MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

George Floyd homicide: Minneapolis police to be dismantled and rebuilt

“We 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,” Council President

The police department in the US city of Minneapolis will be dismantled and rebuilt, city councillors said late Sunday after the death in custody of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests about racism in law enforcement.

 “We 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,” Council President Lisa Bender told CNN.

Four Minneapolis policemen were fired and charged for their role in the killing of Floyd. ne of the officers, 44-year-old Derek Chauvin, was filmed kneeling on the neck of Floyd for nearly nine minutes while he pleaded: “I can't breathe.”

Floyd, whom police suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit bill to pay for cigarettes, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the fatal encounter on May 25.

The arrest of all of the officers involved was a persistent demand of protesters who have taken to the streets of dozens of US cities for the past two weeks to condemn police brutality and demand racial justice. The days of demonstrations in the US - which have included outbreaks of looting and violence - have seen new police abuses, some captured on camera.

Two policemen in Buffalo, New York were charged with felony assault on Saturday after they were filmed shoving a 75 year old protestor who fell, hit his head and began bleeding, in one of the most widely shared videos fuelling outrage.
But there were some changes to policing as well. In Seattle, authorities announced a temporary ban on tear gas.

In Denver, a federal judge forbade the use of chemical agents and projectiles like rubber bullets against peaceful protesters. And in Dallas, police marched in solidarity with protesters.