George Floyd's death: One Minneapolis police officer released on bail

One of the four Minneapolis police officers charged over the death of George Floyd, triggering nationwide protests against police brutality and discrimination, was released on bail on June 10. Thomas Lane, 37, was charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death after huge outrage.

Lane has been held on $750,000 bail and his attorney, Earl Gray, told a local daily that an online fundraiser on social media for Lane’s release has since been taken down. However, the attorney said that he was not aware of the amount raised through the fundraiser before Lane was freed from the Hennepin County jail.

Earlier in June, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office had dismissed the reports that former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on camera while pressing knee against Floyd that led to his death, was released from custody. The office said that Chauvin has been transferred to the custody of the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

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Call for police reform

Protests flared for a 16th day across the country on June 10 with protesters demanding urgent police reforms and an end to systemic racial discrimination. Meanwhile, US House Democrats have unveiled a bill which calls for sweeping reforms in policing by prohibiting chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock and limiting the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement. 

The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 was introduced by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bas, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Corey Booker and Kamala Harris, and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler. It also prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious and discriminatory profiling.

The bill mandates the use of dashboard cameras and body cameras for federal offices and the establishment of a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent problematic officers who are fired from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability. It reforms qualified immunity so that individuals are not barred from recovering damages when police violate their constitutional rights.

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Read: Minneapolis Police Face Civil Rights Probe Over Floyd Death