Minneapolis' police department agreed Friday to new measures to combat excessive police force after negotiations with the state of Minnesota.
After former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on the neck of and killed George Floyd, negotiators for the city agreed to ban police from using chokeholds. The city also agreed to mandate officers intervene verbally and physically if they see other officers using excessive force, risking punishment as severe as the officer using the force if they fail to intervene. That measure comes after two other officers also helped Chauvin restrain Floyd and one simply looked on. Chauvin is facing second-degree murder charges, while the other three ex-officers have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Protests have taken over Minneapolis and much of the country after Floyd's death at the hands of police, prompting complaints and videos of police forcefully restraining protesters who were seemingly peaceful. Under the Friday agreement, officers will have to get permission from Minneapolis' police chief or a designated deputy chief to use crowd control weapons such as tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and batons. The changes come after the Minnesota Department of Human Rights launched an investigation into Floyd's death.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Police forces in New York and Miami have had "duty to intervene" rules on the books, but what's known as a "blue wall of silence" has still stopped other officers from stepping in to prevent or reporting wrongdoing, Vice News reports. Protesters and news sources have shared many videos showing NYPD officers attacking protesters and reporters over the past week.
-
How will the new Repayment Assistance Plan for student loans work?the explainer The Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace existing income-driven repayment plans
-
In the Spotlight Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been at odds with US forces
-
Music reviews: Ethel Cain, Amaarae, and The Black KeysFeature "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You," "Black Star," and "No Rain, No Flowers"
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
