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Minneapolis schools and parks cut ties with police over George Floyd’s death

America Protests Minneapolis
Jalen Shaw, a graduate of Fridley High School, visits the memorial site for Greg Floyd Wednesday, June 3, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests continued following the death of Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Minneapolis Public Schools and the city’s parks department said they will be ending their relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department following George Floyd’s death.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board voted Wednesday night to end its relationship with the Minneapolis Police Department, according to a recording of the meeting. All nine of the Park Board’s members voted in favor of the resolution to immediately stop using “Minneapolis Police to staff park-sanctioned events” and end the practice of “Park Police response to Minneapolis Police Department calls.”

The vote came after the Minneapolis Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to terminate the district’s contract with MPD, which provided school resource officers at school buildings.

“George Floyd died on the street slowly and deliberately strangled and our children watched,” Jenny Arenson, vice chair of the board said during the virtual meeting on Tuesday. “Minneapolis police, individual officers and the city have work to do. And until they demonstrate they have done that work, we need to separate our relationship.”

Additionally, the University of Minnesota also announced they would “no longer contract with the Minneapolis Police Department for additional law enforcement support” and it will not use the police department for “specialized services are needed for university events.”