The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced it is halting negotiations for court-approved settlements with police departments in Minneapolis and Louisville. This unexpected move comes despite previous findings that authorities in these cities routinely violated the civil rights of Black residents.
The DOJ’s decision also includes closing investigations and retracting findings of wrongdoing against police departments in Phoenix, Arizona; Memphis, Tennessee; Trenton, New Jersey; Mount Vernon, New York; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and the Louisiana State Police.
These developments have raised concerns among activists and community members, as the cities in question were at the center of worldwide protests against police brutality following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020.
George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis sparked global outrage when former police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for over nine minutes as Floyd pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. In Louisville, Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police officers executing a no-knock warrant on March 13, 2020.
Assistant Attorney General overseeing the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division stated, “Overbroad police consent decrees divest local control of policing from communities where it belongs, turning that power over to unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats.”
The announcement has ignited debate over the future of police reform in the United States, especially as communities continue to call for accountability and justice in policing practices.
With the anniversary of George Floyd’s death approaching, many are questioning what these decisions mean for the progress made in addressing systemic issues within law enforcement agencies.
