CONSTELLATION OF MANY THAT
NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE
THERE COULD BE ANYTHING
RESEMBLING CLOSURE.
JOINING ME IS THE AUTHOR OF THAT
ARTICLE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US.
WE APPRECIATE HAVING YOU HERE.
I RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE TO SPEND
SOMETIME WITH THE ARTICLE.
YOU RETURN TO THE SCENE OF
GEORGE FLOYD SQUARE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK -- JUST GIVE
PEOPLE A SENSE OF KIND OF A
THESIS OF YOUR PIECE AND YOUR
THOUGHTS ON WHAT THE LEGACY 0 OF
THAT PLACE IS GOING TO BE.
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT FOR
PEOPLE WHO WERE OUTSIDE
MINNEAPOLIS IT WAS VERY CLEAR.
SEEMED TO HAVE A CLASSIC STORY
ARC OF BEING A TERRIBLE THING
AND THEN BEING A TRIAL AND
CONCLUDED IT.
WHEN I WENT THERE FOR THE TRIAL,
I WAS THERE TO COVER TO TRIAL
FOR "THE NEW YORKER" AND VERY
QUICKLY REALIZED THAT THE TRIAL
WAS NOT REALLY THE STORY.
IT WAS A STORY.
BUT THE REAL DYNAMICS OF WHAT
WAS HAPPENING IN THE CITY AND
THE AFTERMATH WERE TAKING PLACE
ACROSS TOWN IN THE AREA THATS
COME TO BE KNOWN AS GEORGE FLOYD
SQUARE.
THERE WERE HUGE DISPUTES OVER
WHETHER OR NOT THAT WOULD BE
OPENED UP TO TRAFFIC.
THE CITY DID REOPEN IT BUT OVER
LOUD OBJECTIONS TO PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY.
WHAT WILL BE THE TERMS THAT IT
WOULD BE REOPENED UNDER.
WHAT ARE THE DEMANDS THAT PEOPLE
ARE MAKING?
WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THE
MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT?
WHERE DO THE POLITICIANS AND
PARTICULARLY THE CITY COUNCIL
STAND ON THE ISSUES?
THE SHORT ANSWER IS THEYVE BEEN
IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS WITH
DEFUNDING OR ABOLISHING THE
POLICE DEPARTMENT IN MINNEAPOLIS
SO THERES A LOT THATS TEEMING,
AN UNRESOLVED SITUATION AND I
WANT TO REPORT ON THAT.
>> CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND?
THERES A COUPLE THINGS GOING ON
HERE.
YOU DOCUMENT SOME ISSUES WITH
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
YOU NOTE OF NEARLY 2,800
CIVILIAN COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE
DEPARTMENT THE DEPARTMENT RULED
13 OF THOSE COMPLAINTS WERE EVEN
WARRANTED.
BUT THEN AS YOU NOTE THERES
BEEN A PUSH TO DEFUND POLICE AND
THERES ALSO A CORRESPONDING
RISE IN VIOLENT CRIME.
HOW DOES THIS ALL INTERACT TO
TRY TO MOVE US FORWARD?
>> ITS VERY COMPLICATED BECAUSE
ALL OF THESE VARYING FACTORS
THAT IMPACT WHERE THE PUBLIC IS
ON ANY GIVEN MOMENT.
PEOPLE ARE VERY CONCERNED
OBVIOUSLY ABOUT THE INCREASING
CRIME THATS BEEN IN THE CITY.
AT THE SAME TIME, PEOPLE ARE
MORE COGNIZANT AND EQUALLY
CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPUNITY OF
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS
OPERATED WITH AND SO THE
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION THAT
ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH KIND OF
EVALUATING THESE CASES DID THAT
AND FOUND IN 2,800 CASES ONLY 13
FOUND TO BE JUSTIFIED BUT THATS
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OVERSEEING
ITSELF WHICH IS AN OBVIOUS
CONFLICT OF INTEREST SO THE
PEOPLE NOT NECESSARILY
INTERESTED IN EITHER OF THOSE
EXTREME I TO ABOLISH THE
DEPARTMENT OR ALLOWING IT TO
OPERATE WITH IMPUNITY FALLEN ON
THE SIDE TO SAY THERE NEEDS TO
BE STRONGER OVERSIGHT OF THE
DEPARTMENT AS IT EXISTS.
ONE OTHER FACTOR THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT IS DOWN BY ALMOST A
THIRD I BELIEVE POLICE OFFICERS
EXODUS FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS PD
TO SURROUNDING DEPARTMENTS AND
ALL OF THESE THINGS CHURNED
AROUND AND HARD TO UNDERSTAND
WHERE THIS EQUATION WILL LEAD US
TO.
>> WHICH IS WHY, OF COURSE, THE