By: Annie Yu

The Department of Justice released a report showing that corruption, unlawful conduct, discrimination, and mismanagement run rampant in Minneapolis’s Police Department. The report found that Minneapolis police officers used excessive force and disproportionately targeted People of Color.

The information isn’t news to residents of Minneapolis. The murder of George Floyd proved the report true, and there have been many other horror stories. Mr. Johnson is one of those residents. After watching footage of Mr. Floyd’s death, he was shaken. “I stay away from them as far as I can,” Mr. Johnson explains. “White men and women, they don’t worry like we do.”

He plans to get a firearms permit, which he believes is the best safety measure in Minneapolis. “I’m planning on never going outside without my gun again.”

Mook Thomas, African-American and 27, has another story to tell. After moving to Minneapolis with her husband and five children, she encountered the police when she and her husband were driving home. Eventually, they were pulled over and told they were stopped for a broken headlight, even though both headlights worked.

Sergeant Schroeder claims that the police “don’t focus on color” and “want to do a good job and … make the community better.”

Can Minneapolis still believe them after the death of George Floyd?