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George Floyd Murder: Entire police department of Minneapolis to be dismantled as #BlackLivesMatter protests continue

Current police department to be disbanded as protesters demand reform

Police funding to be directed toward community based strategies.

As the death of George Floyd sparked voracious nationwide demonstrations over racism in law enforcement in the United States, the Minneapolis city council came to the consensus of building a new model of public safety by dismantling the current police department.

Council president Lisa Bender told CNN, “we are committed to dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually keeps our community safe”.

“A veto-proof majority of the MPLS city council” was where the decision came from, tweeted Council member Alondra Cano who according to her statement acquiesced that the police department “is not reformable and that we’re going to end the current policing system”.

On May 25, a white Minneapolis Police officer had pinned his knee on Floyd’s neck for approximately nine minutes, crushing him to death as shown by a bystander video.

It was the latest case of white law enforcement authorities being responsible for the killing of an unarmed black person.

This death sparked peaceful protests across the US against the rampant racism in the law enforcement. The protesters demanded the police to be defunded.

Last year, a black former Minneapolis police officer was put behind the bars for 12 years and six months for killing an unarmed white Australian who was aiming to report a crime.

Bender told CNN that the city council would discuss how to rebuild the current police department by shifting police funding toward community based strategies.

The development comes in the backdrop of protests that are raging in the United States over the murder of Black American George Floyd.

The protesters identifying themselves with the #BlackLivesMatter movement are demanding justice for George Floyd and an end to police brutality against blacks in America. The movement against systemic discrimination and marginalisation of Black Americans has reignited after the killing of Floyd.

As many as 40 cities and Washington D.C. across the United States have imposed curfews in response to the continuing protests.

Micro blogging site Twitter too showed support by adding the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter to its official handle.

News Channel CNN’s correspondent Omar Jimenez was arrested by police while reporting live on air, covering the protests. Jimenez had just shown a protester being arrested when about half a dozen white police officers surrounded him. Jiminez is also a Black American.

 

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