Vote in Minneapolis
Police will not be replaced after Floyd’s death
A sculpture by George Floyd is unveiled in New York. Photo: John Minchillo / AP / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The violent death of George Floyd had caused outrage around the world. The ex-police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted. However, the citizens do not want to change the structure of the police authority.
Less than a year and a half after the killing of the African American George Floyd in Minneapolis, the citizens of the city have spoken out against the abolition of the police department in its current form.
A good 56 percent of those surveyed voted against a corresponding petition on Tuesday evening (local time), according to official information. The debate was that the police in Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesoata should be replaced by a new “public safety agency”.
The new agency should have taken a “comprehensive approach to public health”. The staff should also be able to include police officers. Floyd was killed in a brutal police operation in May 2020. Since then, the Minneapolis Police Department has been under massive pressure. Floyd’s death sparked months of protests against racism and police violence in the United States.
Since the incident, the debate over how to deal with the police has divided the United States. While many Democrats advocate reforms to make police more accountable, many Republicans have criticized a campaign against the police. Democrats called for public funds to be redistributed to the police. They faced accusations from Republicans of wanting to withdraw funds from the police.
In the trial for the killing of Floyd, the responsible US court had sentenced the convicted white ex-police officer Derek Chauvin to a prison sentence of 22 years and six months in June. In addition to Chauvin, three other ex-police officers involved in the operation against Floyd were charged. You will be on trial in Minneapolis beginning March next year.