Five years after the death of George Floyd, civilian oversight of law enforcement is dying

8th September 2025Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Adjunct Professor, George Mason University

The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in 2020 sparked global calls for racial justice and ignited a wave of police oversight reform across the US; but five years on, Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, public sociologist, former police officer, and Adjunct Professor at George Mason University, warns that civilian oversight of law enforcement in the US is now dying – but meaningful change can still emerge when residents organize, officials listen, and structures are preserved.

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Five years after the death of George Floyd, civilian oversight of law enforcement is dying

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