Mary Moriarty, the top prosecutor where George Floyd was murdered, is facing backlash. But she has vowed to endure
Mary Moriarty, the top prosecutor where George Floyd was murdered, is facing backlash. But she has vowed to endure
The top prosecutor where George Floyd was murdered is facing backlash. But she has vowed to endure
After Moriarty, a former public defender, became the Hennepin County Attorney in January 2023, she vowed to make police more accountable and change the culture of an office she believes had long overemphasized punishment without addressing the root causes of crime.
Her election came as the Minneapolis area was still reeling from the 2020 murder of Floyd by a police officer and the resulting protests and prosecutions of police. Moriarty’s two immediate predecessors had been in office for a combined 31 years, and her promises of dramatic changes had the backing of the state Democratic party, community leaders and voters hungry for a new approach.
But only 18 months after beginning her four-year term, Moriarty faces fierce backlash, even among some former supporters...
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“There have been times I’ve asked myself, is this the city where George Floyd was murdered? But at the same time, if I look historically, any time there’s been progress, there’s always backlash,” Moriarty said. “There’s nothing different about this than when people in the past have tried to change systems that have been in place for decades.”