Minneapolis where the African American George Floyd He died at the hands of the police, he is the epicenter of the protests and outrage against racism and police violence that shake the United States. The city is also a reflection of how discrimination is established at various levels of society in that country.
For five years, Lieutenant Bob kroll is the president of the police union of Minnepolis, an organization that has prevented real reforms from being implemented in a department with a long history of racial abuse.
Kroll It is one of the reasons that agents rarely face sanctions.
An analysis by the Reuters agency of 3,000 complaints against police officers in Minneapolis filed in the past eight years shows that 9 out of 10 allegations of misconduct were resolved without punishment or intervention to change the behavior of an officer. Only five officers were fired.
Floyd, a 46-year-old unemployed security porter, died on May 25 after white agent Derek Chauvin pinned him down by placing his knee on his neck for several minutes while Floyd He was handcuffed, lying on the floor and saying he couldn’t breathe.
Chauvin He was charged with murder last Friday. He and three other police officers involved in the case were fired and could be sentenced to up to 40 years in prison.
Despite what happened, Bob kroll He wrote a letter to union members on Monday stating that he was working with the collective’s attorneys so that each of the officers would be reinstated. “They were dismissed without due process,” he said.
A disgrace to the badge! This is the battle that myself and others have been fighting against. Bob Kroll turn in your badge! pic.twitter.com/SQmeNIIU3v
– Janeé Harteau (@ChiefHarteau) June 1, 2020
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KrollUsually expressive and hard-toned, he has kept a low profile since Floyd’s death. But he did not hesitate to lash out at the protests in his letter. Thus, he praised city officials for their response to “the larger-scale riots that Minneapolis I have never seen ”what he called a“ terrorist movement ”that has been growing for years. He also defended the actions of the police officers involved in Floyd’s death and has highlighted the problems with the victim’s justice.
His words increased public outrage and calls for him to resign.
Get him out! State Unions Calling For Lt. Bob Kroll’s Resignation https://t.co/EcGfIvEWaN
– Chanda Smith Baker (@Chandasbaker) June 5, 2020
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Since he became president of the police union in 2015, Kroll past and present police chiefs and mayors have been confronted. One of the main points of disagreement is the endorsement of Kroll to military-style police, which condition officers to view all encounters with residents as inherently dangerous.
The mayor of MinneapolisJacob Frey ended this type of training last year, but Kroll announced that the union would make the training free for any officers who wanted it.
Frey These days he has assured that a good part of the obstacles to produce changes in the police comes from the collective agreement signed with the union that he leads Kroll, a character who has had various expressions and racist attitudes and who does not want any type of reform of the police force.
History linked to racism
Last year, Kroll, who does not hide his fondness for old police tactics, appeared at a Donald Trump campaign rally and praised him as a “wonderful president.” The agent was wearing a polo shirt that said “Cops for Trump,” the same one his union began selling after officers were banned from wearing uniforms at political events.
