Peggy Flanagan, the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota has announced that the Department of Human Rights has filed a discrimination complaint against the Minneapolis Police Department, which has faced strong criticism since the death of George Floyd after former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt into his neck for over eight minutes, ignoring Floyd's words that he couldn't breathe.
Following these protests, Chauvin was fired and charged with manslaughter and third-degree murder. Aside from that, three more officers were involved in Floyd's arrest and death as they continued ignoring his begging requests for help. None of those officers have been charged.
The whole incident was captured in the form of a video that led to nation-wide protests with demonstrators demanding police reforms and a slew of other equally important changes in social justice. In an interview with NPR, Flanagan said this wasn't a friendly action, but rather a necessary one.
She explained that the human rights department will cash in on its investigatory authority as a tool to provide the city much-needed support and it tries to make deep, systematic change. Flanagan noted that there's a desperate need for change as people no longer feel safe in their communities, and more importantly, it is imperative for them to feel the law enforcement is there to protect them instead of fearing it.
Flanagan said while the state is quite incredible for white people, it is not the same for a person of color, for those who are indigenous, immigrants, or refugees. She pointed out that the state is plagued with historically rooted inequality in multiple aspects of life including education and health care, as well as housing and wealth.
This will be the first time in history, there will be a state civil rights investigation into the state's biggest police department as a response to its involvement in the death of George Floyd. On June 3, the state started inspecting allegations of discriminatory practices and policies in the Minneapolis Police Department.
The investigation will monitor an entire decade of practices, policies, as well as procedures; given that it is a charge of racial discrimination, supported with a document that submitted to the city. Minneapolis police are currently in the midst of civil rights investigation into its systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color.
Gov. Tim Walz said this is among several other upcoming steps that aim at regaining the trust of communities that have never been heard. Walz accused people authorized to serve and protect, not only fail to do it but do exactly the opposite of that.