(Washington) Nearly three years after the death of African-American George Floyd 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, had 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 northern 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 drama was part of a context of widespread “racial discrimination” within the police of Minneapolis.
“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.
The deal was negotiated between the city and the Minnesota state human rights agency after the investigation. It must come into force as soon as a court has approved it.
The more than 140-page text notably provides 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”.
