Featured: mobilization in the United States and around the world against police violence

Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow

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After days of protests , provoked by the shock in public opinion of the death of George Floyd under the knee of a white policeman, "  the time has come to come together in memory of a man you do not have you need to know to cry it,  ”writes the columnist for the Houston Chronicle . Because “  when people, to whom we entrust the responsibility of protecting ourselves, use their authority, their weapons and their bodies to act with violence, we all suffer. And we will end up being affected as a nation. This is why tomorrow,  "continues the daily,"  we will transform our mourning into action to dismantle institutional violence and systemic racism. "

In light of the massive mobilization in the United States and around the world against police violence, racism and inequality, there is great hope that the time for change has finally arrived.

Derek Chauvin , the agent who caused the death of George Floyd, was charged with manslaughter, his three colleagues for complicity. Derek Chauvin appeared for the first time before a judge on Monday. A judicial response "  exceptionally quick if compared with similar cases in recent years,  " says the Boston Globe .

Yet a charge is not yet worth a conviction, notes the Miami Herald . The public's distrust of the police is immense. To ensure that the police are held accountable for their actions in the future, the major Florida newspaper calls for the establishment of "  civilian oversight committees." These committees could independently investigate complaints from victims of police abuse  . ”

Since the death of George Floyd, several cities have passed laws that prohibit police from exercising positions that could strangle a person arrested. And the Democrats in the House of Representatives will present a comprehensive reform of US law enforcement this Monday, writes the Washington Post .

However, this newspaper is very skeptical about the chances of success of an in-depth reform of the American police . The Washington Post even believes that the murder of George Floyd may not be the defining moment that the crowds on the streets hope for. Tackling the existing system requires overcoming major obstacles, such as the collective agreements of powerful police unions which "  prevent transparency within police departments and protect prosecutors from misconduct  ".

Another problem: "  In the United States, each city, each county, each state has its own police forces ". To reform these services in depth would require federal legislation, concludes the Washington Post . "  But so far attempts to do so have been unsuccessful  ."

Faced with these difficulties, certain cities seem to envisage much more radical solutions. "  Defund the police !"  ","  Dismantle the police !  Is the new rallying cry that we heard in many demonstrations this weekend. As in Minneapolis where the protesters believe that the police department is not reformable. The only way to overcome the arbitrary violence and the racism that reigns there would be to dismantle the whole institution and to allocate its budget to projects that would benefit the population, writes the local newspaper Star Tribune .

And this is precisely what yesterday decided a majority of elected officials of the city, against the advice of the mayor. These elected officials announced "  the abolition of the police department and the creation of a new model of public security for the city,  " reports the Star Tribune . The contours of this new model are still unclear. Several Minneapolis elected officials have suggested that psychologists or social workers may be dispatched to the field to respond to emergency situations.

After the murder of George Floyd "  other cities, including New York and Los Angeles, began to talk of withdrawing part of the funding intended for the police as well as part of the missions which were hitherto entrusted to him for the redirect to social agencies,  "reports the New York Times, which concludes:"  But no other big city has gone as far as what Minneapolis officials have promised to do  . "

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• Racism

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