State of Michigan

05/08/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/08/2021 17:03

MDCR Director James E. White Issues Statement on Federal Civil Rights Charges Filed Against Officers Involved in the Death of George Floyd

Contact:
Vicki Levengood 517-775-0558
Agency:Civil Rights

LANSING, MI--James E. White, Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, has issued the following statement in response to a federal grand jury filing civil rights charges against four Minneapolis police officers involved in the death of George Floyd.

'The grand jury decision to bring federal civil rights charges against Derek Chauvin and three other Minneapolis police officers is justifiable and appropriate. It underscores the need for law enforcement agencies all over the country to learn from this unconscionable act and to institute tough and transparent polices to help ensure no one else faces the kind of unjustifiable force that ended the life of George Floyd.'

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission was created by the Michigan Constitution to safeguard constitutional and legal guarantees against discrimination. The Commission is charged with investigating alleged discrimination against any person because of religion, race, color or national origin, genetic information, sex, age, marital status, height, weight, arrest record, and physical and mental disability. The Michigan Department of Civil Rights serves as the operational arm of the Commission.

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