George Floyd’s brother Philonise said that officers can perform their duties and be respectful toward others.
There have been calls to defund or dismantle police departments in the wake of Floyd’s death while in Minneapolis police custody on May 25. However, even some Democratic lawmakers and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden have sought to distance themselves from the movement.
![George Floyd in a file photograph. (Christopher Harris via AP)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F05%2F31%2Fphoto-of-George-Floyd-1-600x397.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
“We want to try to work to say we need to do restructuring and we need to work together and in concert to try to solve this problem,” Crump told the news outlet. “This is not a black problem. This is not a white problem. This is an American problem, and the only way we can heal this country is by working together.
“What we want is people from both sides of the aisle, people from communities of color, community partners, to get with law enforcement,” Crump added, “so we don’t continue to have ... black people being killed by the police unjustifiably and unnecessarily and senselessly, and nobody being held accountable.”
On June 12, the City Council unanimously passed a veto-proof resolution to pursue replacing its police department with a “community-led public safety system.”
![Protestors demonstrate outside of a burning fast food restaurant in Minneapolis on May 29, 2020. (John Minchillo/AP photo)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F05%2F30%2FFloyd_protest_restaurant-burnt-600x400.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
It was reported that at least seven Minneapolis police officers have quit and another seven are in the process of resigning, citing a lack of support from department and city leaders as protests over Floyd’s death escalated.
Current and former officers told The Minneapolis Star Tribune that officers are upset with Mayor Jacob Frey’s decision to abandon the Third Precinct station during the protests.
Demonstrators set the building on fire after officers left. Protesters also hurled bricks and insults at officers. Numerous officers and protesters have been injured.
The Minnesota Department of Human Rights launched a civil rights investigation into the city’s police department this month, and the FBI is investigating whether police willfully deprived Floyd of his civil rights.