Minneapolis officers quit in wake of George Floyd protests

At least seven Minneapolis police officers have quit and ar seven are in process of resigning, citing a lack of support from department and city leaders as protests over George Floyd’s death escalated.

Current and former officers told Minneapolis Star Tribune that officers are upset with Mayor Jacob Frey’s decision to abandon Third Precinct station during protests. Demonstrators set building on fire after officers left.

Protesters also hurled bricks and insults at officers. Numerous officers and protesters have been injured.

Minnesota Department of Human Rights launched a civil rights investigation into city’s police department this month and FBI is investigating wher police willfully deprived Floyd of his civil rights.

department has faced decades of allegations of brutality and or discrimination against African Americans and or mirities. A majority of City Council members support dismantling or defunding department.

“(Officers) don’t feel appreciated,” said Mylan Masson, a retired Minneapolis officer and use-of-force expert. “Everybody hates police right w. I mean everybody.”

Deputy Chief Henry Halvorson said in an email to supervisors earlier this month that some officers have simply walked off job without filing proper paperwork, creating confusion about who is still working and who isn’t.

Minneapolis Police spokesman John Elder downplayed departures.

“re’s thing that leads us to believe that at this point numbers are so great that it’s going to be problematic,” Elder said. “People seek to leave employment for a myriad reasons — MPD is exception.”

Floyd, who was black, died on May 25 after officers arrested him on suspicion of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a grocery store. Cellphone video from a passerby shows Floyd lying face down on street while a white officer named Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for minutes. Floyd can be heard complaining that he can’t brea before going limp.

His death has sparked protests around world over police brutality and racism. Chauvin was fired and charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three or officers involved in incident have been fired and charged with aiding and abetting both second-degree murder and manslaughter.

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who represents part of Minneapolis, told CNN’s “State of Union” on Sunday that Minneapolis Police Department is suffering a crisis of credibility and needs to be dismantled.

“You can’t really reform a department that is rotten to root,” she said. “What you can do is rebuild. And so this is our opportunity, you kw, as a city, to come toger, have conversation of what public safety looks like, who enforces most dangerous crimes that place in our community. ... What we are saying is, current infrastructure that exists as policing in our city should t exist anymore.”

Elder didn’t immediately respond to a mess seeking comment on Omar’s remarks.