Minneapolis City Council Votes To Ban Police Choke Holds

On Friday, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to ban the use of police choke holds, and will now require officers to intervene anytime there's an unauthorized use of force. The emergency meeting had been called on Thursday after Minnesota's Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero filed discrimination charges against the Minneapolis Police Department.

This is all in the wake of George Floyd's death at the hands of four former Minneapolis officers on May 25. One officer is facing a second-degree murder charge for kneeling on Floyd's neck. The three others have just recently been charged.

Since the start of 2015, NBC News found that 44 people were rendered unconscious due to Minneapolis police neck restraints.

On Thursday, City Councilman Jeremiah Ellison tweeted that the city plans to "dismantle" the Minneapolis police department.

“We are going to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department,” Ellison wrote. “And when we’re done, we’re not simply gonna glue it back together. We are going to dramatically rethink how we approach public safety and emergency response. It’s really past due.”

But even though the agreement has been approved by the city council, it still must be approved by a judge.

"We urge the state to hold its full weight to hold the Minneapolis Police Department accountable for any and all abuse of power and harms to our community and stand ready to aid in this process as full partners," said the City Council in a statement.

Read the full report on ABC7.


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