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Racial trauma expert weighs in on report that details racism in the Minneapolis Police Department

A demonstrator holds a portrait of George Floyd in March 2021 in Minneapolis. An investigation sparked by Floyd's death found the city's police department had arrested and killed people of color at much higher rates than white people. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)
A demonstrator holds a portrait of George Floyd in March 2021 in Minneapolis. An investigation sparked by Floyd's death found the city's police department had arrested and killed people of color at much higher rates than white people. (Chandan Khanna / AFP)

It’s been 30 years since Los Angeles erupted into violence after the acquittal of four police officers charged with using excessive force in the videotaped arrest and beating of Black motorist Rodney King.

Three decades and a racial reckoning later, many wonder how much has really changed.

This week, nearly two years after the death of George Floyd, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights concluded its investigation of the Minneapolis Police Department with a damning report.

The report found that officers stopped, searched, arrested, and killed people of color at significantly higher rates than white people, and that city and police leaders were aware of the pattern of discriminatory behavior.

Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd talks to Minneapolis resident Resmaa Menakem who has led anti-racist trainings in the city’s police department and works as a counselor to help people deal with generational trauma.

Read the full report here.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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