City Hall of Minneapolis (USA) will restrict the use of force by police officers; legislation needs to be ratified in court
The City Hall of Minneapolis, the largest city in the State of Minnesota (USA), announced on Friday (March 31, 2023) that it approved police reform almost 3 years after the death of George Floyd (1973-2020). read the full (957 KB).
The measure focuses on “change in organizational culture” of the city’s police force, according to the mayor’s office. Among the measures suggested are restricting the use of force only in “necessary cases” and the framing of vehicles only for serious infractions.
Here are other highlights of the measure:
- use of taser (stun gun) allowed only for the “police protection” in case of vile resistance to arrest;
- new guidelines for the use of body-worn and dashboard cameras;
- training for agents on responses to “mental health crises”.
The text will now be forwarded to the Minnesota 4th Legal District, which must ratify the police statute change. As soon as the Justice gives the approval, the reform takes effect.
The change in the Minneapolis police code is a demand from part of the population since the death of George Floyd, on May 25, 2020. At the time, the black American was approached in a truculent way by 3 police officers.
They suspected Floyd used counterfeit money to buy cigarettes. Upon approach, Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the man’s neck, strangling him. Floyd died of asphyxiation. Chauvin was kicked out of the police force and sentenced to 22 years in prison in June 2021.
The action provoked revolt across the country because of repeated violent approaches by security forces towards the black population.
After Floyd’s death, protests erupted from the movement Black Lives Matter (Black Lives Matter, in translation). Protesters were calling for justice for Floyd and other victims of police violence and actions to prevent further episodes.
#City #George #Floyd #killed #approves #police #reform