Tuesday, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights filed a civil rights charge against the Minneapolis Police Department in relation to the death of George Floyd, Your Content has learned.
Additionally, the department will begin an investigation into Minneapolis Police.
According to a release from Gov. Tim Walz’s office, the Department of Human Rights will seek agreement from city leadership and MPD to immediately implement interim measures in advance of long-term measures to address systemic discriminatory practices.
“Silence is complicity. Minnesotans can expect our administration to use every tool at our disposal to deconstruct generations of systemic racism in our state,” said Walz. “As we move forward, we ask the community to watch what we do, not what we say. It is going to take action at all levels from the neighborhood on up, to get the change we need to see. This effort is only one of many steps to come in our effort to restore trust with those in the community who have been unseen and unheard for far too long.”
“All of us agree that hate and discrimination should not be part of the fabric of this great state,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “But the grief and anger of this past week did not emerge from a vacuum. This is about a culture that continues to go unchecked. We can and must choose to do better. George Floyd, and the state as a whole, deserves this of us.”
“George Floyd should be alive. He deserved to live a life full of dignity and joy,” added MDHR Commissioner Rebecca Lucero. “Community leaders have been asking for structural change for decades. They have fought for this and it is essential that we acknowledge the work and commitment of those who have paved the path to make today’s announcement possible.”