The city of Minneapolis abandoned a controversial plan to pay social media influencers $ 2,000 each to help it fight misinformation during the trials of four police officers accused of the George Floyd murder, officials said on Monday.
The plan, which the Minneapolis City Council approved on Friday, would have recruited six social media influencers to share “city-approved and generated messages” with African American, Native American, East African, Hmong and Latin communities.
But he quickly received criticism from police responsibility groups and civil rights defenders, who accused the city of trying to weave its own narrative about Floyd’s death.
In a briefing on Monday about the city’s preparations for the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin, officials acknowledged that the plan had failed, as well as his description of social media cultural partners as influencers. It is common for brands to use a paid board of celebrities and other influencers to present products and services, but the city plan was unusual.
“It was never about trying to persuade or change public opinion about any particular message, but about quickly and fairly disseminating important information,” said David Rubedor, director of the city’s community and neighborhood relations department.
Rubedor said the city wants to involve residents who are not connected to traditional routes to share information.
“For this strategy, we use the term social media influencer, which, in retrospect, did not accurately reflect what we were asking our partners and caused confusion in the community,” he said.
The jury selection is due to begin on March 8 at the trial of Chauvin, the former white officer who pinned Floyd’s neck to the floor for more than nine minutes last May, while Floyd, a black man, told officers that he did not. could breathe.
The use of force by Mr. Chauvin, accused of manslaughter and manslaughter, has been recorded in several passerby videos. It sparked widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism, as well as violence and looting in Minneapolis.
The three other police officers, who were accused of helping and inciting Chauvin, are due to go on trial in August.
On Monday, Toussaint Morrison, a local community organizer, wrote about Twitter that the city’s plan to pay social media influencers to help them with the messages was “advertising”.
Rubedor said the city was looking for alternative ways to share information with residents about traffic disruptions, street and building closures and security during the trials.
“Although I believe and support the intent of this recommendation, we have seen that the impact has caused damage in our communities and, therefore, I am sorry,” he said.
Mark Ruff, the Minneapolis city coordinator, said on Monday that the decision to dismiss the plan showed the city’s openness to public feedback.
“When we make a mistake,” he said, “we recognize that and we will do better.”