Following the groundbreaking verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced federal action would be taken both into the death of George Floyd –– of which Chauvin was convicted on three charges –– and the policing tactics of the Minneapolis Police Department as a whole.
Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement following the jury’s guilty verdict on Tuesday, saying that although the prosecution ran a successful campaign against Chauvin’s defense, the verdict does not bring Floyd back.
“I know that nothing can fill the void that the loved ones of George Floyd have felt since his death,” Garland said. “The Justice Department has previously announced a federal civil rights investigation into the death of George Floyd. This investigation is ongoing.”
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Elaborating on this investigation during a press conference, Garland confirmed the DOJ’s new civil investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department to see if there is a “pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.”
“Yesterday’s verdict in the state criminal trial does not address potentially systemic policing issues in Minneapolis,” Garland told the press.
The investigation is separate from the recent outcome of the Chauvin trial, and will be spearheaded by attorneys from the DOJ’s civil rights office, along with the U.S. attorney’s office from Minnesota. Following the groundbreaking verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced federal action would be taken both into the death of George Floyd –– of which Chauvin was convicted on three charges –– and the policing tactics of the Minneapolis Police Department as a whole.
Multiple police departments have been under similar scrutiny following the death of both Floyd and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, resulting in civil rights Black Lives Matter demonstrations worldwide.
The recent police slaying of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, has prompted fresh criticisms of policing in the U.S.
“The challenges we face are deeply woven into our history,” Garland continued. “They did not arise today, or last year, building trust between community and law enforcement will take time and effort by all of us. But we undertake this task with determination and urgency, knowing that change cannot wait.”
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