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<br />1865
<br />BILL NO. 20-16
<br />RESOLUTION NO.
<br />A RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA,DENOUCING IN THE
<br />STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS ALL ACTS OF RACIAL PROFILING,POLICE BRUTALTY AND THE
<br />USE OF EXCESSIVE POLICE FORCE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY
<br />WHEREAS, on May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a black resident of the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was
<br />publicly and brutally murdered through the actions and inactions of four police officers while he cried out"I
<br />can't breathe" and called for his dead mother; and
<br />WHEREAS, Mr. Floyd's death occurred while he was handcuffed, lying face down on the street while one
<br />officer knelt on his neck, another officer applied pressure to his back and at least two other officers ignored
<br />pleas from onlookers to save Mr. Floyd's life; and
<br />WHEREAS, the officer continuedpp1 in pressure to Mr. Floyd's neck for nearlynine (9)minutes, more thanaYgY
<br />three (3)minutes after he stopped breathing; and
<br />WHEREAS, although this method of restraint has been banned or strongly discouraged by many police
<br />departments, reports indicate that Minneapolis police used neck restraints, i.e. using an arm or leg to compress a
<br />neck without directly putting pressure on the airway, at least two hundred and thirty-seven (237) since the
<br />beginning of 2015, with at least forty-four(44) of the victims losing consciousness; and
<br />WHEREAS, despite recordings of Mr. Floyd's death having been replayed innumerable times throughout the
<br />world leading to world-wide protests, a Seattle police officer was recorded using a similar tactic on a protester
<br />until his knee was forcibly removed by another officer while onlookers screamed"get your f*****g knee off
<br />his neck"; and
<br />WHEREAS, this is the second time in the past year that members of this Common Council have expressed
<br />condolences to the family and friends of a Black man killed by a white police officer, the death of Eric Logan
<br />on June 16, 2019, though tragic,did not draw global attention to America's problems, in part, because Mr.
<br />Logan was killed in the middle of the night, in a dark parking lot, with no witnesses or video to document what
<br />actually happened and the investigation of his death left unanswered many questions in the minds of many
<br />people, unlike the public killing of Mr. Floyd, in broad daylight, with several recordings and witnesses; and
<br />WHEREAS, historical injustices and racial disparities that have existed in our country for hundreds of years
<br />have led to many Black men dying at the hands of white police officers in a system of policing in America that
<br />targets people of color and which can be traced back to the long legacy of slavery, lynching, and Jim Crow
<br />laws; and
<br />WHEREAS, it is currently not only Black men, but also Black women and girls, Latinos and Native Americans
<br />who suffer from this shameful history; and
<br />WHEREAS the very public and brutal murder of Mr. Floyd has caused world-wide outrage because such
<br />actions can no longer be willfully denied or ignorantly disregarded; and
<br />WHEREAS, racial profiling and excessive force, which includes shootings, brutal beatings, fatal chokings,
<br />and other excessive abuses, are contrary to human decency, the inherent dignity of every individual, and the
<br />American ideal of equal justice for all.
<br />NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH
<br />BEND, INDIANA,AS FOLLOWS:
<br />Section I. The Common Council expresses its deep and sincere condolences, not only to the family and friends
<br />of Mr. Floyd, but also to the family and friends of all other such victims whose suffering is renewed and
<br />intensified every time there is another family suffers a similar loss.
<br />4857-20
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