DOJ Expected to Announce Investigation of Minneapolis Police

Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to announce that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will launch an investigation into the policing practices of law enforcement in Minneapolis.

“The investigation will examine practices used by police, including the use of force, and whether the department engages in discriminatory practices, according to the person. It will also look into the department’s handling of misconduct allegations among other things, the person said. It’s unclear whether the years under investigation will begin when Floyd died or before,” The Associated Press reported.

The announcement comes after a jury in Minneapolis convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin of the murder of George Floyd. On May 25, 2020, Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes while was handcuffed and lying face-down on the ground and yelled, “I can’t breathe.” A video of the murder captivated the world and set off the largest wave of civil rights protests in generations. Chauvin was remanded into police custody after his bail was revoked.

“It was a murder in the full light of day, and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see the systemic racism the Vice President just referred to — the systemic racism that is a stain our nation’s soul; the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans; the profound fear and trauma, the pain, the exhaustion that Black and brown Americans experience every single day,” President Joe Biden said after the verdict.

More as this story develops.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.