The President of the United States expressed concern over the findings of the investigation into the 2020 Minneapolis death of George Floyd and urged Congress to introduce reforms to combat racial discrimination.
“My team briefed me on the independent Justice Department findings of the unconstitutional practices of the Minneapolis Police Department. They are troubling and underline the urgent need for Congress to enact reforms that increase public confidence, racial discrimination and thus enhance public security.” “said Joseph Biden in an official White House statement released Friday.
The president stressed the need to implement and enforce “independent and aggressive measures” to “ensure police departments are accountable for systematic misconduct at the local level.”
“I have a simple message for Congress: send the George Floyd Police Justice Act to my secretary and I will sign it,” Biden said in the same note.
The US head of state said he will do everything he can to fight for police accountability in Congress, noting that he is “willing to work with both Republicans and Democrats on real solutions.”
Finally, Biden called for trust, security, and accountability on behalf of the “vast majority of Americans,” noting that ensuring public safety also requires “law enforcement officers to have the necessary funding, resources, training, and personnel to act safely, effectively, and responsibly.” to work”..
On May 25, 2020, white police officer Derek Chauvin suffocated George Floyd, an African American man in his 40s, by kneeling on his neck for over nine minutes. Floyd’s agony, filmed by a citizen and posted online, sparked mass protests in the United States and other countries.
The Justice Department’s two-year investigation focused on reports of incidents between 2016 and August 2022 and on the analysis of police camera footage, resulting in the conclusions drawn in an 89-page report.
The document also states that the Minneapolis Police Department continued to use excessive force and racial discrimination following the murder of George Floyd by one of the officers.
Security forces in this northern US city “often use excessive force,” including deadly force, and “unlawfully discriminate against blacks and African Americans,” the report, published Friday, added.
“Important changes have been made since the tragedy in favor of police and city officials, but there is still work to be done,” said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who made 28 recommendations.
Source: DN
