Minneapolis City Council has unanimously agreed to pay six social media influencers to distribute city-approved messages and updates during the upcoming murder trial against the former officer. Derek Chauvin, who is charged with the death of George Floyd. On Friday, the board approved $ 1,181,500 for community communication during the trial, CBS Minnesota reports.
The city says social media partners will help eliminate potential disinformation, and that the influencers will intentionally target black, Native American, Somali, Hmong and Latinx communities with their posts. Each influencer is paid $ 2,000.
The goal is to “increase access to information for communities that do not typically follow the city’s mainstream news sources or communication channels and / or who do not consume information in English,” the Minneapolis City Council said in a statement. “It is also an opportunity to create more two-way communication between the city and the communities.”
The city council has not yet finalized how they will choose the influencers, but said selections will be based on recommendations from the city’s neighborhood and community relations staff.
Some activists and legal experts are concerned about the decision.
Toussaint Morrison, an activist with more than 11,000 followers on Instagram, uses his platform to educate the community. He is concerned about the bias behind information that will come from a city-funded influencer.
“The keyword here is ‘city approved,'” said Morrison. What do you think the message will be? It will likely be pro-city. It will be anti-protest. ‘
Sarah Davis, executive director of the Legal Rights Center in Minneapolis, said this board decision sends a clear message.
“It really reflects that they know there is a lack of trust between the community and the urban institutions and that’s real. Let’s be honest about that, that’s real,” Davis said.
Her firm plans to provide legal expertise and Q & As during the process.
“What we’re really trying to do is help people understand what they’re going to see, answer questions about it,” Davis said.
The City Council plans to discuss more details about the new features in a public online briefing at 10 a.m. Monday
Floyd’s death last year sparked outrage and a wave of unrest in Minneapolis and across the country, with violence and looting in some cities. Many demonstrated peacefully.