Even after more than four years since George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, the aftermath of the violence continues to affect some members of the community.
Recent research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology highlights that Black Minneapolis residents experienced the most significant negative mental health impacts following Floyd’s murder, regardless of their zip code, compared to their white and Latino neighbors.
“Typically, in epidemiological studies, factors like wealth or socioeconomic status act as buffers against health problems. But we don’t see that here,” said Ryan Larson, coauthor of the study and assistant professor of criminology at Hamline University. “Both Black residents in disadvantaged and advantaged areas of Minneapolis saw a comparable increase in mental health diagnoses across the city.”
The research indicates a rise of 0.23 per 1,000 residents in mental health conditions among Black Minneapolis residents within a week of Floyd’s death, while no significant increase was observed for Latino or white residents. Larson and his team relied on in-hospital mental health diagnosis data from the Minnesota Hospital Association to assess the impact, acknowledging that these figures reflect severe cases compared to outpatient visits. National studies examining the wellness effects post-Floyd often rely on self-reported surveys, all in an attempt to measure “collective trauma… caused by extreme forms of police violence.”
