/State of Minnesota files civil rights charge against Minneapolis Police Department

State of Minnesota files civil rights charge against Minneapolis Police Department

The state of Minnesota launched a sweeping civil rights probe into the Minneapolis Police Department on Tuesday, a week after an officer allegedly killed a black man during an arrest, officials said.

The probe, stemming from the death of George Floyd, will be designed to root out “systemic racism that is generations deep,” Gov. Tim Walz told reporters.

“The Minnesota of Department of Human Rights is filing a commissioner’s charge of discrimination and launch a civil right investigation against the Minneapolis Police Department,” Walz said.

“The investigation will review MPD’s policies, procedures and practices over the last 10 years to determine if the department has utilized systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color.”

Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero said her agency served papers on the city of Minneapolis at about 1 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

While investigators will have subpoena power, Lucero said she expects the city to be open with records and hopes to have findings in “several months.”

“We’re really hoping that this is something … we can move very quickly on, because of shared values and goals around this issue,” she said.

The Minneapolis City Council said it would assist.

“We welcome and fully support the Minnesota Department of Human Rights’ robust investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department,” according to a council statement.

“We urge the state to use its full weight to hold the Minneapolis Police Department accountable for any and all abuses of power and harms to our community and stand ready to aid in this process as full partners.”

The city lawmakers said their efforts to oversee its police department have “been historically constrained by the City Charter and state law” so they “welcome new tools to pursue transformational, structural changes.”

It was a week ago Monday when Minneapolis police responded to a call reporting that Floyd might have passed a bad $20 bill.

Four city police officers eventually handcuffed Floyd and pinned him facedown the pavement as officer Derek Chauvin put his knee into the prone man’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

All four officers were fired and Chauvin was arrested on Friday, charged with third-degree murder.

Before he died, Floyd repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe,” as passersby filmed the incident and also pleaded for the officers to get off the man’s neck.

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