Minneapolis police was often compromised. Garland also noted multiple examples of people in custody telling officers they could not breathe, yet officers often responded with doubt and neglected the person in custody.
More about the DOJ probe can be found here.
