Nearly three years after African-American George Floyd died under the knee of a white police officer, the city of Minneapolis announced on Friday that it had approved a plan to reform its police. The death of the 40-year-old, whose ordeal had been filmed by a passerby, provoked demonstrations across the country and even around the world under the slogan “Black Lives Matter” (Black lives matter).
The police in this metropolis in the north of the United States had been strongly criticized for their methods. An investigation launched after the death of George Floyd by the services in charge of human rights in Minnesota concluded last year that the tragedy was part of a context of “racial discrimination” generalized within the police of Minneapolis.
The use of Tasers framed
“Today, we confront our past and move forward with a roadmap to enact meaningful change in our city,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement. “Our primary goal is to build a better and fairer approach to policing and public safety in Minneapolis,” he added.
This agreement was the subject of negotiations between the city and the agency devoted to human rights in the State of Minnesota after the investigation. It must enter into force as soon as a court has ratified it. The text of more than 140 pages provides in particular that the police no longer stop vehicles for certain minor violations (often used in the past as a pretext) and that force is only used if “necessary” and in a manner “proportionate to the perceived threat. Taser-type stun guns, on the other hand, should only be used if the police have a reason to make an arrest and if it is necessary to “protect the officer, the individual or a third party”.