End of Federal Oversight Plan for Minneapolis Police Draws Criticism Over Timing

The Trump administration’s announcement on Wednesday that it was withdrawing from federal oversight plans for the Minneapolis Police Department came as the city was preparing to mark the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of the police.

Officials and residents expressed dismay about the administration’s decision, saying that oversight had been aimed at ending what federal authorities had described as a longstanding pattern of violent, racist and unconstitutional practices by the city’s Police Department.

The timing of the announcement, during a week when Mr. Floyd’s death is being observed with panel discussions, concerts, vigils and other gatherings in Minneapolis, struck many in the city as insensitive.

Mr. Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, when a police officer held his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes.

“The Trump administration is sending a signal that they don’t deva about Black lives,” said Nekima Levy Armstrong, a civil rights lawyer and activist in Minneapolis.

Officials in Minneapolis said they had long anticipated that the Trump administration would withdraw from an agreement that had been signed just days before President Biden left the White House.